Mike Ford (born January 30, 1959) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

player. He was a

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

at Mesquite High School in

Mesquite, Texas Mesquite is a suburban city located east of the city of Dallas, Texas, in the United States. Most of the city is located in Dallas County, though a small portion extends into Kaufman County. As of 2019 census estimates, the population was 140 ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

for the

SMU Mustangs football The SMU Mustangs football program is a college football team representing Southern Methodist University (SMU) in University Park in Dallas County, Texas. The team competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) as a member of the American ...

team from 1977 to 1980. As a sophomore in 1978, he led all NCAA major college players in both total offense yards (2,957), total offense per game (268.8 yards/game), and passing yards (3,007). In 11 games during the 1978 season, he completed 224 of 389 passes for 3,007 passing yards, 17 touchdowns, and 23 interceptions for and SMU team that compiled a 4-6-1 record. Listed as a pre-season

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...

candidate in 1979, he never reached the same statistical levels, passing for 217 yards after sustaining a knee injury in 1979 season opener, and tallying 951 passing yards in 1980. He returned to SMU as a student 30 year later to obtain his degree. After his college career, he played in the

USFL The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

for the

San Antonio Gunslingers The San Antonio Gunslingers were a professional American football team based in San Antonio, Texas, that played in the United States Football League (USFL) in 1984 and 1985. Owned by oil magnate Clinton Manges, the team played its home games in ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ford, Mike Living people 1959 births American football quarterbacks San Antonio Gunslingers players SMU Mustangs football players Players of American football from Texas People from Clarksville, Texas Mesquite High School (Texas) alumni

See also

References