Canadian fullback William Langlais has formally announced his retirement after 10 seasons with the Calgary Stampeders. He became a free agent last week.
“My body is telling me to move on and my mind is at peace with it,” he said in a statement. “First and foremost, I would like to thank God and the great city of Calgary for making me feel home. Thanks to the whole Stampeders organization from the front office to the video room to Geo (George Hopkins) and the equipment staff. It was a blessing and an honour to be able to spend the entirety of my football career here.
“I would like to thank my first head coach, John Hufnagel, for the opportunity and Dave Dickenson for his knowledge and wisdom. Mark Kilam, a great coach but an even greater man, who was always there for me. Thanks to my friend Marc Mueller for those memorable years and to my guy, Pat DelMonaco.
“Thanks to all the men I had the privilege to call teammates throughout the years. I truly wish you the best.”
The 35-year-old native of Hull, Que. was originally a third-round pick in the 2015 CFL Draft out of the Université de Sherbrooke. He recorded 25 catches for 305 yards, 60 special teams tackles, and two touchdowns over 132 career regular-season CFL games, helping the Stampeders win the Grey Cup in 2018.
“Will is one of my favourite players I’ve had the opportunity to coach during my 17-year career,” said head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson. “He played with toughness and grit and he did a lot of the dirty work for us. Will was always a team-first guy and we certainly wish him well.”
The Calgary Stampeders finished third in the West Division standings in 2025 with an 11-7 record but lost the West Semi-Final to the B.C. Lions. Vernon Adams Jr. threw for 4,247 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions over 17 regular-season starts, posting a 11-6 record as the team’s starting quarterback.
The Stampeders ranked fourth in net offence, seventh in net defence, and second with a turnover differential of plus-nine. Dedrick Mills won the CFL’s rushing title with 1,409 yards, while the team’s leading receiver was Dominique Rhymes with 886 yards, and leading tackler was Jacob Roberts with 102 tackles. Calgary finished fifth in attendance with average crowds of 22,295, which was a 3.5 percent increase from the previous year.
