Football Hall of Fame Profile: Sébastien Tétreault’s passion for strategy
The largest class of inductees in Gee-Gees Football Hall of Fame history will be enshrined this year; three teams and two individuals have been selected for the honour. There are five decades of Gee-Gees history being celebrated; the 1960, 1970, and 1980 championship-winning teams will all go in to the Hall of Fame this year along with defensive standouts Steve Glenn and Sébastien Tétreault.
The Hall of Fame inductions will take place at the 2022 edition of the annual Touchdown Dinner, which is slated for April 23 at Lago (Dow's Lake).
"I was probably not easy to coach," laughs Sébastien Tétreault as he remembers himself pestering coaches with questions, staying in the Gee-Gees coaches' offices long after practices or film sessions. "I was so interested in upgrading my knowledge."
Tétreault's knowledge building led to him being named an All-Canadian three times, starting in his sophomore season, 2007. His size gave him an edge, but his passion for the strategy of the sport set him apart.
"I am fortunate for my DNA, and I cherish the things it allowed me to do," notes Tétreault who grew up in Granby, Que., and stands at 6-5. He was listed at 280 pounds in his senior season at uOttawa. "I was proud of being a good run-stopper, but I kept developing the tools and our defensive coordinators put in stunts that allowed me to be free."
Tétreault, now a coach himself, speaks very fondly of the three defensive coordinators that mentored him and his fellow Gee-Gees from 2006-2010. Even before that, he remembers that his high school coaches and CEGEP coaches instilled a sense of belief. "I think others believed in me before I believed in myself."
Arriving at uOttawa, he remembers a sense of cohesion, team spirit, and closeness. "There was a really strong leadership amongst the players and everybody helped me to get better every day. The offence pushed me to get better because I didn't want to get beat in practice." The Gee-Gees had two OUA all-stars, Frank Spera and Kevin Kelly, on the offensive line in Tétreault's rookie season.
For the first two seasons in Garnet and Grey, Tétreault soaked up the details and strategy laid out by defensive coordinator Danny Laramee. "He prepared us to be smarter than the other teams," says Tétreault with fondness in his voice. "At the same time we were encouraged to be super aggressive and bring the pressure. There was a focus on letting the athletes make the plays."
Tétreault logged five sacks and 19 tackles in his first two seasons as the Gee-Gees went a combined 15-1 and reached the Yates Cup in back-to-back years, winning in 2006.
Tétreault remembers the great rivalry with Laurier in 2006, as Ottawa travelled to the defending national champions at the beginning of the season and witnessed the unveiling of the banner. Fast-forward to November and the Gee-Gees handed the Hawks a 32-14 defeat to raise the Yates at home at Lansdowne Park. He also carries fond memories of the Mitchell Bowl that year due to the huge crowd at Lansdowne. "The Saskatchewan players were so big and so old," he recounts. "The atmosphere for that game was incredible."
Under the tutelage of defensive coordinator Phil Roberts, Tétreault remembers a sense of discipline and a clear vision for the team, executing the simple things to perfection. This was also the period of the lineman's career when he started to branch out in his questioning of his coaches.
"I think by my third year I felt I had my position down. I wanted to know more about the whole field. I wanted to learn and understand, talk game plan and also bring ideas. They were so patient with me." Tétreault notes his positional coach on the defensive line, Jean-François Roy, also helped his development, "as a human."
As a leader on the team, Tétreault started accompanying coaches on recruiting trips – another opportunity to learn from them. "I was so interested in team management, the mental aspects of team culture, and the way you can shape a playbook through a strategy. I really had a passion to understand more about building a strategy."
If there's a year that everyone remembers, it's 2010. Tétreault's senior year, with Sean Hall as defensive coordinator, had high expectations but a low-pressure environment. "It was all about the team spirit that year, and it was all positive."
"It was a coming of age season and the mindset was that we wanted team success, so everyone worked hard, but also to enjoy the moment and have fun. Brad [Sinopoli] made us look good a lot of times but we had great athletes all over. It was a fun year."
In 2009 he played in the East-West Bowl, and in 2010 he was a 1st team All-Canadian defensive tackle. By this time though, it was clear that his future was in coaching. His first coaching role was coaching flag football in high school, but the years of soaking up strategy had made him ready to make it his career.
"The coaches at the Gee-Gees taught us so well it lit up [the desire to coach] even more inside of me. I have such respect for everyone I encountered."
Head coach of the Cégep de l'Outaouais Griffons from 2013-21, Tétreault joined the staff in 2011 as defensive line coach and later defensive coordinator under Denis Piché. He has also grown his national team coaching resumé: he has been part of the Junior National Team Coaching staff since 2016, including the IFAF World Junior Championship win in 2018.
As for the Hall of Fame? "That brings a lot of emotion and joy. I'm not a guy for the limelight, but I'm very proud."
Sébastien Tétreault Gee-Gees Career Profile:
All-Canadian: 2010 (1st team), 2009 (2nd team), 2007 (2nd team)
OUA All-Star: 2010 (1st team), 2009 (1st team), 2008 (2nd team), 2007 (1st team)
Career Sacks: 16 (4th in Gee-Gees history)
Yates Cup Appearances: 2010, 2007, 2006 (win)