Alan Cardell Ricard (born January 17, 1977) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a fullback in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) for the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...

and

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks The Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks (ULM Warhawks) are the intercollegiate athletics teams representing the University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM). ULM currently fields 15 varsity teams (six men's and nine women's) in 11 sports and competes at the ...

Early years

Ricard attended

Amite High Magnet School Amite High Magnet School is a public high school in Amite City, Louisiana, United States. It is governed by the Tangipahoa Parish School Board. Athletics Amite High athletics competes in the LHSAA. Championships Football championships *(6) Sta ...

. As a senior, he played

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

, registering 117 tackles and 14 sacks, while helping the team finish with a 15–0 record and win the class 4-A title. He received All-district honors. He accepted a football scholarship from the

University of Louisiana at Monroe The University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM) is a public university in Monroe, Louisiana, United States. It is part of the University of Louisiana System. History ULM opened in 1931 as Ouachita Parish Junior College. Three years later it becam ...

. He did not have any playing time as a freshman. As a sophomore, he was the team's second leading rusher with 52 carries for 189 yards and one touchdown, while making 6 catches for 42 yards. As a junior, he collected 62 carries for 183 yards, 3 rushing touchdowns and 9 receptions for 42 yards. As a senior, he led the team with 100 carries for 399 yards and seven touchdowns. He was fourth on the team with 9 catches for 82 yards and one touchdown.

Professional career

Ricard was signed as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

by the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

after the

1999 NFL draft The 1999 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 17–18, 1999, at the Theater at M ...

on April 23. On August 3, he was waived before the start of the season. In 2000, he signed with the

. On August 26, 2000, he was released and later re-signed to the

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

on August 29. In 2001, he was a backup fullback behind

Sam Gash Samuel Lee Gash Jr. (born March 7, 1969) is an American former professional football player who was a fullback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions. Professional career Gash was ...

and

Obafemi Ayanbadejo Obafemi Devin Ayanbadejo (; born March 5, 1975) is an American former professional football player who was a running back, fullback and special teams player in the National Football League (NFL) and United Football League (UFL). He was signed ...

. In 2002, he became a starter at fullback, helping Jamal Lewis rush for 1,327 yards. In 2003, he was a key contributor for the offense, helping Lewis achieve his 2,066 yard rushing season, while being named to the

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players. The format has changed ...

as an alternate. In 55 career games with the Ravens, including 32 starts, Ricard carried just 43 times for 172 yards and two touchdowns and posted 32 receptions for 179 yards. However, he was a dominant blocker at times in the running game and was solid in pass protection. In 2005, he was passed on the depth chart by

Ovie Mughelli Ovie Phillip Mughelli (born June 10, 1980) is a former American football fullback (American football), fullback who played for the Baltimore Ravens and Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football for Wa ...

and only played in 2 games, while being limited with injuries. On October 28, 2005, he was placed on the

injured reserve list The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in t ...

with calf injuries on both legs. On July 17, 2006, he was released. On August 1, 2006, he was signed as

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

by the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

. On September 2, 2006, he was released after being limited with a quad injury. On April 16, 2007, he signed as a

with the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

, reuniting with

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

Jamal Lewis. On June 15, 2007, his contract was terminated. On July 30, 2007, he signed as a

with the

. On August 15, 2007, he was placed on the

. He wasn't re-signed after the season.

Coaching career

In 2013, he was a student assistant coach at the

University of Louisiana-Monroe The University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM) is a public university in Monroe, Louisiana, United States. It is part of the University of Louisiana System. History ULM opened in 1931 as Ouachita Parish Junior College. Three years later it becam ...

. In 2015, Ricard was an assistant coach for the

Nicholls State University Nicholls State University is a public university in Thibodaux, Louisiana. Founded in 1948, Nicholls is part of the University of Louisiana System. Originally named Francis T. Nicholls Junior College, the university is named for Francis T. Nichol ...

team. In 2016, he was hired as an assistant coach at the

. In 2020, he was hired as the

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their position. Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

coach at

Jackson State University Jackson State University (Jackson State or JSU) is a Public university, public Historically Black colleges and universities, historically black research university in Jackson, Mississippi. It is a member of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and ...

References

External links

UAB profileJackson State profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ricard, Alan American football fullbacks Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks football players Nicholls Colonels football coaches Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks football coaches Jackson State Tigers football coaches Buffalo Bills players Baltimore Ravens players Detroit Lions players UAB Blazers football coaches 1977 births Living people People from Independence, Louisiana Players of American football from Louisiana