Raymond Fontaine is a former professional

Canadian football Canadian football () is a team sport, sport played in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposing team's sco ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

. He was drafted by the Argonauts in the second round of the

2005 CFL Draft The 2005 CFL Draft took place on Thursday, April 28, 2005 at 11:30 AM ET. 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 ...

. 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 ...

for the

Kentucky Wildcats The Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic squads of the University of Kentucky (UK), a founding member of the Southeastern Conference. The Kentucky Wildcats is the student body of the University of Kentucky. 30,473 ...

Early years

Fontaine was born on September 1, 1980,The Argos 2007 Media Guide lists birth date as September 1 but the CFL's 2007 ''Facts, Figures, and Records'' lists birth date as January 9. in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

. For eight years he played junior football with the Myers Riders.

College career

As a true freshman at

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

, Fontaine was

redshirted Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...

. In 2002, as a redshirt freshman, Fontaine played in all of Kentucky's 12 games while playing

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

. He recorded nine tackles. Fontaine played in 11 games as a sophomore in 2003 recording 33 tackles. He recorded a career-high six tackles against Louisville and

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. During his junior season in 2004 at Kentucky, Fontaine played in 11 games and started three at

. For the second straight season he recorded 33 tackles and added one sack. As a senior in 2005, he played in 11 games, recording 19 tackles. Fontaine also added two blocked kicks for the first time in his career.

Professional career

Toronto Argonauts

Fontaine was drafted by the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...

in the second round of the

but re-joined Kentucky for his senior season. He signed with Toronto on May 17, 2006. As a rookie, Fontaine played in all 18 games and made appearances at

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 ...

and

. He led the Argonauts and was second in the CFL in special teams tackles with 23. In his debut on July 6, 2006, he dressed as the backup linebacker and made appearances on special teams. He recorded his first defensive tackle in week 6, where he was in the game in third down and goal line situations. Against

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

he led all players with three tackles. During the 2006 playoffs he appeared mainly on special teams, recording two tackles in the East Championship game against the

Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: Les Alouettes de Montréal) are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has folded and been revived twice. The Alouettes compete in the Canadian F ...

. After the season, he was named the Argonauts rookie of the year. In

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

, Fontaine played in 16 of 18 games for Toronto, mainly as a backup

and special teams. He finished second on the team in special teams tackles with 18. Although he was transferred from linebacker to defensive end during training camp he appeared at

middle linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

in place of Mike O'Shea in week 6 against

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

. In week 17 at Winnipeg he arguably had his best special teams game recording, a blocked punt and a forced fumble both returned for touchdowns. After his performance he was named CFL Special Teams Player of the Week. Fontaine recorded his stat of

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; ...

in week 2 against the

Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Tim Hortons Fiel ...

, getting one special teams tackle. In week 6 against

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

, Fontaine recorded one big tackle in the open field, and then against Hamilton in week 7 he recorded two special teams tackles. He recorded his first defensive tackle of the season in week 8. On September 1, 2010, Fontaine was released by the Argonauts.

Montreal Alouettes

Fontaine was later signed with the

during that same season, culminating in a win in the 98th Grey Cup.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fontaine, Raymond 1980 births Living people Black Canadian players of Canadian football Canadian football linebackers Canadian people of Haitian descent Kentucky Wildcats football players Montreal Alouettes players Canadian football people from Ottawa Players of Canadian football from Ontario Toronto Argonauts players Franco-Ontarian people