- Eric Ball
NFL player
ImageWidth = 150px
Name=Eric Ball
DateOfBirth=birth date and age|1966|07|1
Birthplace=Cleveland, Ohio
DateofDeath=
Position=RB
College=UCLA
DraftedYear=1989
DraftedRound=2 / Pick 35
Stats=y
DatabaseFootball=BALLERI01
PFR=
ProBowls=
years=1989-1994
1995
teams=Cincinnati Bengals Oakland Raiders Eric Ball (born
July 1 ,1966 inCleveland, Ohio ) is a former professionalAmerican football player who playedrunning back for seven seasons for theCincinnati Bengals andOakland Raiders .NFL
Eric mostly played as a kick returner for the Bengals, returning 115 kicks over 97 games for a total of 2,474 return yards, resulting in a 2. After one season with the Oakland Raiders, he was selected by the
Carolina Panthers in the1995 NFL Expansion Draft , but did not make the roster.UCLA
Eric Ball played for the UCLA Bruins from 1985 through 1988.
Ball tied a Rose Bowl record in the
1986 Rose Bowl Game by scoring four touchdowns for UCLA against the Iowa Hawkeyes, and was the Rose Bowl MVP. He was named to the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in 1996.While at UCLA, Ball had two notable fumbles in very important games. In the November 23, 1985 USC vs UCLA game, with the Rose Bowl on the line for the Bruins, Ball lost the ball on the 1 yard line in the fourth quarter as he dived for the end zone with what would have been the winning touchdown. Marcus Cotton grabbed the fumble for USC and the Trojans would win 17-13. Ball also had a crucial fumble in the UCLA vs Washington State game in 1988, when the #1 ranked Bruins were upset at home by the Cougars 34-30. [JAY HOVDEY. Unbeaten U.C.L.A. Is Upset. New York Times. October 30. 1988 Quote:"U.C.L.A.'s best running play ended when the tailback Eric Ball fumbled at the Bruin 37 after a gain of 17 yards. The fumble occurred midway through the third quarter, when U.C.L.A. led, 27-13. Five plays later, Washington State scored the second of four successive touchdowns. The fumble was typical of the seesaw nature of the game."]
References
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
