Ray Elgaard

{{Short description|Canadian gridiron football player (born 1959)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}

{{BLP sources|date=March 2024}}

{{Infobox gridiron football person

|image =

|name=Ray Elgaard

|caption=

|birth_date={{Birth date and age|1959|08|29}}

|birth_place=Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

|import=no

|position1=Slotback

|number=81

|Height_ft=6

|Height_in=3

|Weight_lbs=220

|College=Utah

|CFLDraftedYear=1983

|CFLDraftedRound=2

|CFLDraftedPick=12

|CFLDraftedTeam=Saskatchewan Roughriders

|career_highlights =

• Grey Cup champion (1989)

|Awards={{CFL Year|1988}}, {{CFL Year|1990}}, & {{CFL Year|1992}}: CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian Award

|Honours=

• ranked 36th of TSN's Top 50 players
• Saskatchewan Plaza of Honor (1999)

|CFLAllStar={{CFL Year|1985}}, {{CFL Year|1988}}, {{CFL Year|1992}}, {{CFL Year|1993}}

|CFLWestAllStar={{CFL Year|1985}}, {{CFL Year|1987}}, {{CFL Year|1988}}, {{CFL Year|1990}}, {{CFL Year|1992}}, {{CFL Year|1993}}

|Records=830 receptions, 13 198 receiving yards

|playing_years1={{CFL Year|1983}}–{{CFL Year|1996}}

|playing_team1=Saskatchewan Roughriders

|CFHOF=ray-elgaard

|CFHOFYear=2002

}}

Raymond Elgaard (born August 29, 1959) is a former Canadian Football League (CFL) slotback for the Saskatchewan Roughriders from 1983 through 1996, including winning the 77th Grey Cup in 1989. A big man, he was noted for his reliability as a receiver and his toughness on the field. He retired as the all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards in the Canadian Football League (830 receptions, 13,198 receiving yards, eight 1,000 yard seasons).

Elgaard played rugby for Magee Secondary School and the Kats, college football at the University of Utah, and now resides in Las Vegas. He was a three-time CFL Most Outstanding Canadian and a four-time CFL All-Star. He is a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame and in November, 2006 was voted one of the CFL's Top 50 players (#36) of the league's modern era by Canadian sports network TSN.{{cite web|url=http://www.cfhof.ca/members/ray-elgaard/|title=Ray Elgaard|website=Canadian Football Hall of Fame}}

During the off-season in the mid-1980s, Elgaard was known for waiting tables in the most popular nightclub in Regina, “Checkers” in the south-Regina Landmark Inn. Due to Ray's impressive size, other wait-staff were often seen “drafting” behind Elgaard as he pushed through the crowd while making his rounds.{{cn|date=September 2018}}