No. 32 | |||||||||
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Position: | Running back | ||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||
Born: | Washington, D.C., U.S. | May 4, 1945||||||||
Career information | |||||||||
High school: | DeMatha Catholic (MD) | ||||||||
College: | West Virginia | ||||||||
NFL draft: | 1968 / round: 3 / pick: 58 | ||||||||
Career history | |||||||||
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Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Garrett William Ford Sr. (born May 4, 1945) is a former American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. A native of Washington, D.C., and a graduate of DeMatha Catholic High School, he played college football at West Virginia University, and professionally in the American Football League (NFL) with the Denver Broncos. Ford received a bachelor's degree in physical education from WVU in 1969 and earned a master's degree in guidance and counseling from WVU in 1973. Ford later returned to his alma mater and served an assistant football coach and assistant athletics director. He was the first African American assistant coach in West Virginia University history and is a member of the West Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. Ford's son, Garrett Ford Jr., was also a starting tailback for West Virginia.
West Virginia University Football
At WVU Ford first Mountaineer to top both 2,000 career rushing yards and 1,000 yards in a single season, tallying 2,166 yards from 1965 to 1967. In 1965, Ford led the team in rushing with 894 yards. His 1,068 yards as a junior in 1966 placed him first at that time and is still the fifth best on the WVU record books. Ford is one of only three running backs to lead WVU in season total offense over the course of the last 35 years. He accomplished that with 1,082 yards of total offense in 1966. [1]
Denver Broncos
In 1968, Ford was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the 3rd round with the 58th pick. Ford played two years with the Broncos.
Return to West Virginia University
Ford joined the Mountaineer Football staff in 1970 as an assistant football coach for Bobby Bowden. At the time, he was the first black assistant coach hired by the school. He was named academic counselor in 1977, assistant athletic director in 1985 and associate athletic director in 2002.
Ford was inducted into the West Virginia University Hall of Fame in 1995 and into the School of Physical Education Hall of Fame in 2004.
In 2011, Ford announced his retirement from WVU after more than 44 years of service to the university.
Personal Life
Ford and his wife, Thelma, have two children – Tracie and Garrett Jr., also a past Mountaineer football player. Additionally, Ford and his wife have five grandchildren. [2]
Floyd Douglas Little was an American professional football player who was a halfback for the Denver Broncos, initially in the American Football League (AFL) and later the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Syracuse Orangemen, twice earning All-American honors. Little was the sixth overall selection of the 1967 NFL/AFL draft, the first common draft. He was the first first-round draft pick to sign with the AFL's Broncos, where he was known as "the Franchise". Little was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010.
Major Harris is an American former college football player who was a quarterback for the West Virginia Mountaineers during the 1980s. Harris was a first-team All-American in 1989 and finished fifth and third in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1988 and 1989, respectively. He was also the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Player of the Year in 1988 and 1989. Harris was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2009.
The Virginia Tech–West Virginia football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Virginia Tech Hokies and West Virginia Mountaineers. The teams met 53 times between 1912 and 2021, every year from 1973 to 2005, and as conference foes from 1991 to 2003 as members of the Big East Conference. The winner of the game receives the Black Diamond Trophy sponsored by Rish Equipment Company, headquartered in Bluefield, West Virginia. It was introduced in 1997 and was meant to symbolize the Appalachian region's rich coal heritage
The West Virginia Mountaineers are the athletic teams that represent West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia. The school is a member of National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I. The Mountaineers have been a member of the Big 12 Conference since 2012. The men's soccer team now competes as an affiliate member in the Sun Belt Conference.
Otis D. Armstrong was an American professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected in the first round with the ninth overall pick in the 1973 NFL draft. He played for the Denver Broncos for his entire career from 1973 to 1980.
Patrick Christian White is an American former professional football quarterback. He played in the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football for the West Virginia Mountaineers and was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the second round of the 2009 NFL draft.
The West Virginia Mountaineers football team represents West Virginia University in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of college football. West Virginia plays its home games at Milan Puskar Stadium on the campus of West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia. The Mountaineers have won or shared a total of 15 conference championships, including eight Southern Conference titles and seven Big East Conference titles. The Mountaineers compete in the Big 12 Conference and are led by head coach Neal Brown.
Frank Cignetti Sr. was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at West Virginia University from 1976 to 1979 and at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) from 1986 to 2005, compiling a career college football record of 199–77–1. Cignetti led the IUP Indians to the title game of the NCAA Division II Football Championship in 1990 and 1993. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 2013.
The 2007 West Virginia Mountaineers football team began play on September 1, 2007. The team was coached by Rich Rodriguez until he announced on December 16, 2007, that he was leaving West Virginia to coach the Michigan Wolverines. The head coaching position remained vacant after his announcement, with assistant head coach Bill Stewart serving as interim head coach. Stewart was then named head coach on January 3, 2008, after leading the Mountaineers to victory in the 2008 Fiesta Bowl over the #3 Oklahoma Sooners. West Virginia played their home games on Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, West Virginia.
George Smith King Jr. was an American professional basketball player and collegiate coach. He was born in Charleston, West Virginia.
Garrett Ford Jr. was an American football running back for the West Virginia Mountaineers. His father, Garrett Ford Sr., was the first African American assistant coach in school history, is a member of the West Virginia Hall of Fame and played for the Denver Broncos for two seasons.
Ira Errett "Rat" Rodgers was an American football, basketball, baseball, and golf player and coach. He played college football for West Virginia University where he was selected as an All-American in 1919. He also served as the school's head football coach from 1925 to 1930 and again from 1943 to 1945.
William L. Stewart, nicknamed "Stew", was an American football coach. He was named interim head coach of the West Virginia Mountaineers after Rich Rodriguez left for Michigan in December 2007. After leading the Mountaineers to a 48–28 victory over the Oklahoma Sooners in the Fiesta Bowl, he was named the school's 32nd head football coach on January 3, 2008. Stewart resigned in the summer of 2011. He was previously the head coach of Virginia Military Institute for three seasons.
Edward Pastilong is a former American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the athletic director at West Virginia University from 1989 to 2010.
Mal Mathad Moore was an American football coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the athletic director at the University of Alabama from 1999 to 2013. On November 23, 1999, he was hired as athletic director after spending almost thirty years in other areas with the university. As a player, coach, and director of athletics, Moore was part of ten national championship football teams. In May 2012, he was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. Moore died March 30, 2013, in Durham, North Carolina.
The 1987 John Hancock Sun Bowl was the 54th annual Sun Bowl. The contest featured the West Virginia Mountaineers and the 11th-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys. Oklahoma State edged out West Virginia, 35–33. The game was decided with 1:13 to play. The game was played on snowy, cold Christmas Day of 1987 before a crowd of 43,240 in front of a CBS national television audience.
Neal Brown is an American college football coach and former player. He is the head football coach at West Virginia University. Brown was previously the head coach at Troy University from 2015 to 2018. Brown also previously served as the offensive coordinator at Troy (2008–2009), Texas Tech University (2010–2012), and the University of Kentucky (2013–2014).
The 2011 West Virginia Mountaineers football team represented West Virginia University in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season as members of the Big East Conference. The Mountaineers were led by Dana Holgorsen, who was in his first season as head coach. West Virginia played their home games on Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, West Virginia. They finished the season 10–3, 5–2 in Big East play to earn a share of the Big East Conference championship with Cincinnati and Louisville. The Mountaineers, in their final season in the Big East before moving to the Big 12 the following season, earned the league's automatic berth in the BCS due to being the highest ranked of the Big East champions in the final BCS rankings. They were invited to the Orange Bowl for the first time ever where they defeated Clemson 70–33. This was the third victory for West Virginia in three BCS games played in the BCS era, while the 70 points in the Orange Bowl set a record for most points scored in a bowl game.
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The West Virginia Mountaineers Football Statistical Leaders are individual statistical leaders of the West Virginia Mountaineers Football program in various categories, including passing, rushing, receiving, total offense, all-purpose yardage, defensive stats, and kicking. Within those areas, the lists identify single-game, single-season, and career leaders. The Mountaineers represent West Virginia University in the NCAA's Big 12 Conference.