Leonard Henry
Encyclopedia
Leonard Henry is a former American football
running back
of the National Football League
. He was originally drafted by the Miami Dolphins
in the seventh round of the 2002 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at East Carolina
.
Henry was also a member of the Frankfurt Galaxy
, New York Jets
and Oakland Raiders
.
He is the second cousin of Willie Parker, who plays at running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
. On July 24, 2002, he signed a three-year, $933,000 contract with a signing bonus of around $28,000.
Henry was waived from the team following the preseason on September 2 but was added to the practice squad. He remained there most of the regular season before being promoted to the active roster on December 4. It was reported that the Arizona Cardinals
had attempted to sign Henry off the Dolphins' practice squad before his promotion. He spent the final four games of the season inactive.
In 2003, Henry beat out fellow running back Robert Edwards for a roster spot in the preseason. He was inactive for every game during the regular season.
In the 2004 offseason, Henry was tendered a contract as an exclusive-rights free agent
and was re-signed to a one-year contract. He was allocated to NFL Europe where he played for the Frankfurt Galaxy
. In the team's Week 1 contest against the Amsterdam Admirals
, Henry eared NFLE Offensive Player of the Week honors after rushing for 114 yards and two touchdown
s in 19 carries. He was placed on NFLE injured reserve
with a groin injury on May 6.
Henry recovered from his groin injury in time for training camp in 2004, but a quadriceps injury forced him to miss most of the preseason. After being waived on September 11 and re-signed to practice squad, Henry was added back to the active roster on September 18.
Henry made his NFL regular season debut in Week 3 against the Pittsburgh Steelers
, rushing 21 times for 41 yards. The following week, he earned his first start against the New York Jets
. Against New York, he had the most productive game of his career with 85 rushing yards on 18 carries and three receptions for 12 yards. He started against the New England Patriots
the following week, but had just 10 yards on five carries.
The following week, Henry was passed on the depth chart by Sammy Morris
and Brock Forsey
. He appeared in the team's Week 6 contest against the Buffalo Bills
but recorded no stats, and was inactive for the team's next six games. He was activated in Week 13 against the Bills, carrying the ball two times for five yards and losing the only fumble of his career.
Two days after the game against Buffalo, Henry was released by the Dolphins.
on April 6, 2005. He lasted just one month on the team however, and was released May 5.
Henry was then signed by the Oakland Raiders
on August 13. He appeared in only one preseason game for the team, against the Arizona Cardinals
on August 26. He carried the ball four times for nine yards and caught one pass for eight yards. He was waived three days later.
On November 17, the Seattle Seahawks
offered Henry a tryout but did not sign him.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He was originally drafted by the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the seventh round of the 2002 NFL Draft
2002 NFL Draft
The 2002 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936. The draft took place April 20–21, 2002 at the theater at...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at East Carolina
East Carolina Pirates football
The East Carolina Pirates is a college football team that represents East Carolina University . The team is currently a member of the Conference USA, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association .The Pirates have won seven conference championships and...
.
Henry was also a member of the Frankfurt Galaxy
Frankfurt Galaxy
The Frankfurt Galaxy was a professional American football team that originally played in the World League of American Football and later in the resurrected NFL Europe. The team was based in Frankfurt, Germany and played in the Commerzbank-Arena, formerly called the Waldstadion.-History:In 1991, the...
, New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
He is the second cousin of Willie Parker, who plays at running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Miami Dolphins
Henry was drafted by the Dolphins in the seventh round (241st overall) of the 2002 NFL Draft2002 NFL Draft
The 2002 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936. The draft took place April 20–21, 2002 at the theater at...
. On July 24, 2002, he signed a three-year, $933,000 contract with a signing bonus of around $28,000.
Henry was waived from the team following the preseason on September 2 but was added to the practice squad. He remained there most of the regular season before being promoted to the active roster on December 4. It was reported that the Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
had attempted to sign Henry off the Dolphins' practice squad before his promotion. He spent the final four games of the season inactive.
In 2003, Henry beat out fellow running back Robert Edwards for a roster spot in the preseason. He was inactive for every game during the regular season.
In the 2004 offseason, Henry was tendered a contract as an exclusive-rights free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
and was re-signed to a one-year contract. He was allocated to NFL Europe where he played for the Frankfurt Galaxy
Frankfurt Galaxy
The Frankfurt Galaxy was a professional American football team that originally played in the World League of American Football and later in the resurrected NFL Europe. The team was based in Frankfurt, Germany and played in the Commerzbank-Arena, formerly called the Waldstadion.-History:In 1991, the...
. In the team's Week 1 contest against the Amsterdam Admirals
Amsterdam Admirals
The Amsterdam Admirals were a professional American football team in NFL Europe based in Amsterdam, Netherlands.-History:The Admirals were formed in 1995 as part of the NFL's plan to restart the World League of American Football, to be based entirely in Europe...
, Henry eared NFLE Offensive Player of the Week honors after rushing for 114 yards and two touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian 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.-Description:...
s in 19 carries. He was placed on NFLE injured reserve
Injured reserve
The injured reserve list is a list of reserved players who are injured and unable to play for a period of time, used most prominently in the National Hockey League and National Football League . It is used because these leagues have a maximum number of players on the team roster, so placing a...
with a groin injury on May 6.
Henry recovered from his groin injury in time for training camp in 2004, but a quadriceps injury forced him to miss most of the preseason. After being waived on September 11 and re-signed to practice squad, Henry was added back to the active roster on September 18.
Henry made his NFL regular season debut in Week 3 against the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
, rushing 21 times for 41 yards. The following week, he earned his first start against the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Against New York, he had the most productive game of his career with 85 rushing yards on 18 carries and three receptions for 12 yards. He started against the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
the following week, but had just 10 yards on five carries.
The following week, Henry was passed on the depth chart by Sammy Morris
Sammy Morris
Samuel "Sammy" Morris III is an American football running back who is a free agent in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the fifth round of the 2000 NFL Draft...
and Brock Forsey
Brock Forsey
Brock L. Forsey is a former American football running back of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
. He appeared in the team's Week 6 contest against the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
but recorded no stats, and was inactive for the team's next six games. He was activated in Week 13 against the Bills, carrying the ball two times for five yards and losing the only fumble of his career.
Two days after the game against Buffalo, Henry was released by the Dolphins.
Final season
The following offseason, Henry was signed by the New York JetsNew York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
on April 6, 2005. He lasted just one month on the team however, and was released May 5.
Henry was then signed by the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
on August 13. He appeared in only one preseason game for the team, against the Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
on August 26. He carried the ball four times for nine yards and caught one pass for eight yards. He was waived three days later.
On November 17, the Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
offered Henry a tryout but did not sign him.