Quebec native Antony Auclair could taste Gigantic Bowl glory tonight

There are about 1,700 other folks in Notre-Dame-des-Pins, a small municipality in Quebec’s Beauce region, and likelihood is on Sunday evening they will all be looking on the Gigantic Bowl.

The neighborhood’s claim to status, other than a picturesque covered bridge crossing the Chaudière River, is Antony Auclair, a six-foot-six, 256-pound tight extinguish for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Auclair’s success is a valuable level of pleasure for the metropolis of Notre-Dame-des-Pins. Strung up along the facet of Freeway 173 is a banner that cheers on Auclair’s team.

The metropolis’s mayor, Lyne Bourque, wears a signed Buccaneers cowl as a picture of reinforce.

Now in his fourth season with Tampa Bay, Auclair signed with the team as an undrafted free agent in 2017 after having fun with at Laval College in Quebec City.

If Laurent Duvernay-Tardif hadn’t opted out of the NFL season to work on the entrance strains of the COVID-19 crisis in Quebec, two of the province’s homegrown soccer experts would be facing off because the Buccaneers poke up against remaining year’s champs, the Kansas City Chiefs.

Following within the footsteps of Duvernay-Tardif, Auclair will become the 17th Canadian to appear in a Gigantic Bowl, though there’s a true likelihood he could now not win having fun with time because he’s now not on the initiating line.

A as soon as-in-a-lifetime opportunity

Auclair’s youthful brother Adam, a defensive relieve for the Ottawa Redblacks, is in Tampa Bay to cheer on his brother’s team in individual.

“Or now not it is extra or much less crazy to stay this with my brother,” he instructed CBC’s All in a Weekend. “I’m elegant fascinated by the game. I’m wrathful to in truth feel the vibe of the Gigantic Bowl even though there are much less fans within the building.”

Adam acknowledged he wasn’t certain about travelling to the U.S. which ability of the pandemic restrictions, however he indirectly determined that this turned into a “as soon as-in-a-lifetime opportunity” he couldn’t poke up.

Beyond that, he acknowledged each person who will be in attendance on the game has to mark a COVID-19 damaging take a look at.

Auclair’s fogeys will be looking at from their home in Notre-Dame-des-Pins, and in step with Adam, “they will be in truth, in truth finish to the TV.”

Labor will pay off

Auclair is one amongst a handful of oldsters that have graduated from having fun with soccer at a Canadian college to securing a region within the NFL.

Adam attributes his brother’s success to his work ethic, announcing he is one amongst the toughest working participants of the team.

“After I turned into having fun with with him at Laval, he turned into continuously, after every apply, going to the gym. Or studying performs earlier than he went to mattress. He turned into continuously giving better than any person else on the team. And he’s also a sizable leader, he’s a leader who will picture by example and I deem that’s what the coaches over there loved about him.”

This sentiment is echoed by Auclair’s former coaches.

“He continuously desired to know extra. He continuously desired to work extra tough than each person else. He turned into commonly the first within the field,” acknowledged Mathieu Bertrand, particular teams co-ordinator for the Laval Rouge et Or. “Going to the NFL is one thing, however staying there for four years is one other.”

“My greatest dream now is that he can bring the Gigantic Bowl trophy relieve to PEPS (Pavillon de l’éducation physique et des sports de l’Université Laval) someday within the spring,” acknowledged head coach Glen Constantin.

Staunch to win, Adam says Auclair is amazingly focused earlier than the game.

“Even supposing he could perhaps be now not going to play this weekend, he is ready to play if his name will get called,” acknowledged Adam.

“I instructed him to win pleasure from every moment and I deem that is de facto what he’s going to produce. Even supposing he’s now not having fun with, it be a terribly gargantuan accomplishment that he’s going to be there.”

Currently Quebecer Antony Auclair will become fully the 17th Canadian to appear in a Gigantic Bowl. But prolonged earlier than he turned into suiting up for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he turned into squaring off against his brother Adam, commence air their home in Notre-Dame-Des-Pins, within the Beauce. Adam Auclair, himself a participant with the CFL’s Ottawa Redblacks, tells us what introduced his brother to doubtlessly the most spirited game of his profession. 11: 15