Gerald Ford Was The Best Athlete To Ever Occupy The White House

Published on January 24th, 2025 10:52 am EST
Written By: Dave Manuel


Unstoppable Athlete, Steadfast Leader - Gerald Ford. A number of US Presidents have been outstanding athletes but President Gerald Ford stands above them all.

After all, how many US Presidents are two-time national champions and turned down offers to play in the NFL from multiple teams?

President Ford, who was the 38th President of the United States, played college football at the University of Michigan.

Ford, who had played football at Grand Rapids South High School, made the team as a center and a linebacker.

In his sophomore and junior years at the school, Ford's Michigan Wolverines were literally unbeatable, cruising to two straight undefeated seasons.

In their 1932 campaign, Michigan posted a record of 8-0, allowing just 13 points over the eight games. Michigan would win the national championship.

In their 1933 campaign, Michigan posted a record of 7-0-1 while allowing just 18 points. Gerald Ford played a much bigger role on the team that year as Michigan coasted to a second straight national championship.

In 1934, Michigan lost most of their best players to graduation, and the team suffered, posting a record of just 1-7.

Gerald Ford, who was now a senior, turned in the best year of his college career and was voted MVP of the team. Ford's teammates and coaches credited him for never giving up on the team, despite the fact that many of Michigan's best players had been lost.

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President Ford was highly regarded as a football prospect and was offered contracts by multiple NFL teams, including the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions.

Back in those days, playing in the NFL wasn't nearly the big deal that it is today, so Gerald Ford elected to take a job at Yale University instead.

There is no doubt that Gerald Ford could have played in the NFL, and he is certainly the only US President who came that close to playing professional football.

Instead, Ford chose to pursue law and eventually ended up serving as the 38th President of the United States.

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