While it's become a bit of a cliché to refer to them as such, long snappers truly are the unsung heroes of a football team insofar as if they're doing their job correctly, you'll never know their name. But Dallas Cowboys long snapper L. P. Ladouceur has been doing his job well for so long in relative anonymity -- at least when compared to most other players on the team -- that the leader of Canada knows his name.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sent a message to the Cowboys player on Friday to congratulate ahead of playing in his 251st NFL game (Sun. Dec. 20 vs. 49ers on CBS at 1 p.m. ET), the most by any Canadian-born player in the league's history. ESPN's Adam Schefter shared the statement on Twitter, and noted that Ladouceur would be passing kicker Eddie Murray on the all-time list.
The Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, sent this message to Cowboys’ long snapper L.P. Ladouceur, who will play in his 251st NFL game Sunday and pass former kicker Eddie Murray for the most NFL games played by a Canadian. pic.twitter.com/9s9dZIYMCj
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 18, 2020
His longevity is not only remarkable in relation to his fellow compatriots, but also in the context of the team he plays for. This season is Ladouceur's 16th with the Cowboys, which ties him for most in franchise history with former Dallas tight end Jason Witten.
The long snapper originally hails from Montreal, Quebec, and went undrafted out of the University of California in 2005. That he was able to make the team at all is a famous coincidence as he got a tryout with Dallas while the team was staying in the Bay Area in 2005. Ladouceur was already in the area as a local prospect, completed his tryout, and the rest became a history-making career.
With this notable congratulations, Ladouceur joins the ranks of famous NFL players from Canada such as Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl champion Dr. Laurent Duvernay-Tardif and Super Bowl XXVI MVP Mark Rypien.
