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Ford Fact: Only player in Division I to return a kickoff and punt at least 90 yards for a touchdown in 2006.
Years Lettered: 2006
Bowl Participation: Reserve wide receiver in the 2006 Music City Bowl against Kentucky.
Fall 2007 Depth Chart Position: First-team wide receiver
Overview: First-team All-American in track as a sprinter; he hopes to earn those honors some day on the gridiron...has to be among the fastest football players in the nation after winning the ACC Championship in indoor track in the 60m with a time of 6.52 at the ACC meet at Clemson; he finished third in the nation in that event at the NCAA national meet at Arkansas...first-team wide receiver who hopes to get many more passes his way with the graduation of First-Team All-ACC wideout Chansi Stuckey...only player in the nation with a punt return and kickoff return for a touchdown of over 90 yards in 2006; that was no surprise, as he had seven kick returns for touchdowns in 2005 at Fork Union Military Academy, the same school that sent Gaines Adams to Clemson...has been recorded at 4.13 in the 40...his brother Davy played for Florida State and once had an 82-yard run against Clemson, the longest run against the Tigers in the Tommy Bowden era...had an outstanding spring game with seven catches for 105 yards; he also had two rushes for 35 yards...has the ability to be a game-changer; he scored four touchdowns in 2006, including two on receptions and two on returns; four were from 50 yards or more, tied for the second-most 50-yard touchdowns in one season in Clemson history...averaged 17.3 yards every time he touched the football in 2006.
2006: Clemson's offensive special teams player-of-the-year, but he also made strong contributions as a wideout...second-team freshman All-American as a returner by Rivals.com and Scout.com...honorable mention freshman All-American according to Sporting News as a kick returner...averaged 32.8 yards per kickoff return, a figure that would have led the ACC and be in the top five in the nation if he had enough attempts to qualify; he had 13 returns in 13 games (must average 1.2 per game)...had a 92-yard punt return for a touchdown against Florida Atlantic, then had a 94-yard kickoff return against Louisiana Tech; that 92-yard punt return is the longest in Clemson history and longest in the ACC during the season...one of just three players in Clemson history with a punt return for a score and kickoff return for a score over a career, joining Bobby Gage and Justin Miller...would have been in the top three in the ACC in punt returns and kickoff returns, but did not have enough attempts to qualify for each...had a 55-yard touchdown reception against Temple and a 76-yard scoring catch against South Carolina...named special teams player-of-the-week by the Clemson coaches for his performance against Wake Forest and Temple...had 15 receptions for 187 yards...had at least one catch in seven of the last eight games...played 156 snaps on offense, including 23 against Kentucky in the Music City Bowl; he added a 15-yard run in that game...had a 13-yard rushing average on eight carries.
Track (2006-07): Outdoor - Ran first leg for the Tigers' 4x100m relay team that finished runner-up at East Region Championships; the squad posted a season-best time of 39.15 in the final...earned an at-large berth in the 100m at the NCAA Championships, but was slowed due to injury...qualifier for regionals in three different events, including the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay...his top time of the season in the 100m was 10.23 in the prelims at ACCs, but was guilty of a false start in the final and was disqualified...finished fifth at the league meet in the 200m; his top time was 21.08...helped the 4x100m relay team to a second-place finish and regional-qualifying time of 39.48 at the ACC Championships....Indoor - Earned All-America honors with a third-place finish in the 60m with a time of 6.60 at the NCAA Championships in Fayetteville, AR; his teammate Travis Padgett won the 60m race...won the ACC Championship in a record time of 6.52 seconds, which was the fastest time in the country...became Clemson's first 60m champion at the conference meet since fellow gridder Tye Hill accomplished the feat in 2004...earned All-ACC honors in the 200m, as he had a time of 21.43 and placed third...first All-ACC honoree in the 200m for the Tigers since Jacey Harper in 2003...earned ACC Indoor Freshman-of-the-Year honors...won the 60m at the prestigious Tyson Invitational; he recorded a time of 6.60...named Southeast Region Track Athlete-of-the-Year by the USTFCCCA.
Before Clemson: Enrolled at Clemson in January of 2006 and went through spring practice...had four catches for 103 yards in the March 12 scrimmage...played at Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia in 2005...returned seven kicks for scores (four punts and three kickoffs) at Fork Union, and added 57 catches for 1,254 yards and nine scores...rushed 12 times for 306 yards and three scores...#36 wide receiver/kick returner in the nation by Scout.com...#17 prep school player in the nation by Rivals.com..."fastest player on the East Coast" by Rivals.com...had the best 40-yard dash time at the Fork Union College Coaches Combine (4.126)...Head Coach John Schuman called Ford "the fastest player ever at Fork Union"; it has produced 87 NFL draft picks and two Heisman Trophy winners...had 22 catches for 550 yards and 10 scores as a senior at Cardinal Newman High in Florida...Palm Beach County All-Star game MVP...second-team all-state...state champion in the 100m with a time of 10.32, and the 200m with a time of 21.25 as a senior...lettered twice in football and once in track...his brother Davy played football at Florida State and scored on an 82-yard run against Clemson in 2000, the longest run against a Tommy Bowden-coached team...coached by Don Dicus at Cardinal Newman High...chose Clemson over Florida, Michigan State, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia...born Jul. 27, 1987...majoring in sociology.
