Lester Ricard

Lester Ray Ricard, Jr. (born December 11, 1983 in Denham Springs, Louisiana) is a professional American and Canadian football quarterback who is currently playing semi-professional football in Louisiana. He was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college football at Tulane.

Ricard has also been a member of the Carolina Panthers and Edmonton Eskimos.

Early years
Lester Ricard attended Amite High School in Amite, Louisiana and was a letterman in football, basketball, and track. In football, as a senior, he passed for 2,421 yards and 23 touchdowns, led his team to the semi-finals of the Class 3A playoffs, was named the District's Most Valuable Player, earned All-America honors from Parade Magazine, was a SuperPrep All-American, and named as a third team All-South selection by BorderWars.

After his senior season, he was rated as the nation's No. 5 quarterback by Rivals.com, selected as a member of the Baton Rouge Advocate Super Dozen as well as the Dallas Morning News Super Southern 100. In basketball, he was a four-year varsity letterman. Ricard graduated from Amite High School in 2002 with a 3.0 GPA.

Jacksonville Jaguars
In the 2007 preseason game against the Miami Dolphins, Ricard completed 6 of 9 passes for 80 yards. Ricard was a member of the Jaguars' practice squad until he was waived on April 30, 2008.

Carolina Panthers
On May 19, 2008, Ricard was signed by the Carolina Panthers. He was later released by the Panthers to cut down the roster.

Edmonton Eskimos
Ricard was signed by the Edmonton Eskimos on May 13, 2009. He was a final cut on June 25, 2009.

Semi-pro football
After a poor performance for the New Orleans VooDoo in a March 2011 scrimmage, Ricard signed with the New Orleans Jazz of the Stars Football League in summer 2011. Ricard served as the Jazz's starting quarterback. The Jazz played only two games during the league's abortive 2011 season, with Ricard leading the team to two victories.

After the Jazz franchise was mothballed, Ricard signed with Team Louisiana of the Exclusive Football League. Much like its SFL predecessor, the EFL team in Louisiana was also quick to disband, breaking away from the league after one game (a 25-20 win over the EFL's Texas squad). Ricard plans on staying with the team as it transfers to the United National Football League as the Louisiana Elite.