Biographical details | |
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Born | Gadsden, Alabama, U.S. | April 2, 1948
Playing career | |
1967–1969 | Alabama |
Position(s) | Offensive tackle |
Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
1973 | Alabama (OL) |
1974–1976 | Virginia Tech (OL) |
1977–1978 | Clemson (OL) |
1978–1989 | Clemson |
1993–1997 | Arkansas |
Head coaching record | |
Overall | 122–59–5 |
Bowls | 6–3 |
Accomplishments and honors | |
Championships | |
1 national (1981) 5 ACC (1981–1982, 1986–1988) 1 SEC Western Division (1995) | |
Awards | |
| |
College Football Hall of Fame Inducted in 2017 (profile) |
Danny Lee Ford (born April 2, 1948) is a former American football player and coach. He played college football at the University of Alabama from 1967 to 1969. He served as the head football coach at Clemson University from 1978 to 1989 and at the University of Arkansas from 1993 to 1997, compiling a career record of 122–59–5. During his 12 seasons as head coach of the Clemson Tigers, he captured five ACC titles and won six bowl games. Ford's 1981 Clemson team completed a 12–0 season with a win in the Orange Bowl and was named the consensus national champion.
After graduating from Gadsden High School in Gadsden, Alabama in 1966, Ford was an All-SEC selection under Paul "Bear" Bryant at the University of Alabama, where he played in three bowl games. He received a bachelor's degree in industrial arts in 1970 and a master's degree in special education in 1971 from Alabama. Ford coached as an assistant at Alabama and Virginia Tech before joining Charley Pell's staff at Clemson.
Pell left for the University of Florida after the end of the 1978 season, and Ford was named his successor. He led the Tigers in the 1978 Gator Bowl, defeating Ohio State, 17–15. That game is more remembered, however, for an incident in which Buckeye coach Woody Hayes punched Clemson nose guard Charlie Bauman. Hayes was fired the next day.
In 1981, Ford led Clemson to a 12–0 record and the national championship—the first national title in the school's 98-year history. They won the title by defeating Nebraska in the 1982 Orange Bowl. Nebraska was the third top-10 team upended by the Tigers that year, the others being defending national champion Georgia and North Carolina. (All three of these teams remained ranked in the top 10 at the end of the season in the final poll.) As of the 2020 season, Ford is still the youngest coach to win a national championship, doing so at age 33. [1] Just days after the 1982 season ended, however, the Tigers were found guilty of recruiting violations. While most of them occurred under Pell, the NCAA found they had continued under Ford. The Tigers were barred from bowl games in 1982 and 1983, and kicked off live television in 1983 and 1984.
Ford didn't take long to recover from the probation, and won three straight ACC titles from 1986 and 1988. In 1989, Clemson registered a 10–2 season and top-12 national ranking for the fourth straight season. [2] Ford closed his career with a 27–7 win over West Virginia (and their All-America quarterback Major Harris) in the Gator Bowl. In the decade of the 1980s, Clemson had the nation's fifth-highest winning percentage.
While at Clemson, Ford defeated a number of coaches later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, including Dan Devine, Joe Paterno, Tom Osborne, Barry Switzer, Bobby Bowden, Vince Dooley, Don Nehlen, and Woody Hayes.
Ford resigned on January 18, 1990, after a falling out with Clemson administration. He was subsequently cleared in an NCAA investigation that also was announced around that time. [3]
Ford compiled a 96–29–4 (.760) record at Clemson, including a 6–2 bowl record. [4] At the time of his resignation, he was the second-winningest coach in school history, behind only Frank Howard–a distinction he would maintain until 2017, when he was passed by current coach Dabo Swinney. He was the third winningest coach in the country on a percentage basis after the 1989 season. Ford also coached 21 All-Americans and 41 players who went on to play in the NFL, during his 11 seasons at Clemson.
Joe Kines brought Ford to the University of Arkansas in 1992 to help with the clean-up following Frank Broyles' firing of Jack Crowe (Ford's former offensive coordinator at Clemson) after a loss to The Citadel. This immediately led to speculation that Ford would be named head coach on a permanent basis. The speculation bore fruit after the season, when Ford was named head coach. He led Arkansas to an SEC West championship in 1995 on the legs of Madre Hill and the defensive genius of Joe Lee Dunn, after emerging from two years under Crowe. However, this was one of only two winning seasons the Razorbacks notched in Ford's tenure. Broyles fired Ford following back-to-back 4–7 campaigns. Ford finished 26–30–1 in five seasons with the Razorbacks.
It was ironic that Ford ended up at Arkansas, since his replacement at Clemson was former Razorback head coach Ken Hatfield, who had had his own falling out with Arkansas athletic director Frank Broyles. Hatfield took the Clemson job in January 1990, less than a week after Ford resigned, without even visiting the campus.
Ford proved to be a solid recruiter, as his replacement at Arkansas, Houston Nutt, went on to win 17 games in the 1998 (9–3) and 1999 (8–4) seasons combined, to include a 1998 SEC West co-championship and a Cotton Bowl championship on January 1, 2000, with a victory over Texas. Both of those squads included players Ford had recruited to Arkansas. [5]
Ford and his wife, Deborah, have four children, Jennifer, Ashleigh, Elizabeth, and Lee. They currently reside in Central, South Carolina.
Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
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Clemson Tigers (Atlantic Coast Conference)(1978–1989) | |||||||||
1978 | Clemson | 1–0 [n 1] | [n 1] | [n 1] | W Gator | 7 | 6 | ||
1979 | Clemson | 8–4 | 4–2 | T–2nd | L Peach | ||||
1980 | Clemson | 6–5 | 2–4 | T–4th | |||||
1981 | Clemson | 12–0 | 6–0 | 1st | W Orange | 1 | 1 | ||
1982 | Clemson | 9–1–1 | 6–0 | 1st | 8 | ||||
1983 | Clemson | 9–1–1 | 7–0 | 1st | 11 | ||||
1984 | Clemson | 7–4 | 5–2 | 2nd | |||||
1985 | Clemson | 6–6 | 4–3 | 4th | L Independence | ||||
1986 | Clemson | 8–2–2 | 5–1–1 | 1st | W Gator | 19 | 17 | ||
1987 | Clemson | 10–2 | 6–1 | 1st | W Florida Citrus | 10 | 12 | ||
1988 | Clemson | 10–2 | 6–1 | 1st | W Florida Citrus | 8 | 9 | ||
1989 | Clemson | 10–2 | 5–2 | 3rd | W Gator | 11 | 12 | ||
Clemson: | 96–29–4 | 56–16–1 | |||||||
Arkansas Razorbacks (Southeastern Conference)(1993–1997) | |||||||||
1993 | Arkansas | 6–4–1 | 4–3–1 | 3rd (Western) | |||||
1994 | Arkansas | 4–7 | 2–6 | T–4th (Western) | |||||
1995 | Arkansas | 8–5 | 6–3 | 1st (Western) | L Carquest | ||||
1996 | Arkansas | 4–7 | 2–6 | T–5th (Western) | |||||
1997 | Arkansas | 4–7 | 2–6 | T–5th (Western) | |||||
Arkansas: | 26–30–1 | 16–24–1 | |||||||
Total: | 122–59–5 | ||||||||
National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
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John Franklin Broyles was an American college football player and coach, college athletics administrator, and broadcaster. He served as the head football coach for one season at the University of Missouri in 1957 and at the University of Arkansas from 1958 to 1976, compiling a career coaching record of 149–62–6. Broyles was also the athletic director at Arkansas from 1974 to 2007. His mark of 144–58–5 in 19 seasons at the helm of the Arkansas Razorbacks football gives him the most wins and the most coached games of any head coach in program history. With Arkansas, Broyles won seven Southwest Conference titles and his 1964 team was named a national champion by a number of selectors including the Football Writers Association of America.
The Arkansas Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the intercollegiate athletics teams representing the University of Arkansas, located in Fayetteville. The University of Arkansas student body voted to change the name of the school mascot in 1910 to the Arkansas Razorbacks after a hard-fought battle against LSU in which they were said to play like a "wild band of Razorback hogs" by former coach Hugo Bezdek. The Arkansas Razorbacks are the only major sports team in the U.S. with a porcine nickname, though the Texas A&M–Kingsville Javelinas play in Division II.
Houston Dale Nutt Jr. is a former American football player and coach. He formerly worked for CBS Sports as a college football studio analyst. Previously, he served as the head football coach at Murray State University (1993–1996), Boise State University (1997), the University of Arkansas (1998–2007), and the University of Mississippi (2008–2011). Nutt's all-time career winning percentage is just under 59 percent.
Kenoy Wayne Kennedy is an American former professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Arkansas Razorbacks and was selected by the Denver Broncos in the second round of the 2000 NFL draft. He also played for the Detroit Lions.
Charles Byron Pell was an American college football player and coach. Pell was an Alabama native and an alumnus of the University of Alabama, where he played college football. He is most notably remembered as the head coach of the Clemson University and the University of Florida football teams. Pell was credited with laying the foundation for the later success of both programs, but his coaching career was tainted by National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rules violations.
Clinton Jacob Stoerner is a former American football quarterback, who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and the Miami Dolphins. He also played in the Arena Football League (AFL) and NFL Europe. He played college football for the University of Arkansas.
Joe Kines is a former American football player and coach. He spent most of his coaching career as an assistant in college football ranks, and twice serving as an interim head coach: in 1992 at the University of Arkansas after the firing of Jack Crowe after Arkansas's first game, and in 2006 at the University of Alabama after the dismissal of Mike Shula.
Kenneth Wahl Hatfield is an American former college football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the United States Air Force Academy (1979–1983), the University of Arkansas (1984–1989), Clemson University (1990–1993), and Rice University (1994–2005), compiling a career head coaching record of 168–140–4.
Jack Crowe is a former American football coach. He played quarterback at West End High School in Birmingham, Alabama. He was most recently the head coach at Jacksonville State University in Alabama, a position he held from 2000 to 2012. Crowe served as the head football coach at the University of Arkansas from 1990 to 1992 season. Crowe was also the head coach at Livingston University, now known as the University of West Alabama, from 1977 to 1978. He served as offensive coordinator for head coach Pat Dye at both Wyoming and Auburn. In addition, Crowe has served as an assistant coach at the University of North Alabama, Clemson University, and Baylor University. He is married to Leann Crowe.
The Arkansas Razorbacks football program represents the University of Arkansas in the sport of American football. The Razorbacks compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Home games are played at stadiums on or near the two largest campuses of the University of Arkansas System: Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville and War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. Sam Pittman is the head coach and has served since 2020.
The Clemson Tigers are the American football team at Clemson University. The Tigers compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). In recent years, the Tigers have been ranked among the most elite college football programs in the United States.
Arthur Gustavo Malzahn III is an American football coach. He is currently the head coach at the University of Central Florida (UCF). He was the head football coach at Auburn University from 2013 to 2020. He helped lead the 2010 Auburn Tigers to a National Championship as the team's offensive coordinator. As head coach at Auburn, he led the team to a SEC Championship win and an appearance in the 2014 National Championship. Malzahn has coached Heisman winner Cam Newton and two Heisman finalists: Nick Marshall and Tre Mason, including coaching 14 All-Americans. During Malzahn's tenure at Auburn, he qualified as the second-longest tenured head coach at one school in the SEC, behind Nick Saban. Out of active head coaches, Malzahn also holds the best record against coach Saban.
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Madre Hill is a former American football running back, playing last for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). Considered one of the greatest running backs to come out of the University of Arkansas, Hill was named 1st Team All-SEC in 1995 and was named to the Razorbacks' All-time team for the 1990s. He formerly held the all-time season rushing record for Arkansas high schools and for the Arkansas Razorbacks.
The Arkansas–Ole Miss football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Arkansas Razorbacks football team of the University of Arkansas and the Ole Miss Rebels football team of the University of Mississippi. The teams first met in 1908, and have played each other every year since 1981. Arkansas leads the series, which includes two wins by Ole Miss in postseason bowl games, the 1963 and 1970 Sugar Bowls.
The history of Clemson Tigers football began in 1896, when Clemson University first fielded a football team. Since 1896, the program has an all-time record of 790–466–44, with a bowl record of 28–22. The program has also achieved three claimed national titles since its founding, in 1981, 2016, and 2018.
The Alabama–Clemson football rivalry is a college football rivalry game between the Crimson Tide of the University of Alabama and the Tigers of Clemson University.