Louis-Philippe Ladouceur (; born March 13, 1981) is a Canadian-American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who spent his entire 16-year career as a

long snapper In gridiron football, the long snapper (or deep snapper) is a Center (gridiron football), center on American football positions#Special teams, special teams whose duty is to Snap (gridiron football), snap the football over a longer distance, ty ...

with the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). Born and raised in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, he played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

in the United States for the

California Golden Bears The California Golden Bears are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Berkeley. Referred to in athletic competition as ''California'' or ''Cal'', the university fields 30 varsity athletic programs and various club te ...

. He signed as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

with the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

in 2005, before joining the Cowboys that same year. Ladouceur holds several longevity records for both the Cowboys and the NFL, including most consecutive games played in Cowboys history, most seasons played in Cowboys history, most consecutive games played by a long snapper in NFL history, and most games played by a Canadian-born player.

Early life

Ladouceur attended Notre Dame High School in

Montreal, Quebec Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

. He went on to play as a

defensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line (D ...

for John Abbott College, which is a

public college A public university, state university, or public college is a university or college that is State ownership, owned by the state or receives significant funding from a government. Whether a national university is considered public varies from o ...

, where as a senior he recorded seven sacks, 48 tackles, and one fumble recovery. He accepted a football scholarship from the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

. He also received scholarship offers from

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...

and

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State o ...

. In his first 2 seasons he appeared in only 5 games. As a junior, he was named the team's

and was a key player on a

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their position. Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

unit that did not allow a blocked kick in two straight years. Ladouceur was selected in the fourth round of the 2004 CFL Draft by the

Ottawa Renegades The Ottawa Renegades were a Canadian Football League franchise based in Ottawa, Ontario founded in 2002, six years after the storied Ottawa Rough Riders folded. After four seasons, the Renegades franchise was suspended indefinitely by the league d ...

, but decided to return to school.

Professional career

New Orleans Saints

Ladouceur was signed as an

by the

after the

2005 NFL draft The 2005 NFL draft, the 70th in league history, took place on April 23 and 24, 2005 NFL season, 2005. The draft was held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City and was televised for the 26th consecutive year, with coverage on E ...

on April 27. He was waived on August 29.

Dallas Cowboys

After playing the third game of the 2005 season against the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

, the Cowboys decided to stay the entire week in California, to better prepare for their next game against the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

. Because of issues they were having with rookie long snapper Jon Condo, the team decided to replace him with Ladouceur, who signed with the team on September 28. In his NFL debut against the

, he snapped cleanly on five punts and two

field goal A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. Consequently, ...

s. He finished his rookie season with clean snaps on 70 punts, 25 field goals and 28 PATs. On February 14, 2008, he signed a five-year contract through the 2012 season. On February 28, 2013, he signed a new five-year contract. In 2014, he was added to the

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players. The format has changed ...

as a "need player" for

purposes. On March 18, 2018, Ladouceur re-signed with the Cowboys. On March 19, 2019, Ladouceur re-signed with the Cowboys. On March 24, 2020, Ladouceur signed a one-year contract with the Cowboys. He tied the franchise record of playing in 16 seasons, shared with tight end

Jason Witten Christopher Jason Witten (born May 6, 1982) is an American former professional football player who was a tight end for 17 seasons, primarily for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He currently is the head football coach a ...

. On December 13, 2020, he became just the third player in NFL history to play 250 consecutive games for one team. On December 20, he played in his 251st career NFL game, moving him past kicker

Eddie Murray Eddie Clarence Murray (born February 24, 1956), nicknamed "Steady Eddie", is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) first baseman, designated hitter, and coach. Spending most of his MLB career with the Baltimore Orioles, he ranks fourth ...

as the most ever by a Canadian-born player. He was congratulated by Canada's Prime Minister

Justin Trudeau Justin Pierre James Trudeau (born December 25, 1971) is a Canadian politician who served as the 23rd prime minister of Canada from 2015 to 2025. He led the Liberal Party from 2013 until his resignation in 2025 and was the member of Parliament ...

. On March 15, 2021, it was reported in the media that the Cowboys would not re-sign Ladouceur to play for them in a 17th season. He was replaced with free agent acquisition Jake McQuaide. At the time of his departure, Ladouceur was the last active NFL player to have played under

Bill Parcells Duane Charles "Bill" Parcells ( ; born August 22, 1941) is an American former football coach who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 19 seasons. He came to prominence as the head coach of the New York Giants from 19 ...

, as well as the last active Cowboy that played a game at

Texas Stadium Texas Stadium was an American football stadium located in Irving, Texas, a suburb west of Dallas. Opened on October 24, 1971, it was known for its distinctive hole in the roof, the result of abandoned plans to construct a retractable roof. Th ...

. Ladouceur retired from the NFL in November 2021, but did not make his decision public until February 2022.

Personal life

Ladouceur married his wife, Brooke Worthington, in April 2012. He became an American citizen in 2019 after starting the process in 2013.

References

External links

California Golden Bears bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ladouceur, L.P. 1981 births Living people American football defensive linemen American football long snappers California Golden Bears football players Dallas Cowboys players Players of American football from Quebec Sportspeople from Pointe-Claire Gridiron football people from Montreal Unconferenced Pro Bowl players American people of French-Canadian descent New Orleans Saints players