Gee-Gees Football Hall of Fame Inductee Profile: Frantz Jacques

A foursome of fearsome defensive players and one record-setting receiver have been selected as the 2023 inductees to the Gee-Gees Football Hall of Fame. Ettore Lattanzio, Frantz Jacques, Michel Dupuis, Mike Hendricks, and Don Burns will be inducted on Saturday, April 22.

A collective belief and neighbourhood heroes

When Frantz Jacques was growing up, he had a hero in his Montreal neighbourhood. It was this hero who pulled Jacques into football and helped give him a path to succeed.

"I'm from a little neighbourhood that was really dangerous with gang members and violence. I wanted to represent something positive." Future CFL player Aldi Henry was the hero that Jacques followed, as Henry was recruited to Michigan State University. "All together in the neighbourhood some guys tried to get it right. We played touch football, we tried to be an example, we tried to get out of there."  

"The purpose was to be recognized as a leader and a hero in the neighbourhood. My dream wasn't only my dream, it was everybody's dream in the neighbourhood."

That sense of the collective shows up again and again with Jacques. He is remembered well by his Gee-Gees teammates for his passionate pre-game speeches which would remind the team of their belief in each other. He was part of a group of Montreal-based players who decided to come to Ottawa together. And he has dedicated his years since the Garnet and Grey to providing a positive example and mentorship to youth in the Gatineau community.

"I've done my part not only for me, but for the community – for the kids who have dreams to get better and to progress. I was an example when I was young that you can hope and dream, but you've gotta work." 

Jacques started that work in his neighbourhood and played with the Montreal Sun Youth Hornets then won the Bol D'Or with Cégep du Vieux Montréal before playing one season at Coffeyville Community College in Kansas City. The future teacher also made sure that his work was reflected in the classroom: "I had difficulties in school, but we tried to get better. It's a long process but I worked at it, and I succeeded." Jacques also credits the mentorship of Marc Santerre and Michel Arseneault for the support he needed during his CEGEP years.

Then, in 1999 a group of talented Montreal football players were all at a crossroads. "It was unique because Dufault, Nadeau - some guys were with me at Vieux, some were at other CEGEPs," says Jacques. "Steve Alexandre, a bunch of guys were coming back from the states around the same time. We were training together at a track, and we went to visit Ottawa together." 

"We liked the vibe at the visit, the way Coach [Mike] White talked to us," remembers Jacques. "We came back to Montreal and decided as a group. We thought, 'if we go there, we'll go and win the Vanier Cup.' We went there to accomplish a mission." 

Jacques's first year as a Gee-Gee was 1999 and he made an immediate impact, recording 34 tackles at cornerback as the team went undefeated through the regular season. Jacques remembers the way in which he and his fellow Montrealers blended in with teammates from across the country.

"In '99 it was unique moment for everyone: we had guys from all over Canada and bringing all those guys together was tricky. The Montreal guys, we brought confidence with us. We were just confident, but to some it seemed cocky or intimidating. Us as a group of players had to do a lot of work to trust each other, communicate with each other, and be on the same page with each other."

 "I thought we could do it in 1999. We thought we could go all the way and we prepared ourselves for that, we believed in it." The Gee-Gees were upset in the OQIFC championship game, at Laval. 

"When we came back in 2000 everything went well," says Jacques simply before elaborating. "The chemistry, seriously, was so high. It was like a zone, a bubble that nobody else could get in. We were so focussed, we were so strong."

The 2000 Gee-Gees were a dominant team on both sides of the ball and outscored opponents 292-52 over the eight-game regular season, playing to a 7-1 record heading into the postseason.

Jacques was named an All-Canadian in 2000, one of just three from that remarkable team to crack the list that season. His standout speed helped him rank third on the team in tackles in 2000 with 31 and he recorded an interception against McGill. Off the field, he was firing up his teammates with memorable pre-game speeches.

"I was always doing speeches to the team, I made many speeches. The one before the Laval game and the one before the Vanier Cup, those were the strongest ones because they were about heart. They were emotional, and true, and we were all together."

The emotional experience of the 2000 Vanier Cup win was a little different for Jacques than many of his teammates, as he made two tackles and had a highlight-reel pass knockdown before coming off the field with a knee injury in the third quarter. "I was happy, but I didn't really enjoy at the fullest – I was in pain, sad, and scared."

It took nearly two years for Jacques to return to form, and he was named an OUA All-Star in 2002, his final season with uOttawa. He recorded 21 tackles and one interception that year as one of the few veterans in the backfield. It served as a glimpse into his future, as he would soon be helping even younger football players as a teacher, coach, and mentor.

Jacques helped to found a football team at Gatineau's École Polyvalente le Carrefour and has been their head coach for over fifteen years. He has also coached at CEGEP L'Outaouais and has worked as an activity coordinator at Outaouais Heart Failure Clinic, and at child services Gatineau. He is still working to be a positive force and show his belief in others. 

"You learn a lot as a coach and kids learn a lot from you. Kids today are looking for mentors that can help them. They want to achieve and work hard but they need people to believe in them. I had some mentors that helped me in the past - there are always people who are willing to help you when they see that you are ready to do the work. I focus on making kids feel secure, and then they feel the motivation. I think I helped them to build character – be honest, be grateful, be happy – not shy, not limited."

On hearing that he would be inducted into the Gee-Gees Football Hall of Fame, Jacques needed a little bit of that belief in an unlimited version of himself. 

"When Steve Alexandre made it to the Hall of Fame, I felt like I had made it. A bunch of guys feel it," he pauses to collect himself. "You represent many guys that people said have no chance."

When talking about others, Jacques simply doesn't think that way.

"Even when I was playing, I said let's go, let's do the work. Let's go, I believe in you. I believe in everyone."