David Lessard was appointed in March, 2017 as a full-time assistant coach with the McGill University football team. In Dec. 2017, he also was appointed as coach of the under-16 program at Football Quebec. He was previously part of the provincial program of excellence, leading the Quebec under-17 team to national titles in 2007 and 2008.
Lessard, a 39-year-old native of Ste. Julie, Que., is responsible for the McGill offensive line and also oversees the team's academic support portfolio. He replaced Alain Mainguy, who left to pursue other opportunities.
A McGill graduate, Lessard once tried out for the Redmen but had his football career cut short by injury and turned to coaching. He earned an undergraduate degree in psychology from McGill in 2000, followed by a certificate in human resources management from HEC Montréal in 2007.
Lessard is no stranger to the RSEQ conference, having coached four seasons with the Montréal Carabins (2003-2006), followed by 10 years of experience with the Sherbrooke Vert & Or (2007-2016). He served his first five years in Sherbrooke as offensive coordinator and the last five as head coach -- from 2012 to 2016 -- guiding the team to four playoff berths and a 23-23 record.
He has attended numerous coaching camps with the NFL's Cincinnati Bengals (2005-2014) and Chicago Bears (2005), in addition to the CFL's Edmonton Eskimos (2005) and the NCAA's Boston College Eagles (2004 & 2005).
Lessard began his coaching career as an assistant in 1998 at the high school level with École secondaire Gérard-Filion, then moved up the ladder two years later to Collège Édouard-Montpetit, where he was eventually elevated to offensive coordinator in 2002.
