Paris Ford (born June 6, 1998) is an

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 ...

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are ...

who is a free agent. He played college football at

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

Early life and high school

Ford was born and grew up in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

and originally attended

Seton-La Salle Catholic High School Seton LaSalle Catholic High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh. In 2016, under the direction of former sc ...

, where he played both defensive back and wide receiver on the football team. He transferred to Steel Valley High School midway through his junior year. Ford was named Class 2A All-State and an Under Armour All-American as a senior after scoring 22 touchdowns five different ways (rushing, receiving, interception return, punt return and fumble return).

College career

Ford redshirted his true freshman season. As a redshirt freshman he played in nine games on special teams. Ford was named a starter at safety going into his redshirt sophomore season. He finished the year with 97 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and three forced fumbles with 14 passes defended and three interceptions and was named first-team All-

Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate athletic conference located in the eastern United States. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC's fifteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Associa ...

. Going into his redshirt junior year, Ford was named to the Chuck Bednarik Award, Jim Thorpe Award and Bronko Nagurski Trophy watchlists, and was a preseason All-American. After playing in seven games in 2020, Ford opted out of the remainder of the season to prepare for the draft, ending the season while he led the team with 45 tackles and 3 interceptions.

Professional career

Ford returned to Pittsburgh to work out at the school's pro day on March 17, 2021, where he explained that his decision to opt out was also motivated by a desire to help his family financially.

Los Angeles Rams

Despite some analysts viewing him as having late-round talent, Ford was not selected in the

2021 NFL Draft The 2021 NFL Draft was the 86th National Football League Draft, the annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2021 NFL season. The draft was held in Cleveland from April 29 to May 1, 2021 ...

. On May 1, 2021, Ford signed as an undrafted free agent with the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...

. He was waived on August 23, 2021.

New Jersey Generals

On March 10, 2022, Ford was drafted by the

New Jersey Generals The New Jersey Generals were a franchise of the United States Football League (USFL) established in 1982 to begin play in the spring and summer of 1983. The team played three seasons from 1983 to 1985, winning 31 regular season games and losing ...

of the

United States Football League 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 ...

. He was transferred to the team's practice squad on April 14, 2022, and remained on the inactive roster on April 22. He was transferred to the active roster on April 30. Ford re-signed with the Generals on July 14, 2023. The Generals folded when the XFL and USFL merged to create the United Football League (UFL).

References

External links

Pittsburgh Panthers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ford, Paris 1998 births Living people Players of American football from Pittsburgh American football safeties Pittsburgh Panthers football players Los Angeles Rams players New Jersey Generals (2022) players