 Ford from the 1948Michiganensian | |||||||||||||
| No. 50, 53, 80, 83 | |||||||||||||
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| Positions | Defensive end End | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | (1926-02-18)February 18, 1926 Washington, D.C., U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Died | March 14, 1972(1972-03-14) (aged 46) Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 4[1] in (1.93 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight | 245 lb (111 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school | Armstrong (Washington, D.C.) | ||||||||||||
| College | Morgan State Michigan | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1948: undrafted | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL/AAFC statistics | |||||||||||||
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Leonard Guy Ford Jr. (February 18, 1926 – March 14, 1972) was an American professionalfootball player who was an offensive and defensiveend from 1948 to 1958. He playedcollege football for theUniversity of Michigan and professional football for theLos Angeles Dons,Cleveland Browns andGreen Bay Packers. He was inducted into thePro Football Hall of Fame in 1976 and theUniversity of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor in 1996.
Ford was an all-city athlete at his high school inWashington, D.C., and attendedMorgan State University after graduating in 1944. After a brief stint in theU.S. Navy the following year, he transferred to Michigan, where he played on theMichigan Wolverines football team as an offensive and defensive end. He played for Michigan from 1945 to 1947 and was a member of the undefeated1947 team that has been selected as the best team in the history of Michigan football.
Ford was passed over in all 32 rounds of the1948 NFL draft, but was selected by the Los Angeles Dons of the rivalAll-America Football Conference (AAFC), where he played for two seasons as an offensive and defensive end. After the AAFC dissolved in 1949, Ford played eight seasons as adefensive end for the Cleveland Browns. During those eight seasons, the Browns advanced to the NFL championship game seven times, won three championships, and allowed the fewest points in the NFL six times. Ford was one of the dominant defensive players of his era, having a rare combination of size and speed that helped him disrupt opposing offenses and forcefumbles. He was selected as a first-team All-NFL player five times and played in four Pro Bowls. He was also one of two defensive ends named to theNational Football League 1950s All-Decade Team.
Ford was traded to the Packers in 1958, but played there just one season before retiring. He worked for the Detroit recreation department from 1963 to 1972. He suffered a heart attack and died in 1972 at age 46.
Ford was born inWashington, D.C., in 1926. His father, Leonard G. Ford Sr., was a Virginia native who was employed as a "skilled laborer" by the federal government in 1920 and as a printing operator at theGovernment Printing Office in 1940. His mother, Geraldine, was also a Virginia native who worked as asocial worker in asettlement house in 1940. Ford had an older sister, Anita, and a younger brother, Claude.[2][3]
As a teenager, Ford attendedArmstrong Technical High School, where he played football, basketball and baseball.[4] As a high school athlete, he aspired to playfullback in football, but he later recalled, "I started to grow, and I grew right out of the backfield."[5] He was chosen by local sportswriters as an all-city athlete in all three sports in his senior year, and he served as captain of all three teams for one season each.[4][6]
After he graduated in 1944, Theodore McIntyre, Ford's high school football coach, suggested he attendMorgan State University, a historically black college inBaltimore, Maryland.[7][8] Ford played for theMorgan State Bears football team for one year under head coachEdward P. Hurt, while also starring as thecenter on the school's basketball team.[8] The basketball team won its league's championship in 1944.[8] Ford left Morgan State and joined theU.S. Navy in 1945, but stayed in the service only briefly asWorld War II came to an end.[4][8][9][10]
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After the war, Ford transferred to theUniversity of Michigan to play football in a bigger program than Morgan State's.[8] He wanted to "get a shot at playing in theRose Bowl one day", he later said.[4] While attending Michigan, he was a member ofOmega Psi Phi, an all-black fraternity whose membership also includedBob Mann, another Michigan end who went on to play in the NFL.[11]
In 1945, Ford was Michigan's tallest player at 6 feet 5 inches (196 cm) and 190 pounds.[12] Ford played as a backup at the leftend for the1945 Michigan football team that compiled a 7–3win–loss record under head coachFritz Crisler.[13] When Ford caught a pass fromWally Teninga in Michigan's 26–0 victory overMinnesota in early November 1945,The New York Times took note and referred to Ford as "a six-foot, five-inch giant."[14]
As a junior in 1946, Ford had gained 16 pounds and weighed 206 pounds.[15] That year, Ford and Bob Mann shared the left end position, with Ford starting four games and Mann two.[16] The1946 Michigan team finished with a 6–2–1 record.[16] During the 1946 season, Ford established himself as a tenacious tackler on defense and was also a receiving threat as an end on offense.[8] In the first game of the 1946 season, a 21–0 victory overIndiana, Ford recovered an Indianafumble and then scored the game's second touchdown on a 17-yard pass fromPete Elliott,[17] "leaping high in the air to grab the pigskin with one hand from the two backs guarding him in the end zone."[18] Later in the season, he scored a touchdown againstWisconsin on anend-around, a play Michigan employed frequently with Ford.[19] Ford also developed a reputation for forcing opponent fumbles with his technique of "punching at the ball".[18]
By 1947, Ford had grown to 215 pounds, 25 pounds heavier than he had weighed in 1945.[20] Led byAll-AmericanhalfbacksBob Chappuis andBump Elliott, the undefeated1947 Michigan team has been selected as the best team in the history of Michigan football.[16][21] Nicknamed the "Mad Magicians", the Michigan squad finished with a 10–0 record, capped by a 49–0 victory in theRose Bowl overUSC on New Year's Day.[16] Ford started only one game in 1947, as Bob Mann was the starting left end in eight of Michigan's 10 games.[16] Even with reduced playing time, Ford caught a 35-yard touchdown pass in the first game of the season and had two receptions for 82 yards in the 55–0 win overMichigan State.[22] He scored again in a game againstPitt.[22][23] Ford's defensive performance was credited with shutting downOhio State in the final game of the 1947 season. After the Wolverines' 21–0 victory over the Buckeyes,The Michigan Daily wrote:
For the defense it was big Len Ford, who sparked a forward wall that never let the Bucks threaten. His end was practically impregnable. He smashed Ohio interference time and again, he continually harassed Dick Slager andPandel Savic, the Ohio passers, and he made life miserable for Pete Perini, blocking one punt and rushing the Buckeye punter on nearly all of his kicks.[24]
Michigan finished first in theAP Poll and won the 1947college football national championship, sharing the honor withNotre Dame, which had been first in the polls before the Rose Bowl.[25] After the 1947 season, theAssociated Press (AP) selected Ford as a third-team All-American end and named teammate Bob Mann as a second-team All-American end.[26] The AP also named Ford a second-team all-Big Nine Conference end.[27] In the summer of 1948, he accepted an invitation to play for the college team in theCollege All-Star Game, a now-defunct annual matchup between the champion of the professionalNational Football League (NFL) and a selection of the country's best college players.[28]
Despite his accomplishments in college, Ford was passed over in all 32 rounds of the1948 NFL draft during a time when most professional teams did not employ blacks.[8] (The following year,George Taliaferro became the first black player to be selected in an NFL draft.[29]) He was selected, however, by theLos Angeles Dons of the rivalAll-America Football Conference (AAFC) in the third round of the1948 AAFC Draft.[8][30] He signed with the Dons in April 1948.[31]
Playing as a right end oppositeJoe Aguirre, Ford had 31 catches for 598 yards and seven touchdowns in 1948.[32] As was the case at Michigan, Ford also worked on defense and was one of the AAFC's most successful pass-rushers.[8][33] The Dons, meanwhile, finished the regular season with a 7–7 record, good for third place in the AAFC West.[34] Ford played basketball in the off-season for theNew York Renaissance, an all-black professional team in theNational Basketball League.[35][36] He did not play basketball at Michigan, theBig Ten Conference having maintained racial segregation of basketball until 1950.[36]
Ford had 36 catches for 577 yards and one touchdown in 1949, while the Dons fell to 4–8.[32][37] The AAFC struggled financially during Ford's time with the Dons.[38] Its teams competed with NFL franchises for fans' attention and player talent – the Dons shared a city with the NFL'sLos Angeles Rams.[8] By late 1949, team owners came to an agreement under which theCleveland Browns,San Francisco 49ers andBaltimore Colts joined the NFL and the rest of the league's teams, including the Dons, folded.[8][39]
After the AAFC disbanded, the Browns selected Ford in the second round of the1950 AAFC dispersal draft, created to reallocate former Dons,Buffalo Bills andChicago Hornets players.[40] Ford signed with the Browns in July 1950.[41]
Cleveland head coachPaul Brown converted Ford into solely a defensive end as two-platoon systems gained popularity after 1950.[33] Ford bulked up to 260 pounds and quickly became a fixture of Cleveland's defense alongsidelinebackerBill Willis anddefensive backWarren Lahr.[42] He was one of five black players for Cleveland – the others were Willis,punterHorace Gillom andfullbacksEmerson Cole andMarion Motley – at a time when many other teams had never signed a black player.[43] The Browns, in fact, had roughly a third of the black players in the NFL on their roster.[43] Cleveland sports writerChuck Heaton later recalled that Ford was "a leader, particularly with the black players on the squad."[44]
Led by an offense that featured Motley,quarterbackOtto Graham andendsMac Speedie andDante Lavelli, the1950 Browns finished the regular season with a 10–2 record and won the1950 NFL Championship Game over theLos Angeles Rams.[45][46]
In a mid-October game against theChicago Cardinals, an elbow byPat Harder broke Ford's nose, cheekbone, andmaxilla (upper jaw), knocked out two teeth, loosened several teeth and chipped another.[47] Ford, who had been fighting with Harder throughout the game, punched him following the play, resulting in a penalty, his ejection from the game and a $50 ($653 in 2024 dollars[48]) fine.[8] NFL commissionerBert Bell withdrew the fine when the damage to Ford's face was revealed.[8] Ford's facial injuries were so severe that a plastic surgery procedure was required, "virtually rebuilding the big end's face."[47] The Browns' long-time team doctor, Vic Ippolito, described Ford's injuries as "a sickening sight."[49]
Ford started only four regular-season games in 1950 because of the injury. However, he asked to be reinstated for the1950 NFL Championship Game. Head coach Paul Brown agreed to allow Ford to suit up after receiving approval from the team doctor and arranging for a special mask to be built to protect Ford from further injury. Ford had been on a liquid diet until late November and dropped from 240 to 215 pounds, though he was back up to 223 pounds shortly before the championship game.[50] As the championship game got underway, Ford sat on the bench as the Rams moved the ball 82 yards down the field for a touchdown. Browns head coach Paul Brown knew the defense had to tighten, and he called on Ford to enter the game. TheCleveland Plain Dealer later called this "one of Len Ford's great moments."[51] Paul Brown stated that Ford "showed me that day he really was a man."[44] Brown later recalled that Ford was the team's "only real hope of plugging a hole" and recalled one sequence as a defining moment in the game:
I'll always remember one three-play sequence where he threwVitamin Smith for a 14-yard loss on a reverse, sacked[Bob] Waterfield for another big loss and finally smotheredGlenn Davis on an end run. That turned the game around for us.[51]
The Browns' defense held the Rams scoreless in the fourth quarter, and the Browns won the championship game by a 30–28 score in their first season in the league.[51]
Ford continued to excel as a pass-rusher in 1951, when theBrowns again advanced to theNFL Championship Game but lost to theRams.[52] He recovered four fumbles during the season and was named a first-teamAll-Pro by both theAssociated Press (AP) and theUnited Press International (UPI).[32] He was also named to thePro Bowl, the NFL's all-star game.[32] Ford's dominating play allowed Brown to assign him to two offensive linemen, giving Cleveland the latitude to put four men on the line and use three linebackers in what is now known as the4–3 defense.[8] Cleveland's defensive coachBlanton Collier later recalled the thinking behind moving Ford: "We knew we had to get him in closer where his talents as a pass rusher could best be utilized, so we moved both tackles in and dropped the linebackers off the outside. It may have been the beginning of today's 4–3 defense."[53] Collier also noted that "Len was very aggressive and had that touch of meanness in him that you find in most defensive players."[8]
The1952 Browns had eight regular-season wins and won the NFL's East Division, but lost to theDetroit Lions in the1952 NFL Championship Game.[8] Ford, meanwhile, extended his run of dominance against opposing offenses in an era before thequarterback sack was a recorded statistic.[8] For the second consecutive year, he was named a first-team All-Pro by both the AP and UPI and was selected for the Pro Bowl.[32]
The1953 Browns compiled an 11–1 record and again advanced to theNFL Championship Game, losing to theDetroit Lions.[54] For the third consecutive year, Ford was named a first-team All-Pro by both the AP and UPI and was selected for the Pro Bowl.[32]
Willis and Motley retired after the 1953 season, but Ford andDon Colo continued to anchor the defense alongside Lahr in the secondary.[8] The1954 Browns lost two of their first three games, but finished the season with a 9–3 record and returned to win the1954 NFL Championship Game over theLions.[55] Ford had two interceptions in the Browns' 56–10 win over the Lions, including one which he returned 45 yards to set a new NFL playoff record.[8][56][57] Ford recovered a career-high five fumbles in 1954, and he was selected as a first-team All-Pro by the AP and UPI for the fourth year in a row. He was also selected to play in his fourth consecutive Pro Bowl.[32]
The1955 Browns compiled a 9–2–1 record in 1955 and won the1955 NFL Championship Game against theLos Angeles Rams, helped by a strong defensive effort and six interceptions of quarterbackNorm Van Brocklin.[8][58] Ford was selected as a first-team All-Pro by the UPI, theNewspaper Enterprise Association (NEA) and theNew York Daily News. He was named a second-team All-Pro by the AP.[32]
Graham and many of the players that had helped propel the Browns to a series of championship game appearances retired before the 1956 season.[8] The1956 team finished 5–7 that year,[59] their first losing record.[60]
By 1957, there was speculation that Ford, then age 31, might not make the Browns' roster.[61] Ford arrived at training camp well above his playing weight, and rookieBob Mischak was given Ford's spot in August. When Mischak withdrew from the team, the spot was awarded to another rookie,Paul Wiggin. Ford worked to shed pounds during training camp and worked to train the young defensive players, including Wiggin andBill Quinlan.[61] Rookie running backJim Brown recalled that Ford pulled him aside during the 1957 training camp and gave him advice on dealing with the Browns' head coach Paul Brown. Ford advised the rookie to keep his mouth shut and do as the coach set during practice and waiting until game day: "Run it your way in the game and hope it works, and if it does, don't say anything. Just make your yardage and act like it was a mistake."[62]
Ford was slowed for several weeks during the1957 season by a severely bruised shoulder,[63] but the Browns, led by Jim Brown, reached the1957 NFL Championship Game, losing to theLions.[8] Cleveland's defense allowed the fewest points in the NFL in six of Ford's eight seasons with the team.[64]
In May 1958, the Browns traded Ford to theGreen Bay Packers in exchange for a draft choice. Green Bay coachRay McLean said at the time that he acquired Ford for his talent at putting pressure on the quarterback and noted that "he's one of the toughest guys in the league to block because of his speed, size and agility."[65][66] The1958 Green Bay team won just one game in Ford's lone season there.[67] Ford suffered multiple broken fingers before the last game of the 1958 season, and, because he was unable to play, the Packers refused to pay Ford the final $916.66 due on his contract. In 1961, Ford sued the Packers in Wayne County Circuit Court in Detroit to collect the $916.66 plus $10,000 for alleged damage to his reputation caused by the Packers' releasing him.[68][69]
Ford recovered 20 fumbles in his career, an NFL record at the time he retired as a player.[70] He was successful in part because of his combination of quickness and size.[71] Few players of his era who were as tall and big as he was could move as fast; onlyLarry Brink of the Rams was close to him in proportions.[71]
In 1969, Ford placed second in voting for the greatest defense end in NFL history. He was edged out byGino Marchetti.[72] He and Marchetti were selected as the defensive ends on theNational Football League 1950s All-Decade Team.[73]
In 1976, Ford was posthumously inducted into thePro Football Hall of Fame. He was selected for induction by the 27-man media board that had responsibility for selections at that time.[70]
He was also inducted into theUniversity of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor in 1996.[74]
In 1951, Ford married Geraldine Bledsoe Ford (1926–2003),[75] who was a lawyer in the 1950s,[76] and in the mid-1960s became the first black woman to serve as a judge in Michigan.[77] They had two daughters, Anita and Deborah,[78] and divorced in 1959.[75]
While playing in the NFL, Ford worked during the off-season in a Detroit real estate office. He developed a reputation for being "cagey with the dollar" and toldJet magazine in 1955: "In what other sport can a boy just graduated from college make $5,000 in his first six months, then have a half-year left to make more money?"[76] After retiring from football, Ford attended theDetroit College of Law for a year-and-a-half,[78] but never received a law degree.[44] From 1963 until his death, Ford worked as the assistant director at Considine Recreation Center, the largest recreation center in Detroit.[8][75][79] At the time of his death 16 months later, he was described in obituaries as the assistant recreation director for the City of Detroit.[6][80][81]
Sports writerChuck Heaton wrote that Ford's life was "pretty much down hill" after he retired from professional football. Heaton recalled that, in his later years, Ford seemed in poor physical condition, "only a shadow of the mighty end he once was."[44] Ford still aspired to obtain his law license, but, according to Heaton, "appeared to have lost the drive which made him such a great football player."[44]Don Newcombe, who became good friends with Ford, was more blunt. Interviewed in 1980, Newcombe said that Ford's life was "decimated" because of alcohol. Newcombe added: "He became a wino, stumbling around in alleys. He gave up his life for alcohol."[82]
Ford suffered a heart attack in early March 1972 and died the following week atDetroit General Hospital.[79][44] He was age 46 at the time of his death.[6][83] He was buried atLincoln Memorial Cemetery in Suitland, MD.
Media related toLen Ford at Wikimedia Commons