Pierre Desjardins
Encyclopedia
Pierre Desjardins is a former professional Canadian football
player with the Canadian Football League
Montreal Alouettes
. Desjardins was an offensive lineman at the guard
and tackle positions during his six year career (1966-1971) with the club. Desjardins' jersey #63 is one of seven retired by the Alouettes.
Desjardins is currently a Canadian
businessman, previously serving on the board of directors
for Canadian businesses such as Domtar
, Labatt Brewing Company, and Imperial Tobacco
.
, and played amateur Canadian football
for the Quebec Junior Football League
Rosemont Bombers. He played collegiately
at the University of Wyoming
prior to joining the Als
.
, where he earned a business degree
, Desjardins returned to Montreal and began his professional career with the CFL
Alouettes
in 1966
. Desjardins was an offensive lineman at the guard
and tackle positions during his six year career (1966
-1971
) with the Als, helping to protect Alouettes quarterback
Sonny Wade
for the majority of his career with the club.
Desjardins, as co-captain of the team (along with co-captain, Larry Fairholm
), helped turn around a then-mediocre Alouettes team, eventually reaching and winning the Grey Cup in 1970
. Desjardins retired following the Alouettes' 1971 CFL season
.
with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
. He also served as an executive with Canadian companies such as Domtar
, Labatt Brewing Company, and Imperial Tobacco
.
Canadian football
Canadian football is a form of gridiron football played exclusively 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 prolate spheroid ball into the opposing team's scoring area...
player with the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
Montreal Alouettes
Montreal Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current franchise named the Alouettes moved to Montreal from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1996 where they had been known as the Baltimore Stallions...
. Desjardins was an offensive lineman at the guard
Guard (American football)
In American and Canadian football, a guard is a player that lines up between the center and the tackles on the offensive line of a football team....
and tackle positions during his six year career (1966-1971) with the club. Desjardins' jersey #63 is one of seven retired by the Alouettes.
Desjardins is currently a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
businessman, previously serving on the board of directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
for Canadian businesses such as Domtar
Domtar
Domtar Corporation is the largest integrated producer of uncoated freesheet paper in North America and the second largest in the world based on production capacity, and is also a manufacturer of papergrade pulp....
, Labatt Brewing Company, and Imperial Tobacco
Imperial Tobacco
Imperial Tobacco is a global tobacco company headquartered in Bristol, United Kingdom. It is the world’s fourth-largest cigarette company measured by market share , and the world's largest producer of cigars, fine-cut tobacco and tobacco papers...
.
College career
Desjardins was born and raised in MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, and played amateur Canadian football
Football Canada
Football Canada is the governing body for amateur Canadian football. It is Canada's representative member of the International Federation of American Football , the world's governing body for American football.-History:...
for the Quebec Junior Football League
Quebec Junior Football League
The Quebec Junior Football League operated from 1970 to the present, as a successor to the Quebec Juvenile Football League. It began competition as a conference of the Canadian Junior Football League from which it eventually withdrew. Upon withdrawal from the CJFL, the QJFL incorporated teams from...
Rosemont Bombers. He played collegiately
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at the University of Wyoming
University of Wyoming
The University of Wyoming is a land-grant university located in Laramie, Wyoming, situated on Wyoming's high Laramie Plains, at an elevation of 7,200 feet , between the Laramie and Snowy Range mountains. It is known as UW to people close to the university...
prior to joining the Als
Montreal Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current franchise named the Alouettes moved to Montreal from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1996 where they had been known as the Baltimore Stallions...
.
Professional football career
Following his graduation from WyomingUniversity of Wyoming
The University of Wyoming is a land-grant university located in Laramie, Wyoming, situated on Wyoming's high Laramie Plains, at an elevation of 7,200 feet , between the Laramie and Snowy Range mountains. It is known as UW to people close to the university...
, where he earned a business degree
Bachelor of Business Science
The Bachelor of Business Science is a four year Honours level degree providing for a scientifically based study of economic and management sciences. The degree is offered in South Africa, and elsewhere in the Commonwealth.-Structure:...
, Desjardins returned to Montreal and began his professional career with the CFL
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
Alouettes
Montreal Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current franchise named the Alouettes moved to Montreal from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1996 where they had been known as the Baltimore Stallions...
in 1966
1966 CFL season
The 1966 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 13th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 9th Canadian Football League season .-CFL news in 1966:...
. Desjardins was an offensive lineman at the guard
Guard (American football)
In American and Canadian football, a guard is a player that lines up between the center and the tackles on the offensive line of a football team....
and tackle positions during his six year career (1966
1966 CFL season
The 1966 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 13th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 9th Canadian Football League season .-CFL news in 1966:...
-1971
1971 CFL season
The 1971 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the eighteenth season in modern-day Canadian football, although it was officially the fourteenth Canadian Football League season.-CFL News for 1971:...
) with the Als, helping to protect Alouettes quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Sonny Wade
Sonny Wade
Sonny Wade born April 1, 1947 in Martinsville, Virginia, a graduate of the "powerhouse" football program at Emory and Henry College in Virginia, and played for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League from 1969 to 1978....
for the majority of his career with the club.
Desjardins, as co-captain of the team (along with co-captain, Larry Fairholm
Larry Fairholm
Larry Fairholm is a former award winning all-star Canadian Football League safety.Fairholm first played football with a Quebec junior team, the Rosemont Bombers, which lead to an opportunity to play college ball with the University of Arizona...
), helped turn around a then-mediocre Alouettes team, eventually reaching and winning the Grey Cup in 1970
58th Grey Cup
The 58th Grey Cup was played on November 28, 1970 before 32,669 fans at Exhibition Stadium at Toronto. The Montreal Alouettes defeated the Calgary Stampeders 23 to 10...
. Desjardins retired following the Alouettes' 1971 CFL season
1971 CFL season
The 1971 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the eighteenth season in modern-day Canadian football, although it was officially the fourteenth Canadian Football League season.-CFL News for 1971:...
.
Post-football career
Following his playing days, Desjardins was a sportscasterSportscaster
In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...
with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
. He also served as an executive with Canadian companies such as Domtar
Domtar
Domtar Corporation is the largest integrated producer of uncoated freesheet paper in North America and the second largest in the world based on production capacity, and is also a manufacturer of papergrade pulp....
, Labatt Brewing Company, and Imperial Tobacco
Imperial Tobacco
Imperial Tobacco is a global tobacco company headquartered in Bristol, United Kingdom. It is the world’s fourth-largest cigarette company measured by market share , and the world's largest producer of cigars, fine-cut tobacco and tobacco papers...
.