USF Athletics

Game 9 Player to Watch: Johnny Ford

November 02, 2018

MATCHUP: Tulane (3-5, 2-2 in AAC) at USF (7-1, 3-1 in AAC)
DAY/TIME: Saturday/3:30 p.m.
LOCATION: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa
TV: CBS Sports Network
RADIO: 820-AM, 98.3-FM, Bulls Unlimited
GAME NOTES: USF | Tulane (PDF)
TICKETS: USFBullsTix.com
 
 
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer

TAMPA, NOV. 2, 2018 – USF's Johnny Ford is running with a purpose that goes beyond the football field.

Coming off consecutive 100-yard games, the focused freshman back is averaging 8.6 yards per carry heading into Saturday's home game against Tulane. Ford also is tied for the team lead with seven touchdown runs, but perhaps his greatest accomplishment yet is making it to college and out of his rough surroundings in Coconut Grove, a neighborhood in Miami.

"Knowing where I come from and knowing the obstacles I had to face, it feels great to just let all the anger out on the football field," Ford said.

Two weeks ago against UConn, Ford rushed seven times for a career-high 164 yards (23.4 ypc) and three touchdowns. During his first trip to the end zone, Ford lifted up his jersey to show the crowd his undershirt honoring the five-year anniversary of losing his cousin, Eric Smith, to violence.

"I just dedicated that touchdown to him," Ford said.

Ford always remembers loved ones that have passed away back home. The exact amount, Ford said, "I can't even count on my fingers," which brought to mind two friends that were "shot up" on the highway.

"Growing up was rough, losing close friends, losing family members," he said. "It's part of life, but at the same time it hurts."

Ford also grew up in a big family consisting of six brothers and two sisters along with his parents, Oneika McGee and Johnny Ford Sr.

"I'm the only one out of the bunch that's in college," Ford said. "I cried when I left them."

Despite missing his family back home, Ford is proud to be a growing success story after overcoming struggles in his own personal life.

"If you go back to where I'm from, they'll tell you I was just one of those kids you never would have thought made it to college," he said. "I'm here, so I just try to change as many lives as I can."
 
Getting into trouble caused Ford to bounce around high schools in Miami, which really hurt his parents.

"I saw my mom and my pops cry. Ever since then, it changed me," he said. "I really just want to give them the world. Even if it's not going to the NFL, I just want to bring home a degree, where I can at least work to get my family out of the situation we're in."

At USF, Ford plans to study criminology and continue proving a player doesn't have to be tall to produce big results. In the past four games, 5-foot-5 Ford rushed for seven touchdowns and 406 yards, bringing his season total up to 462 yards on the ground in six total outings (second on the team).

"When I'm out here on the football field, it makes me think about all the stuff I went through when I was young," he said. "I just try to express it through football."

Ford said his brothers have gotten a chance to watch him at Raymond James Stadium this season and he's been grateful for the support he's gotten from USF - his home away from home.

"It's nice just to get away from things down there (in Miami)," he said. "I don't really have to look over my shoulder. It's nice up here."
 
More Ford Notables

• SUPER PREP SENIOR: Bouncing back from past struggles helped Ford earn Class 8A all-state first team and All-Dade honors as a senior athlete. That season, Ford totaled more than 1,700 rushing and receiving yards at Miami High School with 25 total touchdowns (13 rushing, 9 receiving, 1 PR TD, 2 KOR TDs). "I was just an athlete," he said. "I was a person that helped my team win." Miami High went 11-2 during Ford's senior season and booked the program's first trip to the state semifinals since 1992.
• 'LITTLE BARRY': Ford sports No. 20 at USF in honor of his father, Johnny Sr., who likened his son to Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders. "My dad always called me 'Little Barry,'" Ford said. "But to me, I like 5 better. I grew up wearing 5. I always ask Coach Strong about No. 5. I'm still working."
• ALWAYS FOCUSED ON IMPROVEMENT: Ford's main goal is to help the Bulls win games, but he always wants to top what he did the last time out. "Whatever I had the game before, I try to beat that stat the next game," he said. "I try to shoot for that all the time. That just lets me know I want more and I try to go higher."

 
ABOUT USF FOOTBALL
USF posted its second straight 10-win season in 2017 (10-2) by winning its second straight Birmingham Bowl with a 38-34 victory over Texas Tech. USF is one of just 15 teams nationally to win 20-plus games in the last two seasons (21-4) and posted a program-record 20 straight weeks ranked in the top 25, reaching as high as No. 13 in Week 8 of the 2017 season. The Bulls have won five of their last six bowl appearances and made nine (6-3) total bowl appearances in 21 seasons, including a current run of three straight bowls. USF won a program-record 11 games in 2016 (11-2) and has posted 14 winning seasons. The USF program, which first took the field in 1997, reached No. 2 in the rankings in 2007 and has seen 30 players selected in the NFL Draft, 14 named All-American and had 28 first-team all-conference selections.
 
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