Robert Picard (born November 24, 1949) is an American former professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
wide receiver who spent three years in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL) with the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...
, the
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...
and the
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) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
. He played college football for the
Eastern Washington Eagles
The Eastern Washington Eagles are the intercollegiate varsity athletic teams that represent Eastern Washington University, located in Cheney, southwest of Spokane. A member of the Big Sky Conference, EWU's athletic program comprises five men's ...
.
College career
Picard walked on to
NAIA Eastern Washington State, which is now known as Eastern Washington. He played four years as a wide receiver, setting career records for catches (166), yards (2,373), and touchdowns (19). These marks stood for 22 years until they were broken in 1993. He had his number 84 jersey retired, making him one of only two players to have received this honor at Eastern Washington, the other being
Michael Roos
Michael Roos (born Mihkel Roos, October 5, 1982) is a former football offensive tackle who played his entire career for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Titans in the second round of the 2005 NFL Dr ...
.
Professional career
Picard was selected by the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...
in the sixth round of the
1973 NFL draft. He spent three seasons with the Eagles, making his mark primarily on special teams. He was selected in the
1976 NFL Expansion Draft The 1976 National Football League (NFL) expansion draft was held March 30–31, 1976. The expansion teams, the Seattle Seahawks and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Flor ...
by the
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...
, but he was cut in training camp. He then returned to the Philadelphia Eagles for four games before being traded mid-season to the
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) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
, where he would play the final eight games of his career.
Picard never caught a regular season pass in the NFL, but his play on special teams was renowned. One Philadelphia sportswriter once said of Picard that "''Of all the Philadelphia Eagles, the easiest one to find in the locker room is Bobby Picard. He's the one covered with all the blood. Number 82 in your program, but No. 1 in the kamikaze ranks. The guy who looks like a walking transfusion.''"
References
External links
Bob Picard at Pro Football Reference
1949 births
Living people
People from Omak, Washington
American football wide receivers
Eastern Washington Eagles football players
Philadelphia Eagles players
Seattle Seahawks players
Detroit Lions players
Players of American football from Washington (state)
{{Widereceiver-1940s-stub