TheNCAA Gerald R. Ford Award was named in recognition ofGerald Ford, the38th President of the United States as well as aUniversity of Michigan football star. Presented by theNational Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the award honors an individual who has provided significant leadership in the role of advocate for intercollegiate athletics and has done so on a continuous basis over the course of their career. Ford played the position of center in football at theUniversity of Michigan, participating on national championship teams in 1932 and 1933. He turned down offers from theGreen Bay Packers andDetroit Lions to study law atYale University. The Gerald Ford Award was first awarded in 2004.
The recipients of the award are:
In July 2012, following thePenn State child sex abuse scandal, the NCAA vacated the 2011 award given to Joe Paterno.