Vick Ballard (born July 16, 1990) 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 wit ...

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 handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. The ...

. He played college football at

Mississippi State Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university adjacent to Starkville, Mississippi. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Univer ...

, and was selected by 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 20 ...

170th overall in the 2012 NFL Draft.

College career

Ballard attended Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in 2008 and 2009. Prior to 2010, he transferred to

Mississippi State University Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university adjacent to Starkville, Mississippi. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Univer ...

. In his two years at Mississippi State, he rushed for 2,157 yards on 379 carries and 29

touchdowns A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Americ ...

. He was named NCJAA 1st Team All-American. Despite playing only two seasons, he is third on the Mississippi State career rushing touchdowns list, and his 19 touchdowns in

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

are a school single-season record.

Professional career

Indianapolis Colts

During the

NFL Scouting Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Footba ...

, Ballard tripped during the 40 yard dash and ran into the timer. On his second attempt, Ballard ran a 4.65 time, ranking 16th out of the 25 running backs. Ballard was drafted by the

on April 28, 2012. His first game as a starting running back was played October 14, 2012 against the New York Jets. On October 28, 2012, he caught a pass from

Andrew Luck Andrew Austen Luck (born September 12, 1989) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. One of the most highly touted amateur prospects during his ...

and took it 16 yards for his first career touchdown. Ballard, under pressure from several defensive players, leapt and corkscrewed in mid air as he crossed the goal line. Ballard's score was the game winner in overtime against the

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 ...

. On December 16, 2012, Ballard rushed for a career-high 105 yards on 18 carries in a loss to the Houston Texans. On September 13, 2013, head coach Chuck Pagano confirmed Ballard was placed on injured reserve with a torn ACL, and as a result missed all but one game in the 2013 season. On July 25, 2014, Ballard was carted off the practice field due to an apparent ankle injury. An MRI revealed that Ballard tore his

Achilles tendon The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcane ...

, which caused him to miss the full 2014 season. On September 15, 2015, the Colts placed Ballard on waivers. Ballard cleared waivers and reverted to the Colts roster on injured reserve. The Colts and Ballard reached an injury settlement on September 22, making him a free agent.

New Orleans Saints

On February 3, 2016, Ballard signed a reserve/future contract with the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

. On May 9, Ballard was released by the team.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Postseason

References

External links

Mississippi State Bulldogs bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ballard, Vick 1990 births Living people People from Pascagoula, Mississippi Players of American football from Mississippi American football running backs Mississippi Gulf Coast Bulldogs football players Mississippi State Bulldogs football players Indianapolis Colts players