Veteran free safety Matthieu Proulx announced today that he is retiring from professional football after six seasons with the Montreal Alouettes. "I am very proud of my accomplishments in football, dating back from high school and college all the way to the pros. It was a real honour for me to wear the Alouettes' uniform over the last six seasons and to represent the team that I followed as a child both on the field and within the community," said Proulx. "I will always cherish our two Grey Cup championships and I am happy that I was able to contribute to football in Montreal and in Quebec. I would particularly like to thank my family, my friends and the Alouettes' fans, who have always cheered for me throughout my entire career," he added. "Starting with the CFL Draft in 2005, we, as an organization, made a bold move in moving up to the first round of the draft in the hopes of drafting Matthieu Proulx. Although there were no guarantees that we would land him, we felt that he would be a special fit in the Alouettes family and took the chance. Fortunately, the move paid off, and Matt's dream of playing for the Alouettes became a reality," said General Manager Jim Popp. "He has brought a variety of qualities to the table over the past six years, whether it was his ability to communicate with all, the intelligence and awareness that he shared with his teammates and coaches on the field, his inspiration of true brawn and grit, or his light side that has always brought a lot of smiles to the faces of everyone around him," added Popp. "Today, we celebrate Matthieu's success and we recognize that he will be missed on many levels, but none more than his amazing ability to be a team player. We have no doubt that Matthieu will have tremendous success, whatever the path he chooses to follow. We thank Matt for the many hours of service that he dedicated towards helping the Montreal Alouettes be successful both on and off the field and we look forward to working with him in the future on many different fronts, such as the Alouettes Alumni Association for example. If there was one word to describe Matt Proulx, that word would be... genuine," concluded the team's general manager. Drafted in the first round, fifth overall, by Montreal in the 2005 CFL Canadian Draft, Proulx started 25 of 76 career games played, rotating at free safety with best friend Etienne Boulay over the last five seasons. He finishes his career with 98 defensive tackles, 46 special teams tackles, 9 interceptions for a total of 172 return yards, 2 tackles for a loss, 8 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries and 10 knockdowns. A two-time Grey Cup Champion (2009, 2010), he was also named an East Division All-Star in 2009 after finishing fifth in the CFL and first on the Alouettes with four interceptions, and was the Alouettes' Most Outstanding Rookie in 2005. He has also won the Vanier Cup with the Laval Rouge et Or in 2003 and 2004. Since his arrival with the Alouettes, Proulx was heavily involved through the various Alouettes' community programs, including the CN Adopt an Alouette program, the "School is Cool" basketball jam, the Alouettes' hockey tour and the Alouettes Junior Camps.
Cup championships and I am happy that I was able to contribute to football in Montreal and in Quebec. I would particularly like to thank my family, my friends and the Alouettes' fans, who have always cheered for me throughout my entire career," he added.
