Ex-UT Vols SID addresses Farragut Lions Club
Ford worked for the UT Athletic Department for 45½ years before retiring in 2011, then returned to the program part-time in 2019 as athletic historian.
He anecdotally discussed several key program figures, including former Vols Football head coach and Heisman Trophy runner-up Johnny Majors; the school’s first SID, the late Haywood Harris (who had been appointed by legendary UT Football head coach Gen. Robert Neyland); and former senior athletic department staffer Gus Manning.
“Coach Majors was a special kind of guy,” Ford said. “He coached his best when his back was to the wall.”
Ford described Manning — no relation to former Vol legend and Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning — as “one of the legends” of the program.
“I’ve worked with the best legends — to this day,” he added. “Gus is 99 now, and I played cards with him last night.”
Ford also talked about top athletes he had known down through the years while working for the university.
“When you think of the ‘Best of the Best,’ who do you think of?” he asked. While several Lions Club members mentioned “Peyton Manning,” and Ford acknowledged Manning was “a great player,” he added, “Ron Widby was the best all-around athlete I ever knew,” noting the former football Vol lettered in four sports: basketball, football, baseball and golf.
“He played three sports professionally, including as a punter” for the Dallas Cowboys.”
Then, “Ernie Grunfield was the best basketball player too (1973-77), and Richmond Flowers was a dual sport athlete in track and football (1966-68).”
Ford also noted NFL standout Willie Gault (1979-82), star linebacker Al Wilson (1995-98) and NFL Hall of Famer, the late “Minister of Defense” Reggie White (1980-83) along with baseball star Todd Helton (1993-1995) as being tops in their field.
Ford had the chance to know many top program leaders and athletes as he began his career with UT in the Vols publicity office in 1964. He worked alongside Harris for 35 years, first as assistant Sports Information Director, then was promoted to associate Athletic Director For Media Relations.
Ford is a member of three Halls of Fame: the Tennessee Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame; the College Sports Information Director of America Hall of Fame; and the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame — and he also received the Arch Award in 2006 as the CoSIDA member who had made “outstanding contributions to the field of college sports information,” according to a Lions Club press release.
