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{{Short description|American gridiron football player (born 1964)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Use American English|date=November 2021}}
{{Infobox CFL biography
| name              = Tracy Ham
| number            = 8, 1
| image             = 
| alt               = 
| caption           = 
| birth_date        = {{birth date and age|1964|1|5|mf=y}}
| birth_place       = [[Gainesville, Florida]], U.S.
| death_date        = 
| death_place       = 
| position          = Quarterback
| height_ft         = 5
| height_in         = 11
| weight_lb         = 200
| college           = [[Georgia Southern Eagles football|Georgia Southern]] (1983–1986)
| high_school       = [[Santa Fe High School (Florida)|Santa Fe]] <br> ([[Alachua, Florida]])
| NFLDraftedYear    = 1987
| NFLDraftedRound   = 9
| NFLDraftedPick    = 240
| NFLDraftedTeam    = [[1987 Los Angeles Rams season|Los Angeles Rams]]
| coaching_years1   = 2002–2003
| coaching_team1    = [[Clark Atlanta Panthers football|Clark Atlanta]]
| playing_years1    = {{CFL Year|1987|1992}}
| playing_team1     = [[Edmonton Elks|Edmonton Eskimos]]
| playing_years2    = {{CFL Year|1993}}
| playing_team2     = [[Toronto Argonauts]]
| playing_years3    = {{CFL Year|1994|1995}}
| playing_team3     = [[Baltimore Stallions]]
| playing_years4    = {{CFL Year|1996|1999}}
| playing_team4     = [[Montreal Alouettes]]
| career_highlights = 
* 2× [[List of Grey Cup champions|Grey Cup champion]] ([[75th Grey Cup|1987]], [[83rd Grey Cup|1995]])
* 2× [[NCAA Division I FCS Football Championship|I-AA national champion]] ([[1985 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game|1985]], [[1986 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game|1986]])
| CFLAllStar        = [[1989 CFL season#1989 CFL All-Stars|1989]]
| CFLWestAllStar    = [[1989 CFL season#1989 Western All-Stars|1989]]
| awards            = 
* [[CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award]] (1989)
* [[Grey Cup Most Valuable Player|Grey Cup MVP]] ([[83rd Grey Cup|1995]])
* [[Jeff Nicklin Memorial Trophy]] (1989)
* [[Eddie James Memorial Trophy]] (1990)
| honors            = 
| retired #s        = [[Georgia Southern Eagles football#Retired numbers|Georgia Southern Eagles No. 8]]
| records           = 
; Edmonton Elks
* Most passing touchdowns in a season: 36 (1990)
* Most rushing yards by a quarterback in a season: 1,096 (1990)
| statlabel1        = Passing attempts
| statvalue1        = 4,943
| statlabel2        = Passing completions
| statvalue2        = 2,670
| statlabel3        = Completion percentage
| statvalue3        = 54%
| statlabel4        = [[Touchdown|TD]]–[[Interception|INT]]
| statvalue4        = 284–164
| statlabel5        = Passing yards
| statvalue5        = 40,534
| statlabel6        = [[Passer rating]]
| statvalue6        = 86.6
| CFL-archive       = 
| CFHOF             = tracy-ham
| CFHOFYear         = 2010
| CollegeHOF        = 2192
| CollegeHOFYear    = 2007
}}

'''Tracy Ham''' (born January 5, 1964) is an American former professional [[gridiron football|football]] [[quarterback]] who played in the [[Canadian Football League]] (CFL). He played for the [[Edmonton Elks|Edmonton Eskimos]], the [[Toronto Argonauts]], the [[Baltimore Stallions]], and the [[Montreal Alouettes]]. He was known for his abilities as a [[dual-threat quarterback]]. He played [[college football]] for the [[Georgia Southern Eagles football|Georgia Southern Eagles]], where he became the first quarterback to rush for 3,000 yards and pass for 5,000 yards in a career. Ham is an inductee of both the [[College Football Hall of Fame]] and the [[Canadian Football Hall of Fame]]. Ham is currently the Senior Associate Athletics Director for [[Georgia Southern University]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Tracy Ham - Senior Associate Athletics Director, Administration - Staff Directory |url=https://gseagles.com/staff-directory/tracy-ham/208 |website=Georgia Southern University Athletics |access-date=19 September 2024 |language=en}}</ref> 

==Playing career==
===College===
With the [[Georgia Southern Eagles football|Georgia Southern Eagles]], Ham helped lead the team to back-to-back [[Division I-AA]] titles. The Eagles defeated [[Furman Paladins football|Furman]] in the [[1985 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game]], with Ham throwing for 419 yards and four touchdowns along with running in a [[two-point conversion]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/gatadb/gamereports/1985/19851221_furman_complete.pdf |title=NCAA Official Scoring Summary |date=December 21, 1985 |access-date=May 3, 2019 |via=[[Amazon Web Services]]}}</ref> The following year, the Eagles defeated [[Arkansas State Red Wolves football|Arkansas State]] in the [[1986 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game]], with Ham rushing for 180 yards and three touchdowns, while also passing for 306 yards and one touchdown.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/gatadb/gamereports/1986/19861220_arkansas_state_complete.pdf |title=NCAA Official Scoring Summary |date=December 19, 1986 |access-date=May 2, 2019 |via=[[Amazon Web Services]]}}</ref> In 2007, Ham was inducted into the [[College Football Hall of Fame]].

===Professional===
After his college career, Ham was selected by the [[Los Angeles Rams]] in the ninth round of the [[1987 NFL draft]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=1987 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1987/draft.htm |access-date=2023-10-01 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> 

==== Edmonton Eskimos ====
On May 22, 1987, Ham signed a three-year deal with the [[Edmonton Eskimos]] of the CFL due to a belief that NFL teams wanted him to play a position other than quarterback.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14068288/the_desert_sun/ | title=Ham rejects Rams to sign with Eskimos | work=[[The Desert Sun]] | location=[[Palm Springs, California]] | date=May 23, 1987 | agency=[[Associated Press|AP]] | access-date=September 28, 2017 | page=H1 | via=newspapers.com}}</ref>

In [[1987 Edmonton Eskimos season|1987]], Ham served as the third-string quarterback behind [[Matt Dunigan]] and [[Damon Allen]]. He was a member of their [[Grey Cup]] winning team that season.

Prior to the [[1988 Edmonton Eskimos season|1988 season]], Dunigan was traded to the [[BC Lions]]. During the season, Allen suffered injuries, which allowed Ham to establish himself as Edmonton's new starting quarterback. Ham passed for 2,840 yards and ran for another 628. Edmonton finished first place in the West Division, but lost the West Final to the BC Lions, who were quarterbacked by Dunigan.

In [[1989 Edmonton Eskimos season|1989]], Ham won the [[CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award]] in leading the Eskimos to a league-record 16-2 record, throwing for 4,366 yards on 268 completions out of 517 attempts with 30 touchdowns to 18 interceptions. Ham became the first CFL quarterback to rush for over 1,000 yards with 1,005 on 125 carries and 10 touchdowns. On September 29 against Hamilton, he set the Edmonton record for most yards rushing by a quarterback in a single game (150). Unfortunately for the Eskimos, they were upset in the West Division Final by the 9-9 Saskatchewan Roughriders, who went on to win the Grey Cup.

In [[1990 Edmonton Eskimos season|1990]], Ham added another 1,000 yard rushing season with 1,096 and passed for 4,286 yards. His 36 touchdown passes tied the franchise record set by [[Warren Moon]] in 1982. He had 3 100-yard rushing games. Edmonton finished second in the West Division, and defeated Saskatchewan in the West Semi-Final, and travelled to Calgary for the West Final, and beat the Stampeders. In the Grey Cup game, Edmonton was handily beaten by the [[Winnipeg Blue Bombers]] 50-11.

In [[1991 Edmonton Eskimos season|1991]], Ham ran for 998 yards and passed for 3,862 yards and 31 touchdowns. He had 2 100-yard rushing games. On August 15 against Ottawa, Ham set the Edmonton record for most yards rushing by a quarterback in a single game (166). He tied the Edmonton franchise record for most touchdown passes in a game, 5, against the Toronto Argonauts on August 21. Edmonton finished first place in the West Division, but Calgary made up for their loss to Edmonton the year before, by making a comeback to defeat Edmonton and advance to the Grey Cup.

In [[1992 Edmonton Eskimos season|1992]], Ham endured an injury plagued season, but played well enough to pass for 3,655 yards and 30 touchdowns and run for 655 yards. Edmonton finished second in the West Division, and defeated Saskatchewan in the West Semi-Final, but lost to the first place Calgary Stampeders in the West Final.

In Edmonton, Ham accumulated 19,240 pass yards and 142 pass touchdowns, both second in the team's history to Moon. The top 3 Edmonton single season quarterback rushing yardage totals belong to Ham (1989-1991).

==== Toronto Argonauts ====
In [[1993 Toronto Argonauts season|1993]], Ham was dealt to the [[Toronto Argonauts]] in a blockbuster eight-for-eight trade in 1993, but the Argos suffered through a 3-15 record. He threw for 2,147 yards and ran for 605, struggling to adapt to the [[Run & Shoot]] offense.

==== Baltimore CFLers and Stallions ====
In [[1994 Baltimore CFLers season|1994]], with the [[CFL USA|CFL expanding into the United States]], Ham joined the newly-established Baltimore team in 1994. He gained his last plus 4,000 yard passing season with 4,348 and ran for 613 yards. Ham led the team, not yet named the Stallions, to the Grey Cup. Baltimore was the first non-Canadian team to qualify for a Grey Cup game. In the Grey Cup, the team was defeated by the BC Lions.

In [[1995 Baltimore Stallions season|1995]], Ham led the Baltimore team, now known as the Stallions, to first place in the South Division with a 15-3 record. He passed for 3,357 yards and ran for 610. The Stallions qualified for the Grey Cup game against the [[Calgary Stampeders]]. In the third quarter, Calgary had gone on an 11 play 75 yard touchdown drive to cut Baltimore’s lead to 24-20. Ham responded by engineering a 9 play 92 yard touchdown drive. On 2nd and 9 from Calgary’s 13 yard line, Ham looked like he was going to be sacked, but was able to escape and run for a touchdown. This touchdown put Baltimore up 31-20. The Stallions won 37-20 and became the only non-Canadian team to win the Grey Cup. Ham was named the [[Grey Cup Most Valuable Player|Grey Cup MVP]].

==== Montreal Alouettes ====
In [[1996 Montreal Alouettes season|1996]], with the demise of the US-based teams, the core of the Stallions franchise was transferred to Montreal where they became the third incarnation of the Alouettes. The team's offense was geared to the running attack, especially when [[Mike Pringle (Canadian football)|Mike Pringle]] returned from the NFL midway through the season. Montreal finished second in the East Division, and lost the East Final to the eventual Grey Cup champion, Toronto Argonauts.

In [[1997 Montreal Alouettes season|1997]], Montreal once again finished second in the East Division, and once again lost the East Final to the eventual Grey Cup champion, Toronto Argonauts.

In [[1998 Montreal Alouettes season|1998]], [[Anthony Calvillo]] joined the Alouettes as the heir apparent to Ham at quarterback. Ham led the Alouettes in passing, and guided Montreal to second in the East Division once again. Montreal once again lost the East Final, this time the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

In [[1999 Montreal Alouettes season|1999]], Calvillo led the Alouettes in passing. Montreal finished first in the East Division, and once again lost the East Final, this time at home against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, who would go on to win the Grey Cup.

Ham retired after the 1999 season.

==== Legacy ====
In his career from 1987 to 1999 Ham accumulated 40,534 passing yards which currently ranks seventh all-time. He threw 4,943 times with 2,670 completions, 164 interceptions and 284 touchdowns. His 8,043 rushing yards presently puts him in tenth all time and second among quarterbacks, behind only [[Damon Allen]]. He tallied 1,059 carries with 62 touchdowns. In 2010, Ham was inducted into the [[Canadian Football Hall of Fame]].

==Coaching career==
In 2002, Ham was hired to serve as head coach of the [[Clark Atlanta Panthers football]] team.<ref name=CAUFire>{{cite news|title=Tracy Ham fired as Clark Atlanta head coach|url=http://www.accessnorthga.com/detail.php?n=155008|access-date=February 27, 2013|date=August 4, 2004}}</ref> He led the Panthers to records of 2–9 in 2002 and 0–11 in 2003 before he was fired prior to the start of the 2004 season.<ref name=CAUFire />

==Head coaching record==
{{CFB Yearly Record Start | type = coach | team = | conf = | bowl = | poll = no }}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead
 | name      = [[Clark Atlanta Panthers football|Clark Atlanta Panthers]]
 | conf      = [[Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference]]
 | startyear = 2002
 | endyear   = 2003
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[2002 NCAA Division II football season|2002]]
 | name         = Clark Atlanta
 | overall      = 2–9
 | conference   = 1–7
 | confstanding = 9th
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[2003 NCAA Division II football season|2003]]
 | name         = Clark Atlanta
 | overall      = 0–11
 | conference   = 0–8
 | confstanding = 9th
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
 | name       = Clark Atlanta
 | overall    = 2–20
 | confrecord = 1–15
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record End
 | overall  = 2–20
 | bowls    = no
 | poll     = no
 | polltype = 
 | legend   = no
}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{CFBHOF|2192|Tracy Ham}}
*[https://gseagles.com/staff-directory/tracy-ham/208 Georgia Southern Staff Page]

{{Georgia Southern Eagles quarterback navbox}}
{{Clark Atlanta Panthers football coach navbox}}
{{1985 Georgia Southern Eagles football navbox}}
{{1986 Georgia Southern Eagles football navbox}}
{{Los Angeles Rams 1987 draft navbox}}
{{75th Grey Cup}}
{{83rd Grey Cup}}
{{Baltimore Stallions}}
{{EskimosQuarterback}}
{{ArgosQuarterback}}
{{AlsQuarterback}}
{{CFL MOPs}}
{{Grey Cup Most Valuable Player}}
{{CFL passing touchdowns leaders}}
{{Jeff Nicklin Memorial Trophy}}
{{Canadian Football Hall of Fame members}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ham, Tracy}}
[[Category:1965 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:African-American coaches of American football]]
[[Category:American football quarterbacks]]
[[Category:Baltimore Stallions players]]
[[Category:Canadian Football Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Canadian Football League Most Outstanding Player Award winners]]
[[Category:Canadian football quarterbacks]]
[[Category:Clark Atlanta Panthers football coaches]]
[[Category:College Football Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Edmonton Elks players]]
[[Category:Georgia Southern Eagles football players]]
[[Category:Montreal Alouettes players]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Gainesville, Florida]]
[[Category:Players of Canadian football from Florida]]
[[Category:Toronto Argonauts players]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American sportsmen]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American sportsmen]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]