– Cecilia High School honored one of its all-time football greats with a jersey retirement ceremony on Friday and then presented an All-American jersey to a current player as the Bulldogs were hosting a first-round playoff game.
Former Cecilia and LSU defensive standout Ramsey Dardar had his No. 45 jersey number retired by the school in a ceremony featuring his family members as well as former CHS assistant coaches and teammates.
Dardar was named to the Louisiana Sports writers Association Class AAA All-State team in 1978 as a defensive lineman. After playing for the Bulldogs from 197578, Dardar signed with LSU and played for the Tigers from 1979-82, earning first-team All-Southeastern Conference honors in 1982.
He was drafted in the third round of both the USFL draft by the New Jersey Generals and the NFL draft by the St. Louis Cardinals, signing with the NFL squad and playing for the Cardinals, New York Giants and Houston Oilers before retiring due to injury.
Calais, an honorable mention Class 4A All-State selection as a sophomore for the 2024 Division II Non-Select state championship Bulldogs, was then presented his UA All-America jersey by Bulldogs head coach Cody Champagne.
“I would definitely say it’s a big reward for the work that I’ve put in behind the scenes when nobody’s watching,” Calais said. “Nobody was telling me to keep going. I was fighting with myself to keep pushing and getting better every day.”
Calais is slated to play in the All-America game in January in Florida.
