Len Ford
| Len Ford | |
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Positions: End , DE |
Jersey numbers: 53, 80, 83 |
| born February 18, 1926 in Washington, DC | |
| died on March 14, 1972 in Detroit , Michigan | |
| Career information | |
| Active : 1948 - 1958 | |
| College : Morgan State University , University of Michigan | |
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| Career statistics | |
| Games | 125 |
| Interceptions | 3 |
| Touchdowns (AAFC) | 8th |
| Stats at pro-football-reference.com | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Pro Football Hall of Fame | |
Leonard Guy "Len" Ford Jr. (born February 18, 1926 in Washington, DC , † March 14, 1972 in Detroit , Michigan ) was an American American football player. He played, among other things, as a defensive end for the Cleveland Browns in the National Football League (NFL).
origin
Ford grew up in the city of his birth and attended Armstrong High School there . At the school he played basketball and baseball in addition to American football . He was team captain in all three teams and made it into the local school selection.
Player career
college
Ford was an excellent baseball player. As a dark-skinned player, however, he had no opportunity to play in Major League Baseball (MLB). The league was then only open to white players. The best way to earn money with sport later on offered him a college degree . He joined Morgan State University in 1944 and played basketball there that spring . He managed to join the football team in the fall of that year. After a short period of service in the US Navy , he went back to college and studied at the University of Michigan from 1945 . With this commitment, he hoped to play in a bowl game , which enabled him to attract national attention and enter professional sport. In 1948 he drew national attention for the first time. His team, the Michigan Wolverines , moved into the Rose Bowl . There the University of Southern California (USC) team was beaten 49-0. Ford was voted All American . His college recognized him three times for his athletic achievements.
professional
The coach of the Los Angeles Dons , Jimmy Phelan , noticed Ford because of his height, speed and his sure-fire hands. The Dons managed to sign the player for their AAFC team. Ford was used both in defense as the defensive end and in the offense as an end , with 67 passing catches during his career in Los Angeles .
In 1949 the league had to stop playing and Ford was accepted into an NFL draft pool that had been set up for former AAFC players. Ford was hired by the Cleveland Browns , who hired him primarily because of his aggressive style of play and moved from AAFC to the NFL in 1950. Ford was already convincing in the training camp before his first season. Ford was used in the defensive line , but had to accept several serious facial injuries in a tackle by fullback Pat Harder in a game against the Chicago Cardinals in October 1950 , which had to be repaired surgically. That same season he returned to the field and moved with his Browns for the first time in the NFL Championship Game , where the Los Angeles Rams were beaten by 30:28. Unimpressed by his facial injuries, Ford repeatedly managed to put the Rams' quarterbacks under pressure and force them to make hasty decisions. Lou Groza scored the decisive field goal for the Browns 28 seconds before the end of the game .
1954 moved the team from Cleveland again in the final. The Browns defeated the Detroit Lions 56:10. Ford made it an outstanding game, intercepted two passes ( interception ) from quarterback Bobby Layne and carried one of them back for a space gain of 45 yards . In 1955, the Rams had to admit defeat again at 14:38 in the NFL final. Ford ended his career in 1958 after playing for the Green Bay Packers .
While Ford was playing in Cleveland, the Browns were the most successful defense in the NFL. In six years they allowed the fewest points, in two years the second fewest.
Honors
Ford played in the Pro Bowl four times , was named All-Pro seven times , is a member of the NFL 1950s All-Decade Team , in the Hall of Honor of his college, and since 1976 in the Pro Football Hall of Fame . Ford ranks 12th on the Cleveland Browns' top 100 list.
After the career
Len Ford worked in the Detroit city government after his career. He died of heart failure and is buried in Lincoln Memorial Cemetery in Suitland , Maryland .
Web links
source
- Jens Plassmann: NFL - American Football. The game, the stars, the stories (= Rororo 9445 rororo Sport ). Rowohlt, Reinbek near Hamburg 1995, ISBN 3-499-19445-7 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Len Ford's College Awards ( November 8, 2014 memento in the Internet Archive )
- ^ Annual statistics of the Cleveland Browns 1950
- ^ Statistics NFL final 1950
- ^ Annual statistics of the Cleveland Browns 1954
- ↑ Statistics NFL final 1954
- ^ Annual statistics of the Cleveland Browns 1955
- ↑ Statistics NFL final 1955
- ↑ The Top 100 Cleveland Browns Players
- ↑ Ford's Tomb in the Find a Grave database
| personal data | |
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| SURNAME | Ford, Len |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Ford, Leonard Guy Jr. (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American football player and entrepreneur |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 18, 1926 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Washington, DC , United States |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 14, 1972 |
| Place of death | Detroit , Michigan , United States |