Danny Lee Ford is a former American football coach, who most notably led Clemson University as its head coach to its 1981 national football championship and to NCAA probation for recruiting violations in 1982. American football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, is a competitive Team sport known for mixing strategy with Coach (baseball|Coach (basketball|Coach (ice hockeyIn Sports a coach or manager is an individual involved in the direction instruction and training of the operations The Clemson Tigers are any team that represents Clemson University as a member of the NCAA 's Division I or in the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast For the coaching strategy game see NFL Head Coach. A head coach is a professional who is responsible for the overall actions of Artistic Gymnastics World Artistic Gymnastics Championships: Men's all-around champion Yuri Korolev, USSR The 1981 Division 1A Football season ended with Clemson unbeaten and untied taking the national championship after a victory over traditional power Nebraska
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Early career
After graduating from Gadsden High School in Gadsden, Alabama in 1966, Ford was an All-SEC selection on the field and off the field under Paul "Bear" Bryant at Alabama, where he played in three bowl games. Gadsden High School may refer to Gadsden City High School, Gadsden Alabama Gadsden High School (New Mexico, Anthony New Mexico Gadsden is a city in and the County seat of Etowah County, northeastern Alabama, United States, approximately 60 miles northeast of Birmingham The Southeastern Conference (SEC is a College Athletic conference headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, which operates in the southeastern He received a bachelor's degree in industrial arts in 1970 and later received a master's degree in special education in Tuscaloosa in 1971. He coached as an assistant at Alabama, Virginia Tech, and Clemson prior to being named the head coach at Clemson.
Career at Clemson
Ford had an auspicious beginning to his head coaching career, following the departure of the Tigers' previous coach, Charley Pell to the University of Florida. Charley Pell ( 1941 - May 29, 2001) was the Clemson University head football coach from 1977 through 1978 and University of Florida The University of Florida ( Florida or UF) is a public land-grant, sea-grant, space-grant major Research After nine years as an assistant coach, he debuted with a 17-15 win over Ohio State in the 1978 Gator Bowl. The Ohio State University ( OSU) is a Coeducational public Research university in the state of Ohio. The Gator Bowl is an annual College football Bowl game that is played at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium in Jacksonville Florida. The 30 year-old coach, youngest in Division I at the time, also defeated a college football legend in a contest that truly put Clemson football on the map, as he beat Woody Hayes in the latter's last game. Division I (or D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association in the United States Wayne Woodrow “Woody” Hayes ( February 14, 1913 &ndash March 12, 1987) was a College football coach who is best remembered
"When Coach Ford was named coach at Clemson, there were mixed emotions," recalls Jeff Davis, a Clemson Ring of Honor member. "It was obvious that he had so many things to offer. And what he lacked he made up for in working harder than anyone else and communicating his expectations to the players. He blossomed as well as any coach could. "
He compiled a 96-29-4 (. 760) record at Clemson, including a 6-2 bowl record. He was the third winningest coach in the country on a percentage basis after the '89 season. Ford also coached 21 All-Americans and 41 players who went on to play in the NFL, during his 11 seasons in Tigertown. The National Football League ( NFL) is the largest professional American football league.
In 1981, Ford helped Clemson reach the summit of college football by winning the National Championship, the first by any Clemson team. His Tigers, who were unranked in the preseason, downed three top-10 teams during the course of the 12-0 season that concluded with a 22-15 victory over Nebraska in the Orange Bowl. The University of Nebraska is the public University system in the state of Nebraska, USA. The Orange Bowl is an annual College football game that is usually played the first week in January in the Miami Florida metro area in the United States Ford, national Coach of the Year in '81, is still the youngest coach to win a national championship on the gridiron. He also led Clemson to a 30-2-2 record between 1981-1983, best in the nation. Immediately following the 1982 season Clemson was placed on probation by the NCAA for recruiting violations.
Clemson won three straight ACC titles under his guidance between 1986 and 1988. The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. In 1989, Clemson registered a 10-2 season and top-12 national ranking for the fourth straight season. Ford, who always wore a block "C" cap and chewed tobacco on the sideline, closed his career with a 27-7 win over West Virginia (and their All-America quarterback Major Harris) in the Gator Bowl. The West Virginia Mountaineers are the athletic teams of West Virginia University. An All-American "team" is an honorary Sports team composed of outstanding Amateur players those considered the best players of a specific season for Major Harris (born February 15, 1968 in Spartanburg South Carolina) is a former College football Quarterback for West Virginia In the decade of the 1980s, Clemson had the nation's fifth-highest winning percentage.
While at Clemson, Ford defeated many College Football Hall of Fame coaches. The College Football Hall of Fame, located in South Bend Indiana, USA is a hall of fame and museum devoted to College football. These include Joe Paterno, Tom Osborne, Barry Switzer, Bobby Bowden, Vince Dooley, and Woody Hayes. Joseph Vincent Paterno (born December 21, 1926, in Brooklyn New York) nicknamed JoePa, is the head coach of Pennsylvania State University's Barry Switzer (born October 5, 1937) is a former football coach in the college and professional ranks between 1962 and 1997 Robert Cleckler Bowden (born November 8, 1929 in Birmingham Alabama) better known as Bobby Bowden, is the current head College football Vincent Joseph Dooley (born September 4, 1932 in Mobile AL) was the head football coach (seasons 1964 through 1988 and Wayne Woodrow “Woody” Hayes ( February 14, 1913 &ndash March 12, 1987) was a College football coach who is best remembered
After Clemson
Ford resigned on January 18, 1990, after a falling out with Clemson administration. He was subsequently cleared in an NCAA investigation that also was announced around that time. Though there is contention among those who attended Clemson at that time as to whether that was the true reason for his forced resignation.
Joe Kines brought Ford to the University of Arkansas in 1992 to help with the clean-up following Frank Broyles' firing Jack Crowe after a loss to The Citadel (military college). Joe Kines (born July 13, 1944) is currently the assistant head coach and Defensive coordinator of the Texas A&M Aggies College football The University of Arkansas, often shortened to U of A or just UA, is a public Co-educational Land-grant university John Franklin "Frank" Broyles (born December 26, 1924 in Decatur Georgia) is a former NCAA football player coach broadcaster Jack Crowe was the head football coach at the University of Arkansas from 1990 to 1992 History On December 20, 1842, the South Carolina Legislature passed an act establishing the South Carolina Military Academy with the original mission Ford took Kines job in 1993, leading Arkansas to an SEC West championship in 1995 on the legs of Madre Hill and the defensive genius of Joe Lee Dunn, after emerging from 2 years under Crowe. Madre Hill (born January 2, 1976 in Malvern Arkansas) is a former American football Running back, playing last for Joe Lee Dunn is the Defensive coordinator for the New Mexico State Aggies. Broyles fired Ford following back-to-back 4-7 campaigns. Ford finished 26-30-1 in five seasons with the Razorbacks, but left the cupboard full for successor Houston Nutt, who coached the Hogs to 9-3 and 8-4 seasons in 1998 and 1999. Houston Dale Nutt (born October 14, 1957) is an American football coach and current head football coach at the University of Mississippi (Ole
Ford and his wife, Deborah, have four children, Jennifer, Ashleigh, Elizabeth, and Lee. They currently reside in the Clemson, SC area. Clemson is a city in Anderson and Pickens counties in the US state of South Carolina.
Head coaching record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clemson Tigers (Atlantic Coast Conference) (1978 – 1989) | |||||||||
| 1978 | Clemson | 1-0 | W 17-15 Gator Bowl | 7 | 6 | ||||
| 1979 | Clemson | 8-4 | 4-2 | T-2nd | L 18-24 Peach Bowl | ||||
| 1980 | Clemson | 6-5 | 2-4 | T-4th | |||||
| 1981 | Clemson | 12-0 | 6-0 | 1st | W 22-15 Orange Bowl | 1 | 1 | ||
| 1982 | Clemson | 9-1-1 | 6-0 | 1st | 8 | ||||
| 1983 | Clemson | 9-1-1 | 7-0 | T-1st | 11 | ||||
| 1984 | Clemson | 7-4 | 5-2 | 2nd | |||||
| 1985 | Clemson | 6-6 | 4-3 | 4th | L 13-20 Independence Bowl | ||||
| 1986 | Clemson | 8-2-2 | 5-1-1 | 1st | W 27-21 Gator Bowl | 19 | 17 | ||
| 1987 | Clemson | 10-2 | 6-1 | 1st | W 35-10 Citrus Bowl | 10 | 12 | ||
| 1988 | Clemson | 10-2 | 6-1 | 1st | W 13-6 Citrus Bowl | 8 | 9 | ||
| 1989 | Clemson | 10-2 | 5-2 | 3rd | W 27-7 Gator Bowl | 11 | 12 | ||
| Clemson: | 96-29-4 | 56-16-1 | |||||||
| Arkansas Razorbacks (Southeastern Conference) (1993 – 1997) | |||||||||
| 1993 | Arkansas | 6-4-1 | 5-2-1 | 3rd (West) | |||||
| 1994 | Arkansas | 4-7 | 2-6 | T-4th (West) | |||||
| 1995 | Arkansas | 8-5 | 6-2 | 1st (West) | L 10-20 Carquest Bowl | ||||
| 1996 | Arkansas | 4-7 | 2-6 | T-5th (West) | |||||
| 1997 | Arkansas | 4-7 | 2-6 | T-5th (West) | |||||
| Arkansas: | 26-30-1 | 15-25-1 | |||||||
| Total: | 122-59-5 (. The Clemson Tigers are a College football program that competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. The Gator Bowl is an annual College football Bowl game that is played at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium in Jacksonville Florida. The Chick-fil-A Bowl, formerly called the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, and before that simply (and perhaps more familiarly called the Peach Bowl, is an annual The Independence Bowl is a post-season NCAA -sanctioned Division I College football Bowl game that is played annually at Independence Stadium The Gator Bowl is an annual College football Bowl game that is played at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium in Jacksonville Florida. The Florida Citrus Bowl (formerly Orlando Stadium, Tangerine Bowl and the Citrus Bowl) is a Stadium in Orlando Florida, The Florida Citrus Bowl (formerly Orlando Stadium, Tangerine Bowl and the Citrus Bowl) is a Stadium in Orlando Florida, The Gator Bowl is an annual College football Bowl game that is played at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium in Jacksonville Florida. The Arkansas Razorbacks football program is a College football team that represents the University of Arkansas. The Southeastern Conference (SEC is a College Athletic conference headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, which operates in the southeastern The Champs Sports Bowl is an annual College football Bowl game that is played in Orlando Florida. 669) | ||||||||
| National Championship Conference Title Conference Division Title | |||||||||
| †Indicates BCS bowl game. #Rankings from final Coaches Poll of the season. The USA Today Coaches' Poll is the current name for a weekly ranking of the top 25 NCAA Division I-A College football and Division I °Rankings from final AP Poll of the season. |
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See also
External links
| Preceded by Charley Pell |
Clemson Tigers Head Coach 1979–1989 |
Succeeded by Ken Hatfield |
| Preceded by Vince Dooley |
Paul "Bear" Bryant Award 1981 |
Succeeded by Joe Paterno |
| Preceded by Joe Kines (interim) |
University of Arkansas Head Football Coach 1993–1997 |
Succeeded by Houston Nutt |
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