This weekend, Romania’s reigning champions, the Cluj Crusaders and Michael JP Laurent will be holding a quarterback and wide receivers camp in Cluj.
Laurent, who has one leg after his left leg was amputated at the knee will oversee the camp and to many would seem an unlikely candidate to run a football camp. But he has been proving the doubters wrong for the past 16 years. Born in France, he has battled medical issues since he was 17 years old when he first underwent brain surgery. The 41 year old was not deterred though. He obtained a football coaching degree two years later and the self-described student of the game has soldiered on ever since. In 2001, cancer claimed his leg after he had undergone surgery two years earlier. His passion for football kept him going.
Since then this investment consultant has traveled extensively and in the past three years taken his coaching to Russia which culminated in Laurent being named as an offensive line coach for the Russian national team in the European qualifying tournament held in Great Britain in 2016.
This past spring he attended the Jacksonville Jaguars Academy in London and began discussing football with Mihai Grigoras from the Cluj Crusaders who was also attending the session. Grigoras was impressed with Laurent’s knowledge and passion for the game and introduced him to the head coach of the Crusaders, Rafel Ruiz from Mexico, and thus the clinic was born.
Laurent is a true student of the game with a library of books on the subject and a seemingly insatiable thirst for more information. He is applying for a Bill Walsh coaching fellowship next spring. He says his ultimate goal would be to coach in the CFL or NFL.
We asked Michael about his background
American Football International: You have an unusual background for a football coach. Can you tell us about it?
Michael Laurent: I am French and 41 years old. I discovered football in 1991. I watched the Washington Redskins win their last Super Bowl and to this day they remain my “Heart Team”. At that time, in France, it was impossible to play tackle football before 16 years old. So, I began to play Flag Football. However, I had brain surgery in 1993. So, I never played tackle football, only Flag (a lot) . I was lucky enough to discover football in Aix en Provence .. with the Argonauts in the 1990s (a dominant team in Europe back then). I am thankful for several coaches who taught me the game. I received a football coaching degree in 1995. So, I have been a student of the game for 22 years. I have at home 60, 70 books about football.
AFI: You have lost a leg. How did that happen and how long ago?
Laurent: I lost my left leg in 2001 due to a malignant tumor that returned. I had my first cancer surgery on this leg in 1999 and the second in 2001. It was amputated and I went through chemotherapy.
AFI: How did you get involved in football in Russia?
Laurent: My involvement in Russian American Football began with a lucky moment. I went to Russia for the first time in August 2014, with a tourist group. The purpose of this trip was not a love for Russian culture, but only a way to connect spiritually with my younger brother who died in 2007 and was a true Russia lover. During a free time in our visit in Yaroslavl, I walked a the street and I met guys with helmets and shoulder pads. I stopped them and we started to discuss. We exchanged emails and in April 2015, I was on the sideline to help the Yaroslavl Rebels in a friendly game. Since then I have become the regular quarterbacks coach for the team. I go there to help in the preseason and by distance when I am not in Russia.
AFI: What are your thoughts about football in Russia”
Laurent: I have only been involved for three years in Russia , and I have seen many changes and improvement each year. Streaming for each first league game is a requirement for each team .Management improves on a regular basis. Russian players are hungry to learn .. they are hard workers and very tough guys.
It has been an honor for me to be involved last summer as assistant OL coach for the Russian National Team for an European competition in the UK. Football is a team sport that requires discipline, commitment, work ethic , strategy … these are universal values which fit very well with the Russian mindset.
Russian defensive players impress me a lot … Russian American football is really “defensive oriented”. At my camp with Team Russia, I imagined the Russian DL like the raptors in the movie Jurassic Park. For me, there is no doubt that football has a bright future in Russia and my hope is be involved in the next few years. Last spring, I was proud to be involved in a camp in Far East for the Vladivostok Wild Pandas. I thank them for the warm welcome.
AFI: What are your thoughts about the lessons in football?
Laurent: I can bring a lot of knowledge about the game and with my painful personal life, I know what the word RESILIENCE means . A former guest coach with NY Giants gave me a great tip : ” Let no player tell you ‘no coach, I am too tired, I can’t.’ I really keep this comment in mind.
For me, football is more a martial art than a team sport. All answers to life’s problems are used in the game. It s a great analogy of life.