Noel Prefontaine
Prefontaine in 2023
Born: (1973-12-23) December 23, 1973
Camp Pendleton, California
Career information
CFL statusNational
Position(s)Placekicker
Punter
Height5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight205 lb (93 kg)
CollegeSan Diego State
High schoolEl Camino
CFL Draft1998 / Round: Supplemental 6
Drafted byToronto Argonauts
Career history
As player
1998–2000Toronto Argonauts
2001Los Angeles Xtreme
2001Baltimore Ravens*
2001–2002Toronto Argonauts
2003Kansas City Chiefs*
2003–2007Toronto Argonauts
2008–2010Edmonton Eskimos
2010–2013Toronto Argonauts
*Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
CFL All-Star1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006
CFL East All-Star1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2011
Awards2005, 2006 – John Agro Special Teams Award runner up

Noel Michael Prefontaine (born December 23, 1973) is a former professional Canadian football punter and placekicker in the Canadian Football League (CFL).

Early years

Prefontaine was born to a French Canadian father and a Vietnamese mother at the Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in California. His father was born and raised in Verdun, Quebec and Noel lived with his grandmother in Verdun as a child, which enables him to be considered a non-import for CFL purposes. He returned to the United States and attended El Camino High School in San Diego County, California.[1]

Prefontaine played baseball, soccer, and played offensive tackle in American football as a child and continually trained himself to improve as an athlete and at high school, he played quarterback as well as punting and placekicking.[1] He was named San Diego Tribune Athlete of the Year for North County as a senior and led El Camino High School to a 22–2 record and a CIF Championship as their starting quarterback.[2]

Prefontaine hoped to play quarterback in college football but could only obtain a scholarship as a punter at California State University, Fullerton. His punting average his first year led the state but the football program folded at the end of the season. Prefontaine received offers to play for multiple college football teams including Michigan, Michigan State, Georgia, LSU, and Texas but chose to go to Arizona State University because it was close to his family and friends. He was unhappy there, however, and left to go to San Diego State University. After a required redshirt year because of his transfer, he was named All-Conference as a punter in his junior year and first-team All-American as a punter in his senior year.[1]

Professional career

XFL

In 2001, Prefontaine also played in the XFL with the Los Angeles Xtreme as their punter. He was officially listed as the team's third-string quarterback (behind Tommy Maddox and Scott Milanovich, the latter of whom would eventually become Prefontaine's coach in Toronto) in order to collect a higher salary and because the XFL did not reserve separate roster spots for punters (on the other XFL teams, placekickers doubled as punters). He went on to play in the one and only XFL championship game on April 21, 2001, with the Xtreme, with his team ultimately winning the championship.

CFL

Prefontaine began his CFL career in 1998 with the Toronto Argonauts and spent the next ten seasons with them before getting traded to the Edmonton Eskimos on May 31, 2008, for a first round pick in the 2009 CFL Draft and a conditional draft pick in 2010.[3][4] On October 12, 2010, Prefontaine was traded back to the Argonauts in exchange for defensive tackle Étienne Légaré and the negotiation rights to defensive back Damaso Munoz.[5] On February 12, 2014, Prefontaine was released by the Argonauts. In his CFL career Prefontaine won the Grey Cup twice, both with the Argonauts, in 2004 and 2012. On August 14, 2014, Prefontaine announced that he will sign a 1-day contract with the Toronto Argonauts on August 17, with the purpose of retiring as an Argonaut. The decision to retire as an Argonaut came despite initial remarks he made in 2008 shortly following his trade to the Eskimos team that he had no desire to retire as an Argonaut, citing bitterness he had toward the organization concerning the trade.[6]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Jones, Terry. "Prefontaine's more than just a kicker". Edmonton Sun. Retrieved 2009-02-19.
  2. ↑ "Noel Prefontaine". Roster. Toronto Argonauts Football Club. Archived from the original on 2011-06-11. Retrieved 2009-02-19.
  3. ↑ "Argos confirm trade of Prefontaine to Eskimos". CBC Sports. May 31, 2008. Retrieved May 31, 2008.
  4. ↑ "Argonauts trade kicker Noel Prefontaine". TheStar.com. May 31, 2008. Retrieved May 31, 2008.
  5. ↑ "Argos deal brings Prefontaine back to T.O." CFL.ca. Canadian Football League. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  6. ↑ "Prefontaine still bitter after trade to Edmonton". Regina Leader-Post. Retrieved June 6, 2023 – via PressReader.
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