Category Archives: WLAF

CFL, WLAF

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 nicknamed ‘Air Assault’, Dussault wore those 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.  I was only able to get him to sign one card, and he was engaging enough to thank me in 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 finished a respectable 4-6 in 1991, despite being wracked by quarterback injuries. In 1992, the Montreal Machine slipped backwards to a 2-8 record, again, this time beset by injuries not only at quarterback but at runningback. Dussault fielded a very competitive team, losing 5 of those games by a total of 25 points.

After the WLAF folded and reorganized domestically, Dussault returned 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.

W  6       L  14       T 0      Pct  .300

 

Arena, NFL, WLAF

Simmons, Stacey

Card: Action Packed Rookies 1990
Acquired: TTM 1992, C/o The Orlando Thunder
See Also: Stacey Simmons (2)

Drafted in the 4th round of the 1990 draft by Indianapolis, Stacey Simmons was a long bomb threat and return man for the Florida Gators. He’d spend one season with the Colts, starting 1 game, making 3 receptions for 25 yards against the Chiefs in in week 5 and 1 catch for 8 yards against the Giants that year.  Contributing primarily on special teams, Stacey had 19 kick returns for 348 yards, but would fail to make the roster of the Colts in 1991.

Signed by the Orlando Thunder of the WLAF in 1992, Stacey would make 6 catches for 55 yards for the Thunder.   While I was scanning through the player rosters I missed Stacey on my original run through that season. Being the obsessive compulsive geek I was, it drove me nuts enough that I wrote the Thunder for his autograph. The Thunder kindly forwarded my card to the 49ers, whom he had recently signed with, and he signed my card there. Simmons would continue to play football in the Arena leagues for the Tampa Bay Storm, winning 2 championships with them.

Since football Simmons has become a shrewd businessman opening up his own training facility in Florida that specializes in boot camps for many sports, conditioning, and speed. (staceysimmons.com).

G  N/a       Rec  6     Yds   55      Avg   9.2      Td 0      Lg  15

NFL, WLAF

Marrone, Doug


Card: Pro Set WLAF 1991
Acquired: TTM 2011, C/o Syracuse University
Sent: 3/21   Received: 4/8   (18 days)

Doug Marrone, (6’5″, 269,) was a powerful drive blocking center for the Syracuse Orangemen who was prized for his versatility at playing any position on the line. At Syracuse he was a 3 year starter at tackle and was named co-offensive player of the Cherry Bowl in 1985.

Doug would be drafted in the 6th round of the 1986 draft by the then Los Angeles Raiders but would end up on the roster of the Miami Dolphins by 1987 playing in 4 games that season. In 1989 Doug would sign with the New Orleans Saints and play in one game that year.


In 1991 the WLAF would come calling, and the London Monarchs would draft Marrone in the 3rd round of the positional draft, where at this point he had bulked up to 302. The offense of the Monarchs would roll up huge numbers, and it would be partially because of Doug’s performance now at center, as the team only allowed 10 sacks in 10 games. At the conclusion of the inaugural season Doug would be named to the All-World League first team and also win World Bowl I.   He’d return to the WLAF for 1992 but would be unseated for WLAF All world honors (by John Vitale, SA). After the numbers of the 1992 season failed to improve enough for the owners of the NFL, the league decided to reorganize.

Doug would hop into coaching coaching a variety of positions along the line starting at tight end with Cortland State in 1992. He’d then spend a season a piece at the United States Coast Guard Academy and Northeastern coaching offensive line. In 1995 Marrone would be hired to coach at Georgia Tech where he’d stay through 1999.  This was followed by 2 more stints at Georgia (2000) and Tennessee (2001). Doug would receive valuable pro coaching experience, heading over to coach the line for the New York Jets, and then landing the offensive coordinator position in New Orleans in 2006.  In 2008, Marrone would come full circle and was named head coach of his alma mater Syracuse. After a rough start in 2009, the Orangemen would rebound under his guidance finishing with an 8-5 record in 2010, and a victory in the Pinstripe  Bowl.

It is always a pleasure to get a former WLAFer back and Doug was a real class act, sending me his autograph in 18 days, in a Syracuse envelope, returning my SASE, and thanking me for remembering him and allowing him to catch up with where many of his former London Monarch teammates were at.