Antoine Pruneau

Antoine Pruneau is a former Canadian football defensive back who played for eight seasons for the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Prior to being drafted into the CFL, he played Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) football for the Montreal Carabins.

Antoine Pruneau
Pruneau with the Redblacks in 2022
Born: (1989-10-20) October 20, 1989
Montreal, Quebec
Career information
StatusRetired
CFL statusNational
Position(s)Defensive back
Height6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight200 lb (91 kg)
UniversityMontréal
CFL Draft2014 / Round: 1 / Pick: 4
Drafted byOttawa Redblacks
Career history
As player
2014–2022Ottawa Redblacks
Career highlights and awards
CFL East All-Star2017
Career stats

University career

In university, as a member of the Montreal Carabins, Pruneau was known as a versatile player.[1][2] He played defensive back before switching to linebacker for his final year, and also served on special teams. During the 2013 season, Pruneau scored two special teams touchdowns; one on a kickoff return and the other on the return of a missed field goal.[3] Pruneau was named to the 2012 and 2013 second All-Canadian Teams by the CIS.

Professional career

The Ottawa Redblacks were impressed by Pruneau's speedand athleticism at the 2014 CFL Combine, and they selected Pruneau in the 1st round of the subsequent draft, 4th overall.[4][5] In his rookie year, Pruneau saw much playing time on both defense and special teams.[6] He was named the CFL's Canadian player of the month in October. He finished the 2014 season second on the Redblacks with 69 tackles while also contributing 11 special teams tackles and 2 quarterback sacks. Antoine Pruneau was nominated by the RedBlacks as their best rookie. Over the next two seasons Pruneau continued to be an important starter for the Redblacks defence (despite being briefly benched in 2016 due to poor performance). Following the 2016 season Pruneau and the Redblacks agreed on a contract extension, keeping him in Ottawa through the 2019 CFL season.[7] He was named a CFL East All-Star in 2017 after totaling 65 defensive tackles, eight special teams tackles, four interceptions and one quarterback sack. Pruneau played in 13 games for the Redblacks in 2018, contributing with 50 tackles. Immediately following the close of the 2018 season Pruneau agreed to a three-year contract extension.[8] Pruneau suffered a foot injury in Week 13 of the 2019 season - at the time of the injury he had played in eight games for Ottawa that season, contributing with 25 tackles, one interception and one forced fumble.[9]

Following the cancellation of the 2020 season Pruneau returned to the Redblacks for the 2021 season, in which he played in 11 games, finishing the season with 35 defensive tackles, five special teams tackles, and one interception. Pruneau and the Redblacks agreed to a one-year contract extension on February 21, 2022.[10] He played in all 18 regular season games and recorded 18 defensive tackles and 13 special teams tackles in a back up role. On February 9, 2023, Pruneau announced his retirement [11]

He finished his career having played in 122 games with 374 defensive tackles, 74 tackles on special teams, 10 interceptions, four sacks, four forced fumbles, and one defensive touchdown.

References
  1. "Sandrine Mainville et Antoine Pruneau nommés athlètes de l'année à l'UdeM". Université de Montréal Nouvelles (in French). 8 April 2014. Retrieved 25 Aug 2014.
  2. Warren, Ken (12 May 2014). "Redblacks trade first pick for lineman; deal away Glenn". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  3. "Honneurs individuels football universitaire". Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec. 5 Nov 2013. Retrieved 25 Aug 2014.
  4. "Redblacks sign 4th overall draft pick Pruneau". The Canadian Press. 28 May 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  5. Warren, Ken (12 May 2014). "Redblacks trade first pick for lineman; deal away Glenn". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  6. Hofley, Chris (30 July 2014), "RedBlacks coach Rick Campbell impressed with Pruneau", Ottawa Sun, retrieved 25 Aug 2014
  7. "REDBLACKS re-sign Antoine Pruneau". Ottawa REDBLACKS. 2016-12-14. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  8. "REDBLACKS re-sign Pruneau, Beaulieu - Ottawa REDBLACKS". Ottawa REDBLACKS. 2018-11-29. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  9. TSN ca Staff (2019-09-11). "Report: Ottawa Redblacks Antoine Pruneau out for weeks - TSN.ca". TSN. Retrieved 2019-09-12.
  10. "REDBLACKS re-sign original REDBLACK Antoine Pruneau". Ottawa REDBLACKS. 2022-02-11. Retrieved 2022-02-23.
  11. "Original Redblack Antoine Pruneau announces retirement". Ottawa Redblacks. February 9, 2023.
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