By Mark Wilson 3/11/2014

Here’s a 21st Century way of wrapping up the life and times of William Clay Ford, Sr.

Ford’s Wikipedia page… is about one-thirtieth the size of Justin Bieber’s page.

And, 1/30th may be too kind.

The longtime owner of the Detroit Lions died on Sunday less than a week from his 89th birthday. Bieber celebrated his 20th birthday March 1st.

Yet, in 88 years of life, football management and being part of one of the most well-known families in the world, Ford doesn’t merit a Wikipedia page remotely close to a pop singer who busted out in 2008.

That’s sad.

It shouldn’t have been that way.

On January 10th of this year, Ford “celebrated” 50 years of sole ownership of the Lions’ franchise. He paid $4.5 million back in 1963 but officially took control on Jan. 10 of 1964.

I’ve joked and written it before. January 10, 1964 is also the day Robert Lee Parker, Jr. was born in New York.
Any Lions curse you can attribute to those two events colliding as a paradox on the same day.

Yes, I am saying it. For the Lions’ “curse” blame Rob Parker.

Most Lions’ fans would blame Rob for a lot of things but the dismal history of the franchise under Ford’s reign is probably not one of them.

Ford… is solely to blame for that half century history.

Remember, when WCF took control, Detroit was still one of the jewels of the NFL. They were seven years removed from their most recent championship and the Super Bowl was still a couple of years away.

Oh sure, seven years was enough time to be critical about the Lions success or lack thereof but not enough time to be concerned that another championship run wasn’t right around the corner.

Who knew what would happen the next FIFTY YEARS.

FIFTY!

Now, compared to the Chicago Cubs… 50 is nothing. The Cubs haven’t sniffed a World Series visit since 1945 and haven’t won the damn thing since 1908.

Using the Cubs as guide, 1957 was a mere blip on the map when it came to 1964.

1957 being the last year the Lions won an NFL title.

But, this is 2014.

1957 is STILL the last year the Lions won an NFL title.

56 years and counting.

Ford passed away quietly in his sleep from pneumonia and ended any hopes he had of seeing another championship in his lifetime. He had a good, long lifetime but it’s over and his football legacy remains in what happened over those 50 years.

Since he was part of his family’s automotive Continental division in 1955, Ford basically had nothing to do with cars. He wasn’t much of a car guy like his son, Bill Ford.

In all the times I spoke to Ford, Sr. and/or interviewed him for radio/television, he never once mentioned cars nor did we talk about cars or the Ford Motor Company.

Since 1964, his SOLE JOB was to make the football team a winner.

That’s it.

He could slap on all the “emeritus” tags as to his affiliation with the car company but we all knew he was the “football guy.” For 57 years he sat on the board of the car company but his son, and fellow Ivy League grad, remains the head of the automotive fortunes with the “blue oval.”

Ford, Sr. officially “retired” from the board in 2005.

So, what do we have here?

In FIFTY seasons of gridiron action at the highest level on the planet, Mr. Ford oversaw a team that made it to the playoffs all of ten times; ten playoff appearances in a half century.

Ten.

1970, 1982-83, 1991, 1993-95, 1999 and 2011.

Dat be all she wrote.

In those ten seasons, the Lions made as far as the NFC Championship game… ONCE.

It came in ’91, by far and away the best Lions campaign since ’57.

Detroit won 13 games that season including the LONE playoff win of the Ford era. Sandwiched between those 13 wins were two awful games against the pesky Washington Redskins.
The Lions opened the season with a 45-0 loss in D.C. and ended the season, January of 1992, with a 41-10 loss in D.C. Beating the Dallas Cowboys 38-6 a week before the trip to the nation’s political hot seat, remains the only victory in post-season play since 1957.

Are there any more ways I can type about one lousy playoff win in 56 years?

I think not.

Oh wait, I will say that it was a pretty nice triumph over Dallas. Erik Kramer at QB, Barry Sanders at RB and the rest of the team blew out a team that would go on to win THREE Super Bowls in the 1990’s. A blowout win over Jimmy Johnson’s Cowboys in front of a magical and mystical 80-thousand plus at the Pontiac Silverdome was very special indeed.

So special that… it’s the ONLY WIN WE CAN TALK ABOUT!

Ok, NOW I’m done with that game.

In the 27 years prior and the 22 years since… nothing; tumbleweeds.

They even changed indoor stadiums and still… nothing.

A big bunch of nothing.

Joe Schmidt was the coach in 1970 and found a way to lose a playoff game 5-0. Dallas was on the front end of THAT one.

In 1982 and ’83, Monte Clark led the way to a playoff loss in Washington and a near miss in San Francisco. Clark was famous for his “prayer” on the sideline when Eddie Murray missed the field goal that would have derailed the 49ers ascent to NFL dominance and Bill Walsh’s ascent to NFL sainthood.

The 90’s were interesting at least.

The decade began with the end to Russ Thomas control as general manager.

Ford was intensely loyal to guys like Thomas which many believe was his Achilles Heel. His loyalty is really where you can criticize Ford’s ownership. In particular, his loyalty to Thomas.

Russ simply never grew into the “new NFL.”

Thomas hated contract squabbles and holdouts. He didn’t like the direction of the draft and agents’ involvement. Russ was old school to the point where that cliché may have been created when talking about HIM.

The Lions drafted Thomas out of Ohio State in 1946 and he went on to play in the trenches for four years until an injury ended his playing career.
After two years away, Thomas came back in 1952 as an assistant and simply never left Detroit.

Ford entrusted a lot to Russ.

He made Thomas his general manager in 1967 (really Russ ran things from jump in ’64) where he remained until his retirement in 1989.

Russ died two years later.

“Aside from our business relationship, he was a dear friend,” Ford was quoted as saying on the day Thomas passed.

Therein lay the problem.

Friends came BEFORE business. Football is a sport that has to be run with the head… not the heart. Ford couldn’t separate the two especially when it came to guys like Russ Thomas.

Oh, WORKING for Ford would almost be a “Pope” gig. You can keep that job nearly for LIFE. But, in many cases it doesn’t work for building a champion.

Even the hiring of former Bears’ executive Jerry Vainisi didn’t help Thomas towards the end of his regime.

Vainisi arrived in 1987 and was responsible for the drafting of Sanders in 1989. Jerry had the title of “Vice President of Player Personnel” but he spent too much of his time kowtowing to Thomas’ whims.

By 1990 Vainisi was outta here.

The man who put the finishing touches on the 1985 Bears’ Super Bowl Shuffle squad could have been a HUGE help to the Sanders’ era but he couldn’t put up with Russ even though Thomas was gone after ’89.

The reasons for that?

Chuck Schmidt and Wayne Fontes.

It was a weird dynamic after Thomas’ retirement. Schmidt was named Lions’ executive vice president while Fontes was head coach with personnel power.

Ford allowed Fontes to make many of the roster moves which is why the media gave Schmidt the endearing title of “Bean Counter.”

When Fontes left, Bobby Ross was granted the same accord.

Even Gary Moeller, in his short seven game stint as coach in 2000, had what Ford termed as, “Carte Blanche.”

In the decade of the 90’s the Lions had no true general manager.

Funny thing is— it became their most successful decade since the 50’s.

During the 90’s, Ford was more accessible than ever.

It wasn’t like WCF was a recluse; far from it.

I found Pistons’ owner Bill Davidson more reclusive even though he would be in his seat for pretty much every game.

Ford was constantly in the locker room after games and never turned down an interview. I spoke to him plenty and he would take any question; easy or tough. He never shied away from team issues and we’d often laugh together.

Oh, that LAUGH!

I had a tape of his laugh that we used to play as a “drop” on our radio show. It was infectious.

WCF could really “bust a gut” when he found something funny. More than other owners… he laughed a lot.

An owner’s job, in my opinion, is to… own. Keep an open wallet, pay the bills and hire the people necessary to make the organization successful. No matter what the business is, the philosophy remains the same.

Ford owned.

He just trusted too many of the wrong folks.

Giving Fontes roster power and an undefined Schmidt made it look like Ford was controlling more than ever. It was like WCF wanted to be HIS OWN general manager.

Hey, it might have worked and Ford would have been a freakin’ genius had the Lions WON something in that decade. Six playoff trips were nice but only that ONE playoff victory made it less than successful.

It didn’t end fans’ ire as the years rolled on since 1957.

Even just a single junket to the Super Bowl would have satisfied some of the team’s critics. But, the failure in D.C. led to failures in Green Bay, Philadelphia, Tampa and again… Washington.

Add the blowout loss to New Orleans in 2011 and Ford passed away on a seven game playoff losing streak.

2011 was one of those “fools gold” seasons.

It was the first taste of over .500 since Ford clashed with his son on the hiring and subsequent firing of Matt Millen when Millen replaced Schmidt in 2001.

10-6 was the best record for Detroit since Ross and Moeller shared 9-7 in ’00.

I could go on and on about the horrid hiring of Millen but since that is SO well documented, it really makes no sense and would be highly repetitive.

The curious nature of it, however, is that once Ford gave someone else the keys to the car (I don’t pardon the pun) the run of playoff appearances ended.

Did I mention they at least WENT to the playoffs SIX TIMES in the 90’s?

By 2011, Lions’ fans were either shattered or so numb by the Millen “Reign of Error” that new GM Martin Mayhew snuck in a surprise season that led Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson and crew a playoff date with Drew Brees and the Saints.

Ford’s health was suffering by this time and he was well into his 80’s. Mayhew convinced the owner that something was finally happening; the build was nearly complete.

Jim Schwartz was Ford’s 15th head coach hiring since 1964; including Dick Jauron’s interim position after Steve Mariucci’s firing.

Not only was Schwartz out-coached in the playoff game, he endured various levels of futility in 2012 and ’13. By the time a 6-3 start figured into a 7-9 ending, Ford was ready to hire his 16th head coach.

That barely works out to one every THREE years.

I still don’t think he ever recovered from the death of Don McCafferty.

Not enough credit is given to that hiring.

Schmidt was released after 1972 with a record above .500 at 43-34-and-7. It was an example that even OVER .500 would not be acceptable unless playoff success was included.

McCafferty had WON a Super Bowl in Baltimore.

Ford wanted that Super Bowl coach because he wanted… that Super Bowl experience.

A rebuilding year in 1973 turned out a little better than expected at 6-7-and-1. Expectations were high for 1974. Fans liked McCafferty and believed the franchise was in capable hands and in the right direction.

McCafferty was a young man. He was 53 years old and a hard worker. I never got a chance to meet him but others have told me they think “Mac” would have taken them to that championship level if Thomas allowed him too.

Forget Russ for this one.

Mac didn’t get to the ’74 campaign.

Just about training camp time in July, McCafferty was mowing the lawn at his posh West Bloomfield home when he suffered a massive heart attack. He died at a Pontiac hospital.

You can blame Ford for a lot of things, but the death of Don McCafferty isn’t one of them.

The one time I asked Ford about McCafferty his eyes got misty.

“He was one great football man,” is what Ford, Sr. told me.

Rick Forzano was hastily given Mac’s gig and simply wasn’t given much time. He lasted 32 games (they played 14 a season back then) before being let go in favor of the more-experienced Tommy Hudspeth.

Hudspeth finished the 1976 season and had a full rodeo in 1977 before being dumped.

The two combined for a 26-30 mark.

Doesn’t sound too terrible considering the last 15 years around these parts!

Some say Thomas was hit particularly hard by McCafferty’s death. Bad judgments were made and the ship could never get righted.

We are left to wonder if anything would have been different if Mac hadn’t died right before camp in ’74.

The nay sayers will say… NAY!

Same Old Lions.

It’s become the mantra. It’s almost like the Lions Magna Carta. By the way, the Magna Carta was fashioned in 1215.

Yes, the Lions have been champs since 1215.

So, take THAT England!

I just looked. Same Old Lions comes out to S.O.L. Not too far away from… L.O.L.

Laughter is the only medicine during 50 years of futility.

Ford didn’t necessarily shy away from hiring head coaches who had success elsewhere. In fact, he hired Ross who had been to a Super Bowl with San Diego (SAN DIEGO!) and then Mariucci who had FOUR double-digit win seasons in San Fran.

In between? Too many guys who seemingly had no clue.

Again, loyalty and bad judgments were his downfall as an owner.

Constructing the practice facility in Allen Park and then the gleaming fabulous Ford Field downtown were his shining moments. It showed his willingness to spend money.

At one point, the Lions had the third highest payroll in the NFL.

When Reggie White was available, Ford was the first to fly him into town along with his buddy Harry Galbreath. It was a packaged duo.

Fontes was famously pictured with both players on their visit. It was assumed that BOTH would be signing in Detroit.

Lions watchers have learned to never ASS-U-ME.

White and Galbreath eventually signed with the Packers and both have since passed away themselves.

When the Lions needed a quarterback? Ford called for Scott Mitchell.

Again, say what you want about how it turned out but lest we forget, Mitchell was the QB du jour when he came in for an injured Dan Marino in Miami and lit the pro football world on fire. Everyone, including the divisional foe Vikings, wanted Mitchell.

This time… the Lions got their man.

As bad as Mitchell was, he did lead the Lions to THREE playoff appearances.

His 1995 season, in which the Lions won their final seven games, was team record setting for yards, touchdowns and other numbers. It wasn’t until Stafford came along that those records were broken.

Looking back, Ford had too much say in Lions’ drafts but he was always willing to bring in guys who would command some major dollars. That’s what an owner should do.

What an owner should NOT do is pretend to be a draft expert or evaluator of talent.

That includes YOU Jerry Jones.

The mystery of the Joey Harrington pick in 2002 will live in infamy.

Much like the story of the wrong QB getting a congratulatory call from Ford on being the starter (Was it Kramer, Peete or Ware?) we may never know the REAL deal when it came to that pick.

All we know is, when Millen went to the podium to announce Harrington, it looked like Matt had lost his favorite puppy.

Harrington was tabbed over defensive back Quentin Jammer. If it was Ford who told Millen to take Joey over “Q” then the face of Matt was justified. It would make sense too since in Millen’s second draft, he would have wanted a top cornerback.

Years later though, Millen wasn’t bashful about saying HE wanted Joey in the worst way.

Protecting his owner?

Maybe.

Harrington last played for the Lions in 2005 and tossed his last interception with Atlanta as a Falcon in 2007.

Jammer made his last tackle… LAST SEASON.

“Q” helped Denver to the Super Bowl while Joey was doing color commentary for FOX.

A fine career with the Chargers led to Jammer’s signing with the Broncos while a crappy career for Harrington led him to television.

Ouch.

Charles Rogers, Reggie Rogers, Darryl Rogers; Ford led the world in “Bad Rogers.”

Rusty, Stoney, Scotty, Gary; just some of his QB’s with names ending in “Y.”

Ford even had a QB (Jeff Komlo) who was on the FBI’s most wanted list.

He replaced legends with scrubs. See: Billy Sims to James Jones and Barry Sanders to Greg Hill.

One of his assistant coaches stopped at a Wendy’s drive-thru with his pants off. He also had an assistant coach go on to Super Bowl fame.

Thanks, Bill Belichick.

At least Belichick kept his pants on.

We all knew that Ford, Sr. wasn’t going to live forever. When the news broke that he had died, it wasn’t so much a surprise as it was a wake up call.

One guy on Facebook said it best.

“If you’re happy that William Clay Ford is dead? You really have to re-evaluate your life.”

True that.

The man leaves a wife of 67 years and a family. His bride, Martha, is part of the Firestone clan. The Ford’s and Firestone’s have a long history together which culminated business wise in the tire fiasco of the late 90’s.

Ford was also the last surviving grandson of the legendary Henry Ford.

The news wasn’t even a half hour old when I got the first text.

“Think they’ll sell the team now? Too soon?”
That’s what the text said in crazy morbid excitement.

No, I don’t think they’ll sell the team.

Bill Ford isn’t about to axe his stake and interest in the football team. The Lions make money whether they go 10-7 or 0-16.

Ugh… that OH-AND-16.

Another part of Ford’s losing legacy. Until someone else does it, he goes down as the sole owner to lose all 16 games in a 16 game season.

Regardless, TV money and the like keep the Lions solvent. Ford’s $4.5 million investment is now worth around $900 million.

If Junior wants to sell and is able to sell— it will be further down the road. It would be surprising if he puts it up for bids in the near future. Who knows how Ford, Sr.’s will is constructed.

I’ll remember William Clay Ford as a decent man with decent values that was out of his league as an owner in a gritty, grueling sport like football. He didn’t look like a guy who rolled with the pigskin crowd. He looked more like a guy ready for highballs at a polo match.

Still, I had no problem with him personally.

Did sports talk radio and columnists in the city skewer him?

Absolutely.

And at each turn it was fair.

Parker likes to say that sports have a short menu. Wins… and losses.

Ford’s menu was inedible.

His last defeat will be the 14-13 loss at Minnesota in the final game at the Metrodome. It led to the firing of Jim Schwartz and the hiring of Jim Caldwell.

Including the post-season, Ford oversaw 775 NFL football game for his prized possession. 311 ended in victory, 451 in defeat and 13 ties.

19 of his 50 seasons ended in double-digit losses. Only FIVE ended in double-digit victories.

A dude who was at the championship game in 1957, 59-14 rout of Cleveland, what he recalls about the Lions back then.

He figured the Lions and Browns would do the title game thing a few more times heading into the 1960’s.

Oh, boy.
“If I had said to you in ’58 that the Lions and Browns wouldn’t come close again all the way to now… what would you have said?” I asked after his evaluation.

“You’re as nuts as Eisenhower,” he replied.

His reference of course was to then-president Dwight Eisenhower.

Ford transferred stock and cash to purchase the Lions on the same day as the Kennedy assassination in 1963 prior to that ’64 takeover.

That old Lions’ fan I talked to didn’t know that was the day.

“We were a little busy with JFK to notice I guess,” he said.

Point is— there are literally ZERO current references of note in Lions’ lore. Or, I should say, zero POSITIVE references of note.

Other than the one playoff win and the running of Sims and Sanders, it has been few and far between when it comes to shining moments in the last 50 football seasons of Ford ownership.

No one has been a bigger hot topic item in sports talk radio than the Lions’ owner.

He must have rued the day WDFN went on the air in 1994.
Or, then again, he probably didn’t care.

Ford never seemed concerned with what the fans thought. He figured he couldn’t do anything about it other than get a team together that could win. He was oblivious to the tumult he caused.

Bill Davidson passed away in 2009 and his wife sold to a young Tom Gores. Mike Ilitch is 84 and just recently said he was “feeling better.” Ilitch is making it clear that Chris Ilitch will run the enterprise, including the new hockey rink, when Mike is gone.

As mentioned earlier, who knows what the Ford family will choose to do now other than to say Martha Ford will “run the show” upon her husband’s passing. She and Chicago’s Virginia McCaskey will be the only two female owners in the NFL.

It will stay that way at least for a while until we really know what’s shaking.

I believe it was longtime Lions’ beat writer Mike O’Hara who said it best.

“Ford has no insiders.”

He meant that anyone who TELLS you what the Ford’s are thinking is making stuff up.

Only Ford and the Ford family know what WCF was thinking until they released it through the henchmen like Mayhew, Tom Lewand, Bill Keenist or Matt Barnhart.

Rumors have never done well cloaked in “Ford.”

Like him or dislike him, he was part of our sporting fabric for old and new generations all these decades.

Now, he is gone. He can’t take his wealth or his football team with him.

Ford was the crypt keeper in our public trust.

This week is really not the week to wonder if the Lions will be better without him. This week is for mourning a man who had a family.

Next week… could be a different story.