Dussault, Jacques “Air Assault”

Card: ProSet WLAF 1991
Acquired: In person 1992, San Antonio Riders v. Montreal Machine

Jacques Dussault is probably one of the one of the most recognizable French Canadian American football coaches. An offensive guru comically nicknamed ‘Air Assault’, Dussault wore those goofy 80s shades with the leather sides on them.  I met him after the Machine lost to the Riders 17-16, during the season opener of 1992. He was just off-putting enough that I was only able to get him to sign one card(, and didn’t get him to sign his card from the Pro Set 1991 promotionals). Once he signed the card, he was engaging enough to thank me in garbled English, smiling kindly at me.

Jacques Dussault was an assistant way back in 1984 with the Montreal Concordes. He’d be there with the team through name changes and the teams folding in 1986/87 spending the off-season of 1986 coaching at Michigan State.  Jacques would then move onto coach American Football in Paris, France for Anges Bleus, a first division team. Dussault would return stateside in 1989 to coach for Mount Allison University in New Jersey through 1990. He’d be named head coach of the Montreal Machine- a shrewd move by the league considering that the league wanted fans in Montreal to relate to its new team, -that happened to be led by a French speaking coach.

The team would finish a respectable 4-6 in 1991, despite being wracked by quarterback injuries. In 1992 the Montreal Machine would slip backwards to a 2-8 record, but in contrast field a very competitive team losing 5 of those games by a total of 25 points.

After the WLAF would fold and reorganize domestically, Dussault would return to Canada.  He remains quite active as a spokesperson promoting American and Canadian football to French Canadians, speaking at events, teaching football to students, making media appearances and coaching at a variety of college and CFL stops.

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