| Peter Dyakowski | |
| Status: | Retired |
| Import: | no |
| Position1: | Offensive lineman |
| Number: | 54 |
| Birth Date: | 19 April 1984 |
| Height Ft: | 6 |
| Height In: | 5 |
| Weight Lbs: | 315 |
| Cfldraftedyear: | 2006 |
| Cfldraftedround: | 2 |
| Cfldraftedpick: | 11 |
| Playing Years1: | – |
| Career Highlights: | |
| Cfl: | peter-dyakowski/125914/ |
Peter Stefan Dyakowski (born April 19, 1984) is a retired Canadian football offensive lineman, who was most recently a member of the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats from 2007 to 2016. Dyakowski has also served as Treasurer of the Canadian Football League Players' Association (CFLPA).[1]
Dyakowski did not start playing football until he entered Grade 10 at Vancouver College. After high school, he signed a national letter of intent to play for Louisiana State Tigers and signed a football scholarship for the Louisiana State University.
In his early years at LSU he was nicknamed "The Mullet" because of his hair style, and captured a national title in 2004. In 2003 and 2004 he was a member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll. Then, as a senior at LSU he received the Southeastern Conference Community Service Team Player of the Week Award and was LSU's nominee for the 2006 Southeastern Conference Football Good Works Team.
He was named to ESPN.com's All Bowl Team and played in the Inta Juice North-South All Star Game following his senior season at LSU.
He was not picked by any team in the 2007 NFL draft, but signed a free agent contract with the New Orleans Saints shortly thereafter. Nevertheless he was subsequently released.
Dyakowski was drafted by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the second round of the 2006 CFL Draft. In 2011 Dyakowski was the Tiger-Cats' nominee for the CFL's Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award. In 2012, he was named a CFL Eastern Division All Star and was also named to the CFLPA All-Star Team. In 2013, he was again voted to the CFLPA All-Star Team.[2] On February 16, 2017, the Tiger Cats released Dyakowski.[3] Dyakowski played 10 seasons for the Tiger-Cats, playing in 148 regular season games.
After being released by the Tiger-Cats Dyakowski signed with the Toronto Argonauts later that same day.[4]
On May 27, 2017, the Argonauts traded Dyakowski to the Saskatchewan Roughriders in exchange for wide receiver Armanti Edwards.[5] He played in all 18 regular season games, as well as the Riders' playoff games of the 2017 season. Dyakowski was released by the Riders on April 24, 2018.[6]
In February 2019, Dyakowski was selected to run as the Conservative Party of Canada candidate for the riding of Hamilton Mountain in the 2019 Canadian federal election. Dyakowski vowed to fight for workers rights and to promote the economic revitalization of Canada.[7]
In 2012, he was named Canada's Smartest Person by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.[8] He defeated spoken word artist Greg Frankson and journalism student Laura Suen, both from Toronto, and science teacher Marshall Carroll from Winnipeg.
Dyakowski appeared on an episode of Jeopardy! broadcast on Tuesday, June 3, 2014, finishing in third place.[9]
Dyakowski attended the same elementary school as Canadian performer and playwright Katherine Cullen, and is the subject of the song "Peter Dyakowski Won" in Stupidhead!, Cullen's autobiographical comedic musical about growing up with dyslexia.[10]