Henry Ellard triple jumped at the 1992 U.S. Olympic Trials during the prime of his 16-year NFL career. He’s back in track and field, at 52, for his first USATF Masters Outdoor Championships this weekend.
Ellard is entered in the long jump and triple jump at the Winston-Salem, N.C., meet, where a 65-year-old woman has already run 800m in 2:42 (video here).
A simple conversation sparked Ellard’s return to the sport.
“It’s funny, but my girls all run track, and one day I was out there, and I saw this older guy working on the pole vault, so I went over and started talking to him,” Ellard told the Winston-Salem Journal.
Ellard caught 814 passes for 13,777 yards and 65 touchdowns in a career with the Rams, Redskins and Patriots from 1983 through 1998. He made three Pro Bowls and was twice a first-team All-Pro.
Ellard made the 1992 U.S. Olympic Trials by triple jumping 54 feet, 1 inch, his first time competing since 1986, according to the Sporting News. He suffered a hamstring injury at trials and did not make the team for Barcelona.
“I’m just going to go out there [at Masters] and have a little fun with it,” Ellard told the Winston-Salem Journal. “I remember I was a little disappointed in 1992, so I want to kind of redeem myself a little bit in this meet.”
Ellard isn’t the first NFL wide receiver to take part in Masters Nationals. Chicago Bears Super Bowl champion Willie Gault is the American Masters record holder in the 100m and 200m for the 45-49 and 50-54 age groups.
