Karl Lavoie liked being the bad guy.  Actually, the 6-foot-4, 285-pound offensive tackle seems like a nice enough fellow, but at the 2012 Vanier Cup he and his Laval teammates were seen as villains.  Taking on a McMaster team that beat them in 2011, at the SkyDome, Lavoie and his teammates faced their most hostile environment and the 14th ranked CFL prospects came out with the most rewarding experience of his football career.

“It was the biggest moment of my life,” Lavoie told TSN. “We were against not only the football team but against all the fans. There were like 40,000 people screaming against us. What a great feeling.  I think that was my greatest moment at Laval. We were looking at them all off-season just to get them.”

Although English is not Lavoie’s first language, his love for the Laval program is clear. Lavoie started playing football in high school and the Quebec City native feels a connection to the team like most residents of the city. 

“Here in Quebec City we don't have professional sports teams like the Nordiques, they left like 20 years ago. There's not a lot here,” Lavoie noted.  “The population really concentrates on football at Laval, we have a great fan base.  When I was young I looked at them and I wanted to be there.  It was a dream for me.  When you get the call from Glen to recruit you, the feeling is incredible.  I screamed, that was the first thing I did.  I went upstairs and screamed.  Yeah it's incredible, I'm very proud of it.”

Being the only team in the area has also created a scrutiny that the team thrives on.  Laval has won eight Vanier Cups since starting its program, the most of any school in the CIS.  Despite losing in the RSEQ playoffs to Montreal this year, they are still considered the top program in Canadian college football.

“All the players put a lot of pressure on (themselves).  We know the program had like a 70-game home winning streak.  It was big pressure on us.  It's a winning program, the only thing you want to do is win. There is a lot of pressure,” Lavoie said, before adding. “We liked it. When you get on the field and you see all the 15,000 fans around you, it's like a relief.  It's a good pressure.”

Lavoie thrived under the pressure. He was a three-time conference all-star and was a two-time All-Canadian during his career at Laval. The players and coaches at Laval helped Lavoie grow as a player in that time. He is best friends with last year’s No. 1 pick Pierre Lavertu and he practiced against defensive lineman who were pro level players.

“I think with Brandon Tennant (No. 15 CFL Prospect) and Vincent Desloges (rookie defensive lineman on the Ottawa Redblacks) we got a lot of good challenges on the d-line,” Lavoie observed.  “I think at Laval, it's not about one person or two, it's more a system.  It was a good defence all-around, I think it was the best defence”

Lavoie knows going from the CIS to the CFL there will be a big jump in the quality of players that he is facing, and he is coming in with a humble attitude.  

“I just want to learn.  It's like when I started at Laval,” Lavoie noted.  “I'm going there to learn, I want to make my place and do the best I can.”

At the CFL Combine Lavoie will be with five other offensive lineman ranked in the CFL’s list of Top 20 prospects.  He is looking forward to showing coaches what he can do.

“I have great feet, I move well on the field and I think it's my strongest point.  I can see on the field what's going (on).  I have good vision on the field,” Lavoie added.  “I want to show my versatility, all that I can do on the football field. I want to show that I'm a good person. I'm a great guy to coach. I just want to show what I'm about and what I can do.”

A good guy who has shown he can be a bad guy when he needs to be.

Our next profile will be on Laval Defensive lineman Brandon Tennant, the 15th ranked prospect for the CFL Draft.