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The 38th President of the United States, Gerald R. Ford, was almost an NFL player. Fine margins, eh?
A number of presidents dabbled in sport early in their lives. While it never seems to be a conversation starter in politics or sports, U.S. presidents do have a few connections in the world of sports.
Gerald Ford's love for football started when he was a young boy and continued decades after he stopped playing.
Gerald Ford was offered contracts by two NFL teams
Gerald Ford was a standout high school football player, which led to him being heavily recruited by colleges. Ford ultimately decided to attend the University of Michigan, where he played long snapper, center and linebacker.
While at the University of Michigan, he played all four years as a starter, being a part of two undefeated seasons and national championships in 1932 and 1933.
Although Ford's senior season was one of the worst at Michigan, he was still considered a standout player. Ford was selected to play in the annual East-West Shrine Game at the conclusion of the 1934 season, which was held in San Francisco at the time. Ford was assigned to the East team.
Gerald Ford later played in the Collegiate All-Star Game, which was also an annual event. The All-Stars played the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field in an exhibition game.
After graduating from the University of Michigan, both the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions were impressed with Ford's talent on the football field and offered him an NFL contract. Ford politely declined because he aspired to become a lawyer.
Gerald Ford, did, however, continue to watch and support the NFL and was a guest speaker at several Hall of Fame Enshrinement ceremonies in the 1960s and 1970s.
Gerald Ford then went on to become an Assistant Varsity Football Coach at Yale University and subsequently applied at Yale Law School. Since Yale believed he was too busy coaching to attend law school, he went back to Michigan to study law. Ford would eventually attend Yale Law School.
The University of Michigan retired Gerald Ford's #48 Wolverines jersey in 1994 in honor of his storied career at the university. Ford's jersey number hadn't been worn in decades, so retiring the number was just a formality. But in 2012, the Michigan Wolverines asked the Ford Family if they could bring the #48 jersey number out of retirement.
