Longtime Canadian Football League offensive lineman and “Canada’s smartest person” is hanging up his cleats after 11 seasons.
Peter Dyakowski, 34, spent 10 years with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, appearing in 166 career CFL regular-season games from 2007 to 2016. He played in a pair of Grey Cup games for the Ticats in 2013 and 2014.
“Looking back on the 12 years since the Ticats drafted me, and looking around myself today, I have nearly too much to be thankful for,” said Dyakowski in a statement. “I worked and played alongside many of the best people in Canadian football, saw my team become a perennial contender, and somehow wound up with a beautiful wife and two perfect children.”
Dyakowski was released by Hamilton on Feb 15, 2017, before signing with the Toronto Argonauts that same day. The Argos dealt Dyakowski to the Saskatchewan Roughriders three months later, where he played in all 18 regular-season games, and the Riders’ two playoff games of the 2017 season.
The 34-year-old appeared in 166 career CFL regular season games.
The six-foot-five, 320-pound Dyakowski was the Tiger-Cats’ most outstanding offensive lineman in 2011, an East Division All-Star in 2012 and Hamilton’s nominee for the CFL’s Jake Gaudaur Veterans’ Award for strength, perseverance, courage, comradeship and contribution to Canadian communities in 2015.
“Peter was not only a great player but also a model citizen and an incredible community ambassador throughout his CFL career,” said Bob Young, caretaker of the Tiger-Cats. “On behalf of the Tiger-Cats, we want to congratulate Peter, thank him for all of his efforts on and off the field over the years, and wish him and his family nothing but the best as he transitions to life after football.”
Dyakowski won CBC TV’s Canada’s Smartest Person show in March 2012. Contestants went head-to-head in six categories of intelligence: musical, physical, social, logical, visual and linguistic.
In 2014, Dyakowski and his Mensa IQ finished third on an episode of Jeopardy.
The native of Vancouver, B.C., became the first Canadian-born player to sign a football scholarship at Louisiana State University. Dyakowski played at LSU from 2003-06, three times winning SEC All-Academic honours. He played 26 games at LSU with 13 starts at offensive tackle, all in his senior season.
Dyakowski signed a free-agent contract in 2007 with the NFL’s New Orleans Saints before being released shortly after and joining the CFL.
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