Damon Duval
| No. 15 Montreal Alouettes | |
| Career information | |
|---|---|
| Status | Active |
| CFL status | International |
| Position(s) | K/P |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) |
| Weight | 200 lb (91 kg) |
| US college | Auburn |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| CFL All-Star | 2007 |
| Career stats | |
| |
Damon Duval (born April 3, 1980, in Morgan City, Louisiana) is a Canadian Football League Kicker and Punter for the Montreal Alouettes. He attended Central High School in Harrison, Tennessee.
College career
Damon signed to play college football for the Auburn Tigers and is considered one of the best kickers and punters in Auburn University history. During his career, Duval amassed over 9,000 punting yards for an average of 44 yards per punt. His 60.8% field goal success rate helped Auburn to a 29-19 record during his four seasons with the team, including appearances in the 2000 Citrus Bowl and 2001 Peach Bowl. Duval is perhaps best known for making a 44 yard game winning kick with 10 seconds left in the rain against the #1 ranked Florida Gators on October 13, 2001[1] (one of three game winning field goals for the Tigers in 2001). Duval graduated from Auburn as a fifth year senior with degrees in Health Promotion and Business. During his career, he was selected to the Coaches' All-SEC team as both a kicker and a punter, becoming the first player to ever be named to the team at two different positions. Duval was also named to the Walter Camp and American Football Coaches Association All-America team as a kicker and was a finalist for the Lou Groza Award.
Pro career
Despite being one of the top kickers available in the 2003 NFL Draft, Duval was not drafted into the National Football League but did sign as an unrestricted free agent with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was waived by Jacksonville on June 19, 2003[2] and later signed with the Atlanta Falcons. He was waived by Atlanta on August 29, 2004[3] and subsequently left the NFL to sign with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. Duval made an immediate impact on the CFL, leading the league in scoring his rookie season (2005) with 191 points and proved to be very reliable kicking field goals. His 2005 CFL highlight came in the 93rd Grey Cup when he made a 27 yard field goal with no time left to force overtime. Continuing his 2005 success, Duval led the league in field goal percentage with 86.4% in 2006 which led to his making the 2006 All Star team.[4] He also finished second in kicking points (201), punting average (45.4 yards) and kickoff average (61.1 yards). Duval's strong play helped Montreal reach the 94th Grey Cup by kicking a game sealing field goal in the Division finals. Unfortunately, his team fell short again despite Duval's 43 yard field goal in the second quarter. On November 7th, 2009 he beat the record for points in the CFL regular season with 242, again with the Montreal Alouettes.[5]
In the 2009 Grey Cup Championship November 29, Duval's field goal on the game's final play gave the Alouettes a 28-27 win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders, capping a remarkable Montreal comeback. He did, however, miss the previous kick but received the mulligan of a lifetime because the Saskatchewan Roughriders had too many men on the field. Earlier in the game, Duval kicked the shortest punt ever recorded in the history of football (for a punt that wasn't blocked). When asked about his seven yard shank he said that the ball was too slippery. Louie Sakoda, of the Roughriders averaged 48.2 yards with the same slippery balls.