SHERBROOKE – Montreal Alouettes centre Dominic Picard announced on Friday his retirement from professional football, following an accomplished and impressive ten-season career in the Canadian Football League. The Sainte-Foy, QC native suited up for the Toronto Argonauts, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Saskatchewan Roughriders, raising the Grey Cup with the latter in 2013.
Picard (6’2”, 310 lbs.) was a third round (23rd total) selection by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the 2006 Canadian CFL draft. The 33-year-old athlete played a total of 151 games in the CFL, starting 143 of them. He was voted the most outstanding offensive lineman of the Argonauts in 2011 and of the Roughriders in 2012 and 2014.
“We should be celebrating Dominic’s career. Unfortunately things didn’t work out as planned with us. It’s never easy when a seasoned veteran announces his retirement, but we have to remember him for his accomplished career. He was a hard-nosed, poised and committed competitor. Although it was for a short stint, we really enjoyed having Dominic as a part of our organization the last few months,” declared Alouettes General Manager and Head Coach Jim Popp.
In the collegiate ranks, Picard played for the Université Laval Rouge et Or, winning the Vanier Cup twice. He was the recipient of the J.P. Metras trophy in 2005, awarded to the top offensive lineman in the country. He was named a CIS All-Canadian in 2004 and 2005. He was also voted the Quebec conference rookie of the year in 2002.
