Lance Ball (born June 19, 1985) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team 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)#Offen ...

. He was signed by the

St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994. The arr ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player 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 contract at present but who is a ...

in 2008. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

. Ball has also been a member of the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...

, and

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

Early years

Ball is a 2003 graduate of

Teaneck High School , motto_translation = To enrich the mind and improve the character , fundingtype = Public , schooltype = high school , grades = 9– 12 , district = Teaneck Public Schools , enrollment = 1,239 (as of 2021–22) , faculty = ...

Teaneck, New Jersey Teaneck () is a Township (New Jersey), township in Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a bedroom community in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States census, 2010 U.S. census, th ...

, where he rushed for 3,403 yards and 39 touchdowns in his

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

career.

College career

Ball played

at the

. He had four 100-yard games in his last seven starts during his sophomore season, and emerged as one of the top running backs in the

ACC ACC most often refers to: * Atlantic Coast Conference, an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic conference located in the US *American College of Cardiology, A US-based nonprofit medical association that bestows credentials upon cardiovascular spec ...

, rushing for 903 yards with six touchdowns. He was the third-leading rusher in the conference with an 82.1 per-game average, and earned second-team All-ACC honors. In his junior season, he again led the team in rushing with 815 yards. He majored in family studies and minored in community health. As a senior, he had 768 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns.

Professional career

St. Louis Rams

Ball was not selected in the

2008 NFL Draft The 2008 NFL Draft was the 73rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 26 and April 27, ...

, but was signed as an undrafted free agent by the

. He was signed to their practice squad on September 1, 2008. He was released from the practice squad on September 30.

Indianapolis Colts

Ball was signed to the

practice squad In sports, 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. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

of the

on October 12, 2008. He was activated from the

on December 28, 2008 and had his NFL debut on the same date. An

exclusive-rights free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player 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 contract at present but who is ...

in the 2009 offseason, Ball was re-signed by the Colts on March 17.

Tennessee Titans

On October 8, 2009, Ball was signed to the

practice squad.

Denver Broncos

Ball was signed to the

' practice squad on November 3. Ball was signed to a reserve/futures contract on January 5, 2010. On September 21, 2010, Ball was waived by the Denver Broncos. On the 2010 season, he had 158 rushing yards in ten games. Ball caught a touchdown pass on September 12, 2011 in Denver's season opener against the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...

. On November 13, 2011, running back

Knowshon Moreno Knowshon Rockwell Moreno (born July 16, 1987) is a former American football running back. He played college football at the University of Georgia and was selected with the 12th overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos. He also pl ...

suffered an injury, opening the door for Ball to rush for 96 yards on 30 carries in a win over the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

. After Moreno was declared out for the year, Ball finished the 2011 season with 96 carries for 402 yards and a score (all career highs). In the 2012 season, he had 42 carries for 158 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown to go along with seven receptions for 61 yards and a receiving touchdown. He was released on August 31, 2013.

References

External links

Denver Broncos bioMaryland Terrapins bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ball, Lance 1985 births Living people Players of American football from New Jersey Sportspeople from Bergen County, New Jersey Teaneck High School alumni American football running backs Maryland Terrapins football players St. Louis Rams players Indianapolis Colts players Tennessee Titans players Denver Broncos players