Henry Ellard

In Fresno State history, Ellard is tied for third in touchdown catches (25), fifth in receiving yards (2,947) and 11th in receptions (138).

Henry Austin Ellard (born July 21, 1961) is an American former football wide receiver who played for the Los Angeles Rams (1983–1993), the Washington Redskins (1994–1998), and the New England Patriots (1998) of the National Football League (NFL).

He won the CIF California State Championships in the triple jump in 1979 For college, Ellard stayed in town and attended Fresno State University from 1979 to 1982 where he set an NCAA record with 1,510 receiving yards in his final season.

Ellard still holds the NCAA record for yards per catch in a season, 24.4, set while playing for Fresno State in 1982.

His Quarterback was current Fresno State head coach Jeff Tedford.

Ellard was drafted in the second round (32nd overall) of the 1983 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams.

Ellard would have a carousel of quarterbacks to catch from in his time that ranged from Jeff Kemp to Jim Everett.

In his rookie year, Ellard was used mostly in the field as a returner on kicks.

He made 31 combined returns on punts and kicks for 531 yards with one touchdown.

He also made 16 catches for 268 yards (on the depth chart, receivers like Mike Barber and Dickerson would get the catches and yards, although Ellard outclassed both in yards per catch).

The 1983 season for the Rams ended up being buoyed by the draft picks made for Ellard alongside Eric Dickerson to result in nine wins.

While Dickerson set rookie records in yards and other various categories, Ellard would play his part in helping to clinch a playoff spot in the final game of the regular season.

Needing a win against the New Orleans Saints to clinch a wild card berth, the Rams would not score a single touchdown from their offense, but they still pulled off a nail-biting 26–24 win.

Ellard returned a punt 72 yards for a touchdown (his first in his career) that was in the middle of a sudden 16-point upswing after trailing 7–0 early in the first quarter.

For his part, Ellard made six combined punt and kick returns for 130 yards.

In the playoffs, Ellard was used sparingly in the playoff run by the Rams.

He made four total catches for 61 yards with 13 returns for 168 yards in two combined postseason games.

In the following year, Ellard would be used slightly more on the offensive side of the ball, starting each game of the season.

He caught 34 total passes for 622 yards with six touchdowns, all of which were highs on the team.

Ellard would score eight total touchdowns in the season, with a significant part of that being a four game stretch from September 30 to October 22.

In those four games, he caught a combined 6 passes for 134 total yards with three touchdowns while returning six punts for 207 yards and two touchdowns Ellard was selected as a punt returner for the Pro Bowl that year (alongside an All-Pro selection), having returned 30 punts for 403 yards and two touchdowns.

The Rams made it back to the postseason once again with Ellard as a starter this time.

He would catch 2 passes for 22 yards while returning 2 punts for 17 yards, but the Rams would lose 16–13.

The following year, Ellard kept improving (despite no selections from the press).

He caught 54 passes for 811 yards and five touchdowns.

He had his first 100-yard game of his career against the Atlanta Falcons on September 29, catching five passes for 123 yards and a touchdown.

On punt returns, he made 37 of them for 501 yards and a touchdown.

The Rams made it back to the playoffs once again.

Ellard played a small key role in the Divisional Round game versus the Dallas Cowboys.

He had a 23 yard punt return that would be followed by a 21-yard catch to eventually lead L.A. to the only points of the first half (a field goal).

Ellard caught 2 passes for 33 yards while returning four punts for 37 yards while Dickerson and the Rams ran over Dallas 20–0.

In the NFC Championship Game the following week, Ellard caught and returned just once as the Bears won 24–0.

In the 1986 season, Ellard missed the first eight games before returning to catch 34 passes in eight starts for 447 yards and four touchdowns.

In the strike plagued 1987 season, Ellard started in 12 of 15 games for the Rams.

He caught 51 passes for 799 yards and three touchdowns.

In 1988, Ellard finally soared.

He caught a career high 86 passes for a league-high 1,414 yards with ten touchdowns.

His 88.4 yards per game also led the league.

Ellard also qualified for the Olympic trials in 1992 in the triple jump, although he injured his hamstring during the Trials and did not make the team.

Ellard attended Hoover High School in Fresno, California.