Football
b. April 2, 1948, Gadsden, AL
The captain of the University of Alabama team as a senior in 1969, Ford played tackle and tight end. He served as an assistant coach at Alabama, Virginia Tech, and Clemson until December of 1978, when he was named Clemson's head coach. He was the youngest coach at an NCAA Division I school at the time.
Because former Coach Charley Pell had announced that he was moving to the University of Florida, Ford's first game was a 17-15 victory over Ohio State in the Gator Bowl. He compiled a 96-29-4 record in 11 seasons at Clemson, including a 12-0-0 record in 1981, when his team won the national championship and he was consensus coach of the year.
Ford resigned in early 1990, shortly after it was announced that the NCAA was investigating recruiting violations at the school.
He took over at the University of Arkansas in 1993 but was fired after going 26-30-1 in five seasons there.
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