Bob Ladouceur retires: Notable De La Salle football alumni

Bob Ladouceur officially announced his retirement Friday, bringing to a close a legendary career at De La Salle (Concord, Calif.), marked by countless milestones and accomplishments.

Ladouceur saw many players come and go during his 34-year career as the school's head football coach. We thought we would take a look at some of the most notable.

Maurice Jones-Drew (Class of 2003)
Known as Maurice Drew back then, the current Jacksonville Jaguars star gained national attention as a junior after almost single-handedly dismantling Long Beach Poly in an epic 2001 showdown. He went on to play at UCLA, and M.J.D. has since become one of the most dynamic backs in the NFL.

{PAGEBREAK}Amani Toomer (Class of 1992)
Toomer was one of the first national recruits to come out of De La Salle, and he did not disappoint in the college ranks, earning All-Big Ten honors in both his junior and senior seasons at Michigan. He went on to star for the New York Giants in a 14-year NFL career.{PAGEBREAK}T.J. Ward (Class of 2004)
Ward has a rare distinction of being possibly the only NFL player to never have started a high school game. A late bloomer, Ward was buried on the depth chart at De La Salle for his first three years, which speaks to the quality of players the Spartans have produced. When he was finally slated to start his senior year, Ward suffered a season-ending injury in the preseason. After walking on at Oregon, Ward was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the second round of the 2010 draft and has seen significant time at safety since.{PAGEBREAK}D.J. Williams (Class of 2000)
Arguably the best player in De La Salle history, Williams starred on both sides of the ball and was named the USA Today Defensive Player of the Year after his senior season. He then took his superior physicality to Miami, where he excelled as a linebacker. Williams was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the first round of the 2004 draft, and has played a key role for the Broncos defense ever since.

{PAGEBREAK}Doug Brien (Class of 1989)
Brien kicked for De La Salle during his senior year  and went on to set several records at Cal. He went to the San Francisco 49ers after being selected in the third round in 1994 draft, and finished his 12-year career in 2005 after playing for seven different NFL teams.{PAGEBREAK}Aaron Taylor (Class of 1990)
A mammoth offensive lineman, Taylor dominated at De La Salle before becoming a two-time All-American at Notre Dame. Taylor was drafted in the first round by the Green Bay Packers in 1994 and won a ring with the team in Super Bowl XXXI.{PAGEBREAK}Matt Gutierrez (Class of 2002) Gutierrez was one of the best quarterbacks to come out of De La Salle, and led the Spartans to a national championship in his senior season. After losing his starting job to Chad Henne at Michigan, Gutierrez transferred to Idaho State and then bounced around the NFL, playing for the Patriots, Bears and Chiefs. He is now playing for the Kansas City Command of the Arena Football League.{PAGEBREAK}David Loverne (Class of 1994)
A two-way lineman at De La Salle, Loverne initially attended Idaho before transferring to San Jose State. He was drafted in the third round by the New York Jets and played for five NFL teams, most recently with the Houston Texans in 2006.{PAGEBREAK}Kevin Simon (Class of 2001)
Simon was one of the best athletes in De La Salle history and would have had a much more prolific post-high school career had it not been for various injuries. Simon played at Tennessee and, despite the injuries, was still drafted in the seventh round by the Washington Redskins, though he never suited up for the team.



{PAGEBREAK}Derek Landri (Class of 2002) Landri earned various honors at De La Salle, including California's Mr. Football State Player of the Year in his senior year. The lineman continued his career at Notre Dame and was drafted in the fifth round by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2007. Landri also played for the Carolina Panthers and is currently on the Philadelphia Eagles roster.