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Running start -

While Sarasota High running back Mike Ford racks up school records his father is quietly turning his life around Sarasota Herald-Tribune (FL)

November 16, 2004

Author: CHRIS ANDERSON chris.anderson@heraldtribune.com

Robert Ford never cooked meals because he couldn't read directions.

He paid cash for everything because he couldn't keep a checkbook. He never applied for jobs that required paperwork because he couldn't write reports.

He drove his car like a sailor lost at sea because he couldn't understand street signs. He navigated roads by recognizing trees, storefronts or the colors of parked cars.

He worked odd jobs, building ladders, roofing, cleaning swimming pools, and in 1990 he landed employment at USF in Sarasota as caretaker of the athletic facilities.

The students immediately liked him. He was pleasant and funny and genuine. Some found out he couldn't read very well and offered to tutor him.

He was skeptical at first. He thought they'd laugh at him, like they did when he was in school, only they didn't. They helped him, and before anyone knew it his reading skills had noticeably improved.

In 1998, he joined the Literacy Council, an organization that helps adults read. He's been an enthusiastic member for six years and is tutored twice a week.

Now he reads anything and everything. Now he reads well. He likes history, stories about Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King. He enjoys the Bible, too.

His youngest son, Mike Ford, is a senior at Sarasota High and quite possibly the best running back in the state.

Depending on his grades and test scores, Mike Ford will have his pick of college scholarship offers.

His 44-year-old father has a surprise for him: wherever Mike Ford goes to play college football, Robert Ford plans on moving to that town so he can watch him play.

His reading skills and confidence have improved so much that he feels he can land a quality job anywhere in the country.

"Like I told Mike, 'You can be good, but you can also be good for nothing,'" Robert Ford said. "I think I was good for nothing. But I'm something now."

You can hear him coming

Mike Ford usually laughs as he approaches defenders. It's like the sound of a train whistle. Get out of the way or get run over.

Contact makes him laugh. Contact always did.

"My mom (Dondra) said I would run into walls when I was a baby and get up laughing and do it again,'' he said.

"When we were wrestling, he'd run into me and I'd brush him off with a forearm,'' Robert Ford said. "He'd laugh and come at me again.''

Mike Ford has it all: moves, balance, speed, instinct. But what makes him the best running back in the area, possibly in the state, is his punishing style.

Sometimes you can actually hear him laughing from the sideline.

"He does nothing but chuckle when he gets ready to hit somebody or run somebody over,'' Sarasota coach Bob Perkins said.

"That may be the only key to know whether he's going to stiff-arm you or run you over. He's laughing when he's going to run you over. If he stiff-arms you it's quiet, like a cobra strike.''

His season has already been something special. He has rushed for 2,384 yards, which is a school record for a single season.

He also has 3,459 yards in two seasons at Sarasota, which is another school record for career yards. Ford transferred from Riverview after gaining 1,200 yards his sophomore year.

On Friday night, Ford set another Sarasota record with 368 yards against Naples Lely, eclipsing the previous mark set by Herb Haygood in 1996.

He now has a ridiculous streak of nine straight games with at least 200 yards rushing. The state record is believed to be 14 straight set by Frostproof's Travis Henry, now a running back with the Buffalo Bills.

That record is out of reach, however. The Sailors have four possible games remaining. Ford would fall one game short if he continued to amass 200-yard games.

Because Ford is so physical, Perkins estimates he has gained at least 300 yards using his stiff-arm technique and 400 yards just from lowering his shoulder and running through defenders.

"If he has the option of turning out of bounds or lowering his shoulder, he'll lower his shoulder 90 percent of the time,'' Perkins said.

He has developed a sense of when to use the stiff-arm, and he uses it well. It's powerful and extremely quick.

He has become so adept at it that he has been called for only one facemask penalty this season.

Ford thinks he learned the skill from boxing lessons a few years ago. He would punch the air with weights in his hands.

In addition to hearing his laugh, it's easy to tell when Ford is about to run over a defender. Just look at the defender's eyes. They tend to get real big.

"When I see that I think, 'I'm going to win this battle,'" he said.

It's also easy to tell when Ford is running someone over by the sound of the contact.

"It sounds like a gunshot, something like that,'' Ford said. "If my ears are ringing I know it's a good hit. And I know they're hearing it, too.''

Mike Ford was always active growing up, always loved contact, and was usually dealing with pain of some sort.

He began playing football at 4. A short time later he thought he was a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. He liked to wrestle with his dad.

And his mother was always taking him to the emergency room, it seemed. There was the time the long nail stuck in his heel and the time he nearly lost a finger while fishing.

When he was about 5, he almost drowned off Lido Beach. He wasn't breathing when someone pulled him out of the water.

And just like when he was little, he still likes to get a running start and jump into his bed. But the other night he missed the bed and hit the floor very hard.

He started laughing, of course.

Then he got up and did it again.

Turning the page

Robert Ford grew up near Quincy in the Panhandle. By 6 he was working in the tobacco fields.

He would haul the tobacco plants to workers who stacked them high in wagons pulled by mules. The work made him so strong that he would later win a state wrestling championship.

In 1971, when he was 11, his mother died and the family moved to Sarasota.

By 1978, Robert Ford was a district, regional and state wrestling champion for Sarasota High in the 167-pound division as a senior.

He lost a few matches his senior season by forfeit because he slammed guys too hard onto the mat. They used to call him "Bulldozer."

He went on the wrestle at Central State in Dayton, Ohio, but stayed less than a year.

School wasn't for him. School was too painful. What if the instructor called on him? Worse yet, what if he had to stand before everyone in one of those Wal-Mart-sized classrooms?

As a child he seemed to keep up with the other kids. By the time he was a sophomore at Sarasota in 1976, however, his reading skills were "the lowest you could get.''

"In 10th grade I could read a little bit to get by, but not good,'' he said. "I didn't want to study and I'd sit in the back of the classroom and didn't want to be called on.''

He earned just two credits his sophomore year. He earned three his junior year. By then he should have had 10.

He needed 15 overall credits to graduate. He had five going into his senior year. His wrestling coach would often come to his house and drag him to school. He also stayed after school quite a bit. Somehow, he graduated.

He received his diploma on time, but didn't walk with his class. He was too shy.

A state wrestling champ, and a person who could bench press 610 pounds at age 21, was also too shy to have his senior picture taken.

He is 44 years old now and weighs 350 pounds. He strongly resembles Warren Sapp, though his personality is far more pleasant.

He has been separated from Mike's mother, a former basketball player at Booker, for about 17 years, but still keeps in close contact with Mike and attends all his games.

He will sometimes stand on the sidelines, catch his son's eye and thump his chest. He also gives him pointers during the game . . . and after the game.

He was a star once, too.

He has seen too many high school players think they will go onto professional careers, when in truth very few ever do. And if they don't have something to fall back on ...

"Now you're on the sidelines with me," Robert Ford said. "You didn't listen.

"If I could turn back the hands of time I'd start over in 10th grade and just work on books. Try to become a lawyer or something. A fireman, anything.

"You got to have something to fall back on. I had nothing to fall back on.

"Good jobs I couldn't get because I was scared of the paperwork. Especially like a policeman or fireman, I didn't know how to write a report.''

He is asked how he thinks his life would have been different had he learned to read better at an earlier age.

"I'd have a nice home and probably still have my family,'' he said.

But maybe it's not too late. Maybe Mike Ford lands a football scholarship. Maybe Robert Ford lands a job. Maybe they land together in a town somewhere, a university town.

"Wherever he goes, that's where I'm headed," Robert Ford said. "I'm going to be there."

And wouldn't that be something? A son in college, and a father turning another page.

Ford tough

Sarasota High's Mike Ford has rushed for 2,384 yards this season, which is a school record for a single season. The senior also has 3,459 yards in two seasons at Sarasota, another school record for career yards. To top it off, last Friday night he rushed for 368 yards against Naples Lely, eclipsing the previous mark set by Herb Haygood in 1996.

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Honors roll in for Mike Ford

Sarasota Herald-Tribune (FL)

December 7, 2004

Author: Chad Brockhoff

The honors are starting to roll in for Sarasota High tailback Mike Ford.

After rushing for an area record 2,836 yards this season, Ford was named the Class 5A Player of the Year by the Florida Dairy Farmers and the Florida Athletic Coaches Association.

By virtue of winning his classification's Player of the Year award, Ford is one of seven candidates for Florida's Mr. Football.

The 6-foot-2, 205-pound senior had 10 consecutive games with 200 or more rushing yards, the second longest streak in state history.

He broke Herb Haygood's Sarasota High record for most yards in a game when he picked up 368 in a 38-16 first-round playoff victory over Naples Lely.

Ford, the school's all-time leader rusher with 3,911 yards in two seasons, easily outdistanced the competition in the voting for Class 5A Player of the Year with 127 points.

Second-place finisher Jonathan Garner of Daytona Beach Seabreeze had 58 points and Kendrick Stewart of Lakeland was third with 44 points.

Pahokee's Antone Smith, the Class 2B Player of the Year, had the most lopsided margin of victory as he beat runner-up C.J. Spiller of Union County by 109 points.

Ford has tough competition for the Mr. Football Award, which will be announced on Dec. 14.

Quarterback Tim Tebow of Ponte Vedra's Nease High, the Class 3A Player of the Year, set state single season records for passing yards (4,304) and total offense (5,576).

Smith had 2,527 rushing yards and scored 41 touchdowns, four more than Ford. Miami Carol City's Kenny Phillips, the Class 6A Player of the Year, had seven interceptions and three fumble recoveries, and scored seven non-offensive touchdowns this season.

Bob Perkins, who led Sarasota High to a 10-2 season in his fourth year as head coach, was third in the balloting for Class 5A Coach of the Year. Lakeland's Bill Castle beat Naples' Bill Kramer by 37 points for the honor.

Cardinal Mooney's Kyle Wetzel finished third in the race for Class 2B Player of the Year. Wetzel was the area's second-leading rusher with 1,357 yards and was fourth in scoring with 84 points.

Southeast High head coach Paul Maechtle was fourth in the competition for Class 3A Coach of the Year.

Seen and heard

ESPN basketball analyst and Lakewood Ranch resident **** Vitale is lobbying the network's high school football expert, Tom Lemming, to give Ford All-America recognition for his spectacular season.

Before the start of the college basketball season, Vitale saw Ford in action four times. University of Miami head coach Larry Coker paid a visit to Sarasota High head coach Bob Perkins on Monday.

Did you know?

Urban Meyer, the University of Florida's new head football coach, played two years of minor league baseball in the Atlanta Braves chain. Meyer spent the 1982 season with the Braves' Gulf Coast League affiliate in Sarasota.

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Record Run -

Sarasota's Mike Ford plows through and picks up an area single-season record 2,836 yards

Sarasota Herald-Tribune (FL)

December 26, 2004

The most prolific runner the area has produced, Mike Ford says he is not sure what makes him so successful on the football field, other than he is "pretty fast for a big man" and doesn't shy away from contact.

"If I see two guys ahead in front of me, I'm either going to run over them or past them, but no matter what, I am not going out of bounds," Ford says.

The 6-foot-2, 205-pound senior lets his instinct take over and often doesn't know where he is headed until the last second.

"When I am running the ball, to me it's like playing a video game," Ford says. "It's like I have somebody controlling me and if they want me to run over somebody, it's going to happen, or if they want me to go around you, it's going to happen."

Whichever way Ford heads, he usually picks up a lot of real estate. The Class 5A Player of the Year had 10 consecutive games of 200-plus yards rushing this season, becoming only the second player in state history to accomplish that feat. He finished with an area single-season record of 2,836 yards and had 3,911 yards in his two seasons for Sarasota High.

Ford sees himself as a combination Emmitt Smith, Michael Vick, Greg Jones and Auburn's Carnell "Cadillac" Williams.

"I grew up wanting to be like Emmitt, but I admire all four of them and I try to be like all of them at the same time," Ford says. "Even though I am a big guy, I can reverse field and go like Michael Vick. But the most inspirational person in my life is my mother (Dondra Walker)."

Despite all his success, Ford is an easy going person who hasn't let his success go to his head, say the people who know him, including Sarasota High head football coach Bob Perkins. They describe Ford as a personable individual, who likes to joke around and take things lightly.

"I'm not a party person. I like to run and stay in shape. I don't like to go out and I might sit in the same house all day," the senior says.

People who have spent time around Ford say they enjoy his company because he makes life happier.

"Mike has a good sense of humor and is always in a positive mood. The best part about him is his character," Perkins says. "He has a genuine concern for everyone he comes in contact with, which is something you don't often see in a kid who has gotten so much notoriety. The guys on the team liked him because he was always quick to give credit to his teammates and is just a fun person to be around."

ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Mike Ford

Sarasota, senior, running back

BY THE NUMBERS

* Set area single-season rushing record with 2,836 yards and averaged 236 yards per game.

* Led the area in touchdowns (37) and points scored (222).

* Set Sarasota High single-game rushing record when he ran for 368 yards in playoff victory over Naples Lely.

INSIDE LOOK

The running back says he enjoys listening to rap, particularly Mystical and Bizzy Bone, and says he recently recorded his own CD. He likes comedy movies and lists Bernie Mac and Chris Tucker as his favorite actors. If football enables him to become a millionaire, Ford says he would use the money to help find a cure for AIDS. His pet peeve is people who talk behind your back.

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Ford picks 'Bama -

Sarasota High running back will sign to play with Crimson Tide next season. Sarasota Herald-Tribune (FL)

January 20, 2005

Author: CHAD BROCKHOFF CORRESPONDENT

Of all the pitches they listened to from the various college football programs, it was the University of Alabama that told Mike Ford and his mother, Dondra Walker, what they wanted to hear.

Ford, a Sarasota High senior and the area's all-time leading rusher, announced Wednesday that he will sign a national letter of intent with the Crimson Tide on Feb. 2.

Alabama beat out South Carolina, Auburn, Michigan State, Eastern Michigan and Western Kentucky. Ford visited the Alabama campus the weekend of Jan. 8-9, but it was a prior home visit from Crimson Tide head coach Mike Shula and special teams/tight ends coach Dave Ungerer that sealed the deal.

"They never talked about me as a football player," said Ford, who has scrapped scheduled visits to Auburn and South Carolina. "That's my mom's first thing -- academics. I have to go along with that.

"Academics ... that's the first thing they broke down and most of what they talked about. That was the No. 1 thing she loved because they didn't get into the 'Mike can do this, and Mike can do that for us.'"

Despite sustaining a strained knee in the Sailors' 31-14 loss to Southeast High in the 2004 season-opener, the 6-foot-2, 205-pound Ford set the area's single-season rushing record with 2,836 yards and scored 37 touchdowns for the Class 5A-District 11 champions. He rushed for 200 or more yards in 10 consecutive games, the second-longest streak in state history.

Ford rushed for 5,111 yards in a three-year varsity career, which included one season at Riverview High in 2002. He holds Sarasota High's single-game, single-season and all-time rushing records.

Ford, who plans to major in education, liked Alabama's ground-oriented offense and expects to make a contribution as a true freshman. Ford said the school's coaching staff hasn't mentioned the possibility of redshirting next season.

"They run more than they pass," Ford said. "They run 25-26 times per game, but I'm the type of back that can carry it at least 40 times."

In addition to being named the Herald-Tribune's Player of the Year for the 2004 season, Ford was also named the state's Class 5A Player of the Year by the Florida Dairy Farmers and the Florida Athletic Coaches Association.

"Mike Ford is a tremendous high school football player," Sarasota head coach Bob Perkins told SNN-Channel 6. "You're fortunate in your lifetime to coach one of those. I've been very fortunate. I had (current Minnesota Vikings quarterback) Daunte Culpepper when I was an assistant (coach) at Ocala Vanguard. (Ford is) a very similar kid.

"Mike has a great career ahead of him and I look forward to watching him on television."

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Decision day -

Area athletes pledge their talent, future to colleges Sarasota Herald-Tribune (FL)

February 3, 2005

Author: ALAN DELL CORRESPONDENT

Mike Ford had no doubt where he wanted to celebrate the biggest day of his life.

The most prolific running back in area history signed a letter of intent to attend the University of Alabama at the home of the Sarasota Ringling Redskins, the first team he ever carried the football for back when he was 7 years old.

"That's where it all started. If it wasn't for the Redskins, I wouldn't be as good as I am today," Ford said.

As he prepared to sign his letter of intent, Ford proclaimed "I'm a 'Bama boy."

A kiss on the cheek from his mother, Dondra Walker, and a phone call to Crimson Tide head coach Mike Shula sealed the deal.

"I feel really happy for my friends and family," said Ford, the Class 5A State Player of the Year who rushed for 2,836 yards and 37 touchdowns during the 2004 season. "I feel pretty good, like I just got $55 millon."

The 6-foot-2, 205-pounder was one of six area players to accept a scholarship to play NCAA Division I-A football on Wednesday, the first day 2005 high school seniors were allowed to sign letters of intent for that sport.

Joining Ford was Southeast High quarterback Marquel Neasman, who signed with the University of Central Florida; Venice High defensive lineman Aaron Stahl (North Carolina); Lakewood Ranch High offensive lineman Tyler Rice (Tulane); Riverview High defensive lineman Ryan Mannina (Army); and Amarri Jackson, a 2003 Riverview High graduate, who will play at the University of South Florida.

"I wanted to go to Alabama because that is where my heart was and I expect to start as a true freshman," Ford said. "I've always been a Florida State fan and they usually get the best players, but I would rather go against them.

"A lot of people thought I wouldn't make it, but I did and I am OK (academically). I never thought that I would have the season that I did. I thank God, my offensive line and my fullback."

Mannina, a standout defensive lineman and wrestler for the Rams, earned appointments to all of the nation's three major service academies.

"That's one of the biggest honors you can have," Riverview High coach John Sprague said. "To qualify for that type of education takes a tremendous amount of work. To get all three appointments is extremely rare."

Rice, who has a 3.75 GPA, was impressed with Tulane's academics and the fact that the Green Wave graduated 81 percent of its football players last year, which ranked them seventh nationally.

"It feels great to finally get all the pressure off and to know what I am going to do," he said. "Tulane is the best fit for me athletically and academically. They have four senior linemen coming back next year so there is a good chance I will redshirt, which is OK. It will give me a chance to get a Masters."

It was a long wait for Jackson, a 6-5, 190-pound sophomore at Hillsborough Community College, where he played basketball the past two seasons. A quarterback and receiver for Riverview, he is expected to play the latter at USF, though he says he has been told by head coach Jim Leavitt he will also be worked at the quarterback position.

"I couldn't wait for this day to come," Jackson said. "Coach Leavitt told me he felt real good about this recruiting class and that he couldn't wait to get my letter faxed. I believe I will play right away.

"The coaches at USF have stuck with me since high school though I wasn't playing. I am also planning on playing basketball, if they give me a chance."

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Ford's career hits roadblockSarasota Herald-Tribune (FL)

July 17, 2005

Author: Doug Fernandes

Breaking off a few quick hits during the dog days of the sporting calendar.

* He rarely had a Friday night when he wasn't Corvette sleek.

But now it appears as if Mike Ford's Division I football career is stuck in idle.

The area's all-time leading rusher and 2004 Class 5A Player of the Year won't be playing for the University of Alabama. At least not this fall.

According to several Alabama publications, Ford, the former Sarasota Sailor who set the area's single-season rushing mark last season with 2,836 yards, failed to meet the necessary academic requirements.

Steve Kirk, the Crimson Tide beat writer for The Birmingham News, said Saturday that sources "very close to the program" told him Ford wasn't expected to qualify academically.

BamaOnLine.com reported that Ford failed on his final attempt to pass the ACT. Booker High head coach Fred Gilmore, who coached running back Terrence Jones, the 2003 Herald-Tribune Player of the Year, confirmed that Ford won't be playing.

"That is true," he said.

Ford isn't listed on the Tide's roster or depth chart. Calls to Sarasota High head football coach Bob Perkins weren't returned.

A person answering the phone at the home of Dondra Walker, Ford's mother, said it was the wrong number.

In a touch of irony, Ford said in January he planned to major in education at Alabama. He turned down offers from several schools, including Auburn, Michigan State and South Carolina.

It was reported in BamaOnLine that Ford may attempt to enroll at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Va. A successful tenure there would enable Ford to maintain full eligibility should he wind up at Alabama.

In another twist of irony, it was Ford who broke Jones' area rushing mark. Jones signed a letter of intent last year with the University of South Florida. But poor scores on his FCAT held up his diploma.

Ultimately, Jones passed the FCAT and earned his diploma. Last month, he signed a letter of intent to play junior college football at Eastern Arizona College.

Gilmore said he hopes Ford receives the help he needs.

"The biggest thing we can do to him is educate him,'' he said. "Mike's a great kid, and I hope he gets the right direction and leadership.''

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Ford aims high at military school -

The former Sarasota High standout running back seeks to work his way back to Alabama. Sarasota Herald-Tribune (FL)

August 12, 2005

Author: DOUG FERNANDES doug.fernandes@heraldtribune.com

The braids are gone, as well as the facial hair.

He'll grow accustomed to the 7:30 a.m. start to his days, lights out at 10 p.m. The uniform, too.

Mike Ford has no choice. Not if lugging the football for the University of Alabama on Saturday afternoons is his goal.

"This is a quote directly from Mike: 'Coach, it's books and the ball,' '' said Sarasota High head football coach Bob Perkins.

The 2004 Class 5A Player of the Year will call Hargrave Military Academy home. And if events proceed smoothly for the former Sailor running back during his semester there, he'll be part of the Tuscaloosa campus. Perhaps as soon as January.

By attending Hargrave, and not a junior college, Ford will be able to maintain full eligibility at Alabama.

Until then, Ford won't have a problem keeping busy at the country's biggest prep school.

"Everything is accounted for,'' said Robert Prunty, head coach of the school's football team. "It's a grind.''

Ford is at the Chatham, Va., school, founded in 1909, because of an insufficient score on his ACT test.

Prunty said such students improve by taking versions of the test in a lab setting, then having the results critiqued by instructors.

"We work on the weak points,'' said Prunty. There are also nightly study halls.

Ford's day starts with a meeting with academic advisers, followed by breakfast and a day of classes.

Then it's on to weight lifting, football practice, dinner, study hall, then bed.

The school offers two diplomas, a Hargrave Diploma (22 credits) and an Advanced Studies Diploma (24 credits). Both require one hour of both bible study and military, the latter grade specific to a cadet's overall behavior.

"Their day is accounted for all day long,'' said Perkins. "This is a traditional prep school for the young man to guarantee that there will be success when he does get on a four-year campus.

"In the long run it's going to be one of those things that he'll look back on and be glad that he did it.''

Prunty said Ford will be expected to maintain his grades. Failure to keep a "C'' average will mean no football.

Even then, players take a conditioning test in which they must complete 16 100-yard runs, each in less than 20 seconds. If he fails, he doesn't travel with the team.

"If a kid doesn't do right, he will be home,'' said Prunty. "I have bounced a lot of Division 1 kids. You can't let the inmates run the asylum.''

Hargrave plays a 10-game schedule against university JV teams. Its season starts Aug. 26 with a game at Bridgewater (Va.) College. Other opponents include Army, Kentucky, North Carolina and Virginia Tech.

The school has a rich history of sending players off to Division 1 schools and beyond. Alumni currently playing in the NFL include Torry Holt (Rams), Carlos Rogers (Redskins), Charles Grant (Saints) and Anthony Davis (Bucs).

"We've got 20 kids in the NFL right now and had 120 sign Division 1 in three years,'' said Prunty.

Though Ford rushed for an area-record 2,836 yards last season with the Sailors, Prunty said his team isn't counting on him to carry the load.

"We have three other Division 1 backs,'' he said. "Mike will have to compete. But I think he's going to be good.

"Mike is big-time. I have coached nine Division 1 kids, and he's big-time. He's a home-run hitter.''

Ford's tuition at Hargrave is being paid by a coalition of area individuals that wishes to remain anonymous.

The full cost is $24,000, but financial aid and contributions from Hargrave alumni and boosters often help lower that amount.

It's believed Ford's total cost is approximately $6,000.

"Some of the boosters up there are very proud of their football team,'' said Perkins.

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Ford headed for South Florida -

The ex-Sarasota High star, who had intended to go to Alabama, decided he'd rather be close to home. Sarasota Herald-Tribune (FL)

December 28, 2006

Author: ALAN DELL CORRESPONDENT

When Mike Ford was smashing all kinds of football records at Sarasota High, he earned the nickname "Ford Tough." After graduating high school in 2005 and accomplishing what only one other running back in state history had done, Ford found the road off the field was tougher than anything he encountered on it.

He was coveted by the top football programs and verbally committed to Alabama. However, he didn't qualify and spent a year a Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia, where he straightened out most of his academics and played on the school's postgraduate team.

Ford was set to join Alabama this winter. But after head coach Mike Shula was fired, he turned in a different direction. He wants to be close to home and near people he can trust. For him, that means playing for the University of South Florida and rooming with his cousin, Bulls wide receiver Amarri Jackson.

Ford has been accepted at USF and plans to enroll for the second semester with a football scholarship, his mother, Dondra Walker, said Tuesday. She also said his academics are in order and he has been cleared by the NCAA to play. Ford was not available for comment.

"We are very excited and looking at Mike to enroll in January," his mother said. "Originally, he wanted to go to Alabama, but now that Coach Shula is gone he doesn't want that. USF is No.1 for him now because I live in Sarasota and will be able to come to all his games. He is cleared and eligible to play."

Sarasota High coach Bob Perkins said Ford gives USF something it covets: a big, strong back with a breakaway speed. The 6-2, 220-pounder has been timed at 4.37 seconds in the 40-yard dash.

Ford is the most prolific running back this area has produced. He holds the single-season area rushing record with 2,836 yards, averaging 236 yards per game his senior season (2004), while racking up 37 touchdowns and 222 points. His single-game high came against Naples Lely, when he ran for 368 yards.

Ford became only the second player in state history to rush for more than 200 yards in 11 straight games during his senior year, when he was named the Class 5A Player of The Year. The only person to better that mark is Frostproof High's Travis Henry, now with the Tennessee Titans and the second-leading rusher in state history.

"Alabama said Mike was already qualified and he was going there because of the people who recruited him, but that changed. Mike has been on a long road and been through a lot and wants to be close to Amarri and his family," Perkins said. "Any coach in the country would be excited to have him. He is big and strong and bruising, and, when he is in the open field, they never catch him."

The best thing for USF is that Ford has four years of eligibility. The year he spent at Hargrave does not count against his college time.

While at Hargrave, he shared the running back job with Keilanda Williams, who is a freshman tailback at LSU.

"Mike was like a man playing against boys in high school. When he starts playing in college, he will be in a similar situation because he is an older freshman and is bigger and stronger then he was in high school," Perkins said.

[Who'sYourData?]

Great work, Basketbull.  The more I learn about the kid, the more I like him.

[USFbulls0208]

i live in sarasota

and seen him play

if he was like he was his senior year

the 1-2 punch (grothe and ford)

[BigShoop]

Loved the comments about his running style and his attitude when he has the ball in his hands.

Also, looks like the military school is going to pay dividends. Sounds like his mom is very involved in his life and both his parents want him to not make the same mistakes his dad did.

Long reads, but good ones.

[Matt]

lets hope for everyone involved that Mike does want we all want him to do, be a serious force in the big east next year.

[E.T.]

Thanx for the time BasketBull !

Should be an exciting Spring, this has already been the best OffSeason we've had.

Sure Dorsey will be RS'd for sure which is great for the future.

I'm not too worried about Ford's stats for the Spring, he will be up against one of the best Defenses in the Nation  8-)

Go BULLS !!!

[crambone]

wow...cool info!

[smazza]

he will not be the starter

he will not leap frog everyone on depth chart

[bulls96go]

^^he like everyone should prove they deserve to start.

i have no doubt he will beat out the rb's we currently have on the field...the classroom will be the issue

[Who'sYourData?]

he will not be the starter

he will not leap frog everyone on depth chart

It's a win/win.  If he does beat everyone out, we're better off.  If he doesn't, its because we are better.

Given you qb prediction last year, you won't mind if don't put money on your prediction?     ;D