Jacoby Ford has Grown to Become One of the Nation’s Fastest

March 8, 2007

Ford and five other members of the Tiger squad will compete at the 2007 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships on Friday and Saturday in Fayetteville, AR.

By Ashley Earle

CLEMSON, SC – If you would have told Jacoby Ford five years ago he would have had the third fastest time in the world this year, he probably would have laughed in your face. This Friday at 6:30 p.m., the Royal Palm Beach, Fla. native will not be laughing, but instead trying to prove to the rest of the world that he is indeed the fastest at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark.

Ford is looking to become the 2007 national champion in the 60-meter dash.

Five years ago, Ford put track on the back burner as he entered high school. Focusing on football, he became a star athlete and caught the eye of many collegiate football teams. Wanting to stay in shape and become faster, Ford decided to run track in the spring of his senior year.

“I had been doing really well in football, but I still needed to get faster and be quicker on my feet so I ran track my senior year,” he said.

Having run track in middle school, Ford was never one of the fastest kids. In fact, he usually got beat in his meets. Thus, as he began running his senior year, he was surprised at how well he performed.

“I never thought I would have done as well as I did,” Ford said. “I was in shape because of football and basketball and just began to listen to my track coaches about running with form and I won my races.”

One of the races Ford won was an important one, the 100-meter dash at the state track meet in Florida. This accomplishment solidified Ford as an all around athlete. Two years later he is attracting a lot of attention on the football field at Clemson University, but most recently has attracted attention on the track.

This year alone, Ford has run in three track meets and won the 60-meter dash in two of them. During the ACC Indoor Track & Field Championships, Ford won with a time of 6.52 seconds, setting an ACC and Clemson University record. His time is also currently the fastest time in the nation this season. As a result of his tremendous speed, Ford was named the ACC Indoor Freshman of the Year.

“When I think of what I’ve accomplished so far, I feel tremendously blessed,” he said. “I pray before every run and it has paid off. Even though I have done well, I still know that I’ve got a lot of work to do.