A gross exclusion from the Hall of Fame...
Perusing The Bulldog Shop today and taking a look at its new throwback Fresno State football jerseys got me thinking again about former wide receiver Henry Ellard. More specifically, it got me thinking about how Ellard is not yet in the NFL's Hall of Fame.
How can that be?
Someone more in the NFL know, please explain this to me. Ellard, the longtime L.A. Rams star who also spent time with the Redskins and Patriots, retired as the NFL's fourth leading receiver of all-time. I don't know what he ranks as now, and I don't need to know. It's somewhere in the top eight I'm guessing. That's plenty good enough.
The 17 finalists for this year's induction class were announced, and Ellard's name is nowhere in print. Cris Carter is a finalist this year, and he has only been retired a handful of years. Is anyone else in the top 10 who's not active not in the Hall of Fame? Jerry Rice, Steve Largeant, Art Monk, etc.
Ellard's NFL career:
- 17 years (11 Rams, 5 Redskins, 1 Patriots)
- 13,777 yards receiving (7 season over 1,000 yards)
- 814 receptions
- 65 touchdown catches
- 16.9 yards per catch
- 135 punt returns, 1,527 yards, 4 touchdowns
- 19 kick returns, 364 yards
- 2 fumbles lost (1 catch, 1 rush)
Posts
I'm glad to see somebody buzzing about this. His name never got big so no body cares. I'm not an FS fan or a Rams fan. I just think it's a travesty. Here are some other things to consider. In his first few years the Rams passing game was pathetic. I think he led the Rams twice in receiving by a large margin with less that 1000 yards.
ReplyDeleteAlso the guy was a real top punt returner. He ranks in the top 10 alltime for return average.
He had 3 season with over 1,300 yards. Monk had not one. At the time of this accomplishment I believe no one in NFL history had done this.
Only 2 fumbles? If that's right, that's incredible considering his return duties.
Thanks for your comments Michael. I too am confused why there isn't more buzz about Henry Ellard making the Hall of Fame. Not sure how to go about lobbying for him, but somebody's got to do something.
ReplyDeleteI would like to do something about this. . . it's my uncle we are talking about! However, I don't know who to contact or what to do either! If you know, please contact me at jeremiah_ellard@yahoo.com
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