jmt57
Moderator
Staff member
PatsFans.com Supporter
2024 Weekly Picks Winner
2025 Weekly Picks Winner
- Joined
- Aug 13, 2005
- Messages
- 23,684
- Reaction score
- 19,598
Today in Patriots History
Another 'I didn't know he played for the Pats!' WR
Another 'I didn't know he played for the Pats!' WR
Happy 63rd birthday to Henry Ellard
Born July 21, 1961 in Fresno, California
Patriot WR, 1998; uniform #17
Signed as a free agent on October 28, 1998
Desperate for help after a series of injuries decimated their receiving corps, the New England Patriots Wednesday signed veteran wideout Henry Ellard for the rest of the season.
Injuries to Terry Glenn, Troy Brown and Vincent Brisby forced the Patriots to resurrect the 37-year-old former Los Angeles Rams great and place him in the lineup this week against the Indianapolis Colts.
"He worked out very well (Tuesday) and was very precise about his routes," Patriots coach Pete Carroll said.
Ellard has recorded seven 1,000-yard seasons. He is third in all-time receiving yardage with 13,662 and fourth in receptions with 807.
Ellard has not played in 1998 after making 32 catches for 485 yards in 16 games for the Washington Redskins last season. The Patriots will be his third team in a 15-year career that began with the Los Angeles Rams and included a four-year stint with Redskins.
"A week and a half ago, I said this working out is kind of getting tiresome so I started to shift gears," Ellard said, "and that's when the call came in" from the Patriots.
New England is trying to climb to the top of the AFC East. The Patriots are tied with the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills for second place, a game behind the Miami Dolphins.
On Sunday, the Patriots failed to score a touchdown in a 12-9 loss to the Dolphins. With Glenn out with a hamstring injury, Brown sitting with a badly sprained ankle and Brisby lost with a broken finger, a harried Drew Bledsoe completed just 13 of 33 passes for 240 yards and an interception.
Rookie Tony Simmons, who has one catch for 47 yards, will start opposite Shawn Jefferson against the Colts.
Former Ram Ellard Signs With Patriots
Out of the NFL for the first time since 1982, Henry Ellard kept busy helping a struggling private high school team in Orange, Calif., with only 14 players.
www.latimes.com
At the age of 37 Henry Ellard appeared in five games for the Pats, with five receptions for 86 yards. 1998 was the final year of a great 16-season, 228-game career. Ellard averaged 16.9 yards on his 814 NFL receptions for 13,777 yards, and scored 65 touchdowns. He had seven seasons with 1,000-plus yards receiving, led the league with 1,414 yards receiving in 1988, in yards per catch in 1996 (19.5), and once averaged 98.7 yards per game (1989). It is amazing that he only went to the Pro Bowl three times; he was also a first team All Pro in 1984 (when he returned two punts for touchdowns) and 1988.
Today Ellard still ranks 25th in NFL history for all-purpose yards (15,718), 15th in receiving yards and 37th in receptions - despite having been surpassed by dozens in recent years who have benefitted from today's pass-happy rules. Since retiring from the NFL he has worked as a wide receivers coach with the Rams, Jets and Saints, and for six years as a high school head coach in San Antonio.
Henry Ellard | Football University
Henry Ellard is a 16-season NFL veteran who played wide receiver for the Los Angeles Rams (1983–1993), Washington Redskins (1994–1998), and New England Patriots (1998). The 32nd-overall pick in the 1983 draft, Ellard made the Pro Bowl three times in his career and even let the league in...
footballuniversity.org
At the time of his retirement from professional football, Ellard held Rams' team records for career receptions (593), receiving yards (9,761), 100-yard games (26), punt return average (11.3), and total offense (11,663). Counting return yardage, he gained 15,718 total yards in his career. At the time of retirement, his 13,777 receiving yards ranked third all-time in NFL history.
Ellard was known for using his height and jumping ability to get to high passes, his leadership, and his superior skills as a route runner.
Oct 24, 2016:
"I proved the point that I could still play at a high level even though it was with a different team," he said. "I think really what hurt more than anything else is that, once I left the Rams, the Rams left L.A. and moved to St. Louis. So I think you kind of get lost there in that move, more than anything else. You don’t have the coverage in L.A. where I had the majority of my career. All that moved to St. Louis. And I'm not known in St. Louis. That’s for sure."
He's right about that. Ellard is … and always will be associated … with the L.A. Rams. But which quarterback do you think of when you mention his name? Jim Everett? Chris Chandler? Jeff Kemp? Steve Dils? They all threw to him. And so did others.
"When I compare myself to guys who are already there," he said of the Hall, "the only question … and something I have always asked .. is (what would have happened) if I would have had the opportunity to play with some of the quarterbacks these Hall of Famers have played with -- compared to my career where I played with 10 different quarterbacks? And yet the body of work still speaks for itself.
Sept 13, 2019:
15 former Patriots nominated for Pro Football Hall of Fame | Patriots.com
Sept 16, 2020:
Ellard, Mankins and Neal up for Pro Football Hall of Fame
Three former Bulldogs have a shot at being the first players from Fresno State to be selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
sjvsun.com
Three former Bulldogs have a shot at being the first players from Fresno State to be selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Wide receiver Henry Ellard, offensive lineman Logan Mankins and fullback Lorenzo Neal were named as nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2021 on Wednesday.
July 12, 2023:
Former Bulldog Henry Ellard once again named NFL Hall of Fame semifinalist
Former Bulldog wide receiver and Fresno native Henry Ellard is once again knocking on Canton's door.
abc30.com
Former Bulldog wide receiver and Fresno native Henry Ellard is once again knocking on Canton's door.
The 16-year NFL veteran has been named as a Hall of Fame semifinalist for the class of 2024 in the Senior, Coach/Contributor category, announced Wednesday by the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Last season, Ellard found himself as a semifinalist for the first time ever joining a list of 27 modern era players, but failed to make the finalist group of 15 this past January.
At the time of his retirement from the league in 1998, Ellard was third all-time in receiving yards, only behind hall-of-famers Jerry Rice and James Lofton.
During his time at Fresno State (1979-82), Ellard set an NCAA record with 1,510 receiving yards in his final season.
Henry Ellard College Stats, School, Draft, Gamelog, Splits | College Football at Sports-Reference.com
Check out Henry Ellard's College Stats, School, Draft, Gamelog, Splits and More College Stats at Sports-Reference.com
www.sports-reference.com
Henry Ellard Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College | Pro-Football-Reference.com
Checkout the latest stats for Henry Ellard. Get info about his position, age, height, weight, college, draft, and more on Pro-football-reference.com.
www.pro-football-reference.com
