Garrett Ford Sr., who made a lasting impact across four-plus decades of involvement with West Virginia University athletics, has died at 80.
Ford passed away late Sunday in Charlotte after an extended illness.
Ford became the first player to rush for 1,000 yards in a season and 2,000 for a career as a Mountaineer. In 1966, as a junior, Ford rushed for 1,069 yards and was named a second-team All-American.
He finished his WVU career, which spanned 1965-67, with 2,167 rushing yards and eight games of 100-plus yards. Ford accumulated 16 rushing touchdowns and 20 total TDs.
A third-round selection of the Denver Broncos in the 1968 NFL Draft, Ford had a brief professional football career before making his way back to Morgantown.
In 1970, he became WVU’s first African-American assistant football coach working under Bobby Bowden.
Ford later transitioned to various academic and administrative roles at WVU. He became an academic counselor in 1977, assistant athletic director in 1985 and associate athletic director in 2002.
Ford announced his retirement following the 2011 academic year.
A 1995 inductee into the WVU Sports Hall of Fame, Ford is a native of Washington D.C. and a graduate of DeMatha Catholic High School.
Ford’s son, Garrett Ford Jr., was a running back at West Virginia from 1989-92, while his grandson, wide receiver Bryce Ford-Wheaton, was a wideout for the Mountaineers from 2018-22.