MontrealAlouettes.com
Montreal – Renaldo Sagesse didn’t have to go very far to kick off his professional football career.
On Sunday, the former Michigan Wolverine defensive lineman was at his home in Anjou – just minutes away from the team’s locker room at Olympic Stadium – when he received the phone call of a lifetime from a long-time friend.
“The internet at my house wasn’t working very well, so I went to the bathroom right before I was selected. Next thing I know, my friend Greg Alexandre (who was drafted by the Toronto Argonauts a round later) was calling me frantically, I picked up the phone and he said: You’re a Montreal Alouette!” said Sagesse yesterday at Trudeau International Airport during a media gathering.
Sagesse spent the early stages of his career being groomed at two very strong football academies. During his Cegep years, he played for the Spartiates of Vieux-Montréal, where he was selected to the All-Canadian team on three occasions.
Following his years with Vieux- Montréal, Sagesse committed to the University of Michigan, where he played under Rich Rodriguez and the great Lloyd Carr.
Now an Alouette, Sagesse is looking forward to learning under a brand new coaching staff, one that includes a new defensive coordinator in Tim Tibesar and defensive line coach Mike Sinclair.
“I’ve only heard amazing things about the coaching staff,” said Sagesse. “I’m really looking forward to working under Sinclair, I hear he’s a very intense and very smart coach,” he added.
Should Sagesse stick around for the 2011 CFL season, he would become the second player on the roster with a Michigan pedigree. Fellow defensive lineman Eric Wilson graduated from the school in Ann Arbour in 2000.
“Our coaches used to talk about him all the time. I’m really looking forward to meeting him,” said Sagesse.
Alongside the new chapter in his career, Sagesse is well aware that there will be an adjustment period with respect to getting used to the CFL style of play.
“I’ve seen it all on TV but that’s about it. It might take me a few practices to get used to everything such as the size of the field and distance from the line, but I should be ok,” he said.
The fourth-round pick is also very excited to be close to home. Having grown up in Montreal, he is all too familiar with the history of the Alouettes and their fan base.
“I can’t wait, I’m really looking forward to stepping out on that field for training camp,” stated Sagesse.
As far as expectations go, Sagesse seems to have adopted a mindset that will most certainly bode well for him during the team’s training camp that opens on June 5.
“I have absolutely no expectations, I’m just going to go out there and try and learn as much as I can from the coaches and veteran players,” said Sagesse.
