Gerald Ford: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 18:47, 28 December 2006

Revision as of 18:47, 28 December 2006

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Ford attended Grand Rapids South High School and was a star athlete, rising to become [[captain (sports)|captain]] of his high school [[American football|football]] team. In 1930, he was selected to the All-City team of the [[Grand Rapids City League]]. He also attracted the attention of college recruiters.<ref name="kunhardt"> {{cite book | last = Kunhardt, Jr. | first = Phillip | authorlink = | coauthors = | origyear = 1999 |title = | url = http://www.americanpresident.org/history/geraldford/biography/resources/ArticlesCopy1/KunhardtFordBio.article.shtml | title = Gerald R. Ford "Healing the Nation" |pages=pp. 79-85 | publisher = Riverhead Books | ___location = New York | id = | accessdate = 2006-12-28}}</ref>

[[Image:Gerald Ford U of M football.gif|right|200px|thumb|Ford as a [[University of Michigan]] [[American football|football]] player, 1933]]

Attending the [[University of Michigan]] as an undergraduate, Ford became the [[center (football)|center]] and [[linebacker]] for the school's football team and helped the [[Michigan Wolverines football|Wolverines]] to undefeated seasons and [[NCAA Division I-A national football championship|national titles]] in [[1932 in sports|1932]] and [[1933 in sports|1933]]. The team suffered a steep decline in his 1934 senior year, however, winning only one game. Ford was the team's star nonetheless, and after Michigan held heavily favored [[Minnesota Golden Gophers football|Minnesota]] (the eventual national champion) to a scoreless tie in the first half, assistant coach [[Bennie Oosterbaan]] later said, "When I walked into the dressing room at half time, I had tears in my eyes I was so proud of them. Ford and [Cedric] Sweet played their hearts out. They were everywhere on defense." Ford himself later recalled: "During 25 years in the rough-and-tumble world of politics, I often thought of the experiences before, during, and after that game in 1934. Remembering them has helped me many times to face a tough situation, take action, and make every effort possible despite adverse odds." His teammates later voted Ford their most valuable player, with one assistant coach noting, "They felt Jerry was one guy who would stay and fight in a losing cause." <ref name="perry"> {{cite book | last = Perry | first = Will | authorlink = | coauthors = | origyear = 1974 |title = | url = http://www.aafla.org/SportsLibrary/FootballStudies/1999/FS0202h.pdf | title = The Wolverines: A Story of Michigan Football|chapter=No Cheers From the Alumni |pages=pp. 150-152 | publisher = The Strode Publishers | ___location = Huntsville, Alabama| id = ISBN 0-87397-055-1| accessdate = 2006-12-28}}</ref> As part of the 1935 Collegiate All-Star football team, Ford played against the [[Chicago Bears]] in an exhibition game at [[Soldier Field]].<ref > Greene, J.R. (1995) The Presidency of Gerald R. Ford (American Presidency Series) (Paperback), p. 2.</ref> His number 48 [[jersey (clothing)|jersey]] has since been retired by the school.

At Michigan, Ford became a member of the [[Delta Kappa Epsilon]] fraternity and washed dishes at his fraternity house to earn money for college expenses. Following his graduation in 1935 with a degree in [[political science]] and [[economics]], he turned down contract offers from the [[Detroit Lions]] and [[Green Bay Packers]] of the [[National Football League]] in order to take a coaching position at [[Yale University|Yale]] and apply to its law school.<ref> Each team was offering him a contract of $200 a game, but he wanted a legal education.[http://www.ford.utexas.edu/grf/fordbiop.htm Gerald R. Ford Biography] - [[Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum]].</ref>