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

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player who spent his entire 16-year career as a long snapper with the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). Born and raised in Montreal, he played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

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 with the NFL's New Orleans Saints 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 longsnapper in NFL history, and most games played by a Canadian-born player.

Early years

Ladouceur attended Notre Dame High School in Montreal, Quebec. 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, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numbe ...

for John Abbott College, which is a public college, 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. 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. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

and

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

. In his first 2 seasons he appeared in only 5 games. As a junior, he was named the team's long snapper and was a key player on a special teams unit that did not allow a blocked kick in two straight years. Ladouceur was selected in the fourth round of the

2004 CFL Draft The 2004 CFL Draft took place on Wednesday, April 28, 2004. 53 players were chosen from among eligible players from Canadian Universities across the country, as well as Canadian players playing in the NCAA. Of the 53 draft selections, 35 players we ...

by the Ottawa Renegades, but decided to return to school.

Professional career

New Orleans Saints

Ladouceur was signed as an undrafted free agent by the New Orleans Saints after the

2005 NFL Draft The 2005 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The NFL draft, draft was held April 23–24, 2005 NFL seaso ...

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 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 that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...

. Because of issues they were having with rookie long snapper

Jon Condo Jonathan Condo (born August 26, 1981) is an American former professional football long snapper who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Oakland Raiders, the Atlanta Falcons and the San Francisco 49ers. He played college footb ...

, the team decided to replace him with Ladouceur, who signed with the team on September 28. In his

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

debut against the San Francisco 49ers, he snapped cleanly on five punts and two field goals. He finished his rookie season with clean snaps on 70 punts, 25 field goals and 28 PATs. On February 14,

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, he signed a five-year contract through the 2012 season. On February 28,

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

, he signed a new five-year contract. In

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, he was added to the Pro Bowl as a "need player" for special teams 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 played college football for the Univers ...

. On December 13, 2020, he became just the 3rd player in NFL history to play 250 consecutive games for one team. On December 20, he played in his 251st career

game, moving him past

placekicker Placekicker, or simply kicker (PK or K), is the player in gridiron football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals and extra points. In many cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist or punter. Spe ...

Eddie Murray as the most ever by a Canadian born player. He was congratulated by Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. 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.

Personal life

Ladouceur married his wife, Brooke Worthington, in April 2012. He became an American citizen in 2019 after starting the process in 2013. He decided he was going to retire from the

in November 2021, but did not make his decision public until February 2022.

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 Canadian players of American football Dallas Cowboys players French Quebecers Gridiron football people from Quebec People from Pointe-Claire Sportspeople from Montreal Unconferenced Pro Bowl players American people of French-Canadian descent