"He was a taskmaster and demanded almost perfection from everyone." --Darrell Hale

Hi Lucio,

I wanted to contact you and send my thoughts regarding Coach Ford. It has been two weeks now and I have thought long and hard on my comments.

I was on the first team that Coach Ford had in 1963. I remember the excitement and anticipation when we first heard of Coach Ford's pending arrival. Lakewood had been a dismal team, the Moore League doormat; so bad that I never considered playing. I loved football, but only played in park league and sandlot.

Coach Ford knew immediately what was lacking - dedication, commitment and discipline. He told us that if we truly wanted the privilege of playing this game, we needed to prove it! He was amazed that a school the size of Lakewood (over 4,000) could not field a decent team. It wasn't the lack of talent, it was the lack of - you guessed it - dedication, commitment and discipline.

So, we had to cut our hair, curtail our social lives and make that commitment. We ended up being proud of that haircut. It was a badge of honor. For many of us, it was the first time we made a real commitment to something. Just one of many life lessons Coach Ford taught us.

Unfortunately, I was slow to learn those lessons. I was never as good as I could have been, I never lived up to what Coach Ford knew I was capable of, yet he never gave up on me. Those life lessons he taught me have proven invaluable over the years. I survived the horrors of Viet Nam, survived ups and downs in my business career and hopefully have passed on his lessons to others. My being alive and successful today is a testimony to Coach Ford's teaching and I consider myself one of his many legacies. He taught me to never give up, to be gracious and a gentleman in winning and losing.

There are so many stories and lessons. I will never forget the story of Coach Ford talking to the coach of Millikan in that first year. Coach Ford suggested that since we were rivals in the same city, there should be some type of trophy between us. Millikan's coach said there was such a trophy, we just hadn't seen it because we had never beat them. I will never forget the fire in Coach Ford's eyes the next practice. That year was frustrating - we lost to Millikan in a hard fought, close game. More frustrating for me because I failed to take it in, inside the one yard line, on three occasions. But, the next year - what a sweet victory! I will never forget the look in Coach Ford's eyes, then. We crushed 'em and loved every second of it.

My wife is amazed that one man, from so long ago, has had such an influence on my life. But, that was Coach Ford. He has had that effect on many, many lives. He will live forever, for what he taught us and what we have and will pass on to others. What a truly rich, fulfilling and wonderful life Coach Ford lived. Please pass on my respect and love to his family.

Rick Van Dyke
Class of 1965

Saturday, June 10, 2006

Message to all from the Ford family,

The generosity, care, and concern of those that love "Coach" is greatly appreciated, and taken to heart. It is wonderful to hear stories and incidents that affected you, and in turn, us also. We would like to thank all of you who have sent a card, a letter, flowers, meals, those who have spent time with us, and those who have donated to the Scholarship Fund being set up in Coach's name through Al Taylor at Lakewood High School.

Please feel free to call or stop by any time to visit with Fern for a while. Those visits have always been, and will continue to be, a pleasure and an encouragement.

Many thanks,

Fern, T, Dale, and families

"We were well coached and we played as a team. We called ourselves 'The Family.' " --Dana Hogan, '70

Friday, June 2, 2006

“Crap Son”…. “When are you going to quit ‘lollie – gagging’ around and get with ‘The ‘Program’… “You can stay in Florida and be ‘a big fish in a little pond’, or you can come back to Lakewood, play football and make something of yourself”…. “Practice starts on Monday, I expect you to be here”.

I heard those words from Coach Ford at 1:00 am on a Friday night in August of 1969. Needless to say they changed the course of my life. Somehow, Coach sensed that I was not planning on coming back to Lakewood from the small town in Florida that I grew up in and where I was supposedly just visiting friends for the summer.

I am certain that Coach Ford was keeping his ‘roster in tact’ for the up coming season when he called me. However, I clearly sensed that Coach was equally motivated by his belief that he was saving me from a possible ‘dead end’ existence in a small Florida town.

Coach Ford cared enough to call me that late August night and I cared enough to do as he suggested and get on a plane back to California in time for Monday’s practice. Consequently, I experienced ‘Lakewood Football’ at its finest, ‘Coach Ford’ style.

So close. Only one ‘broken play’ in the fourth quarter with 34 seconds left in the L.A. Coliseum kept us from going to the CIF Finals that season. Lakewood was predicted to take 3rd in the Moore League that year. However, Coach saw the predictions as something to prove wrong as he reminded us that “…it is not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog…” that matters. Coach found a way to coach us to victory after victory. He showed us that dedication, hard work, sacrifice, and most importantly, ‘team play’ would bring us gridiron success. And it did. We were not the biggest, fastest or the most talented that year. But we were well coached and we ‘played as a team’. We called ourselves, ‘The Family’.

I visited Coach Ford before he passed away both at his home and in the hospital. He and Mrs. Ford welcomed me with opened arms as if time had stood still since those memories of mine many seasons ago. Coach was showing the ‘wear of his years’ and his demeanor had softened from the gruff, demanding, disciplinarian that most of us came to know as Lakewood Lancers. It was, however, easy to see that Coach was the same guy who “Gee’d and Haw’d his way through life and into the hearts and minds of all those who knew, loved and respected him.

Mine is but one story of many whose lives Coach Ford has enriched. I will miss him and be forever grateful to him for caring enough to call me that late night many, many summers ago.

Dana Hogan
Class of ‘70

Friday, June 2, 2006

My fellow Lancers, old, new, and and soon to be,

I am a recent graduate of Lakewood, a member of the class of 2002. When I first came to Lakewood High School in my freshman year, I noticed that the football stadium said, "John T. Ford Stadium: It's All In A State of Mind". And I wondered, "Who is John T. Ford?" And what does that slogan have to do with the success our football teams have done in the past? I contacted my close friend and teacher, and a former player under Ford, All-CIF offensive tackle Randy Logan, and when he told me about the legacy Coach Ford had left while leading Lakewood's football teams to some of its most magical seasons ever, never in my life had I become so much prouder to be a Lancer.

Now, four years after I had left the hallowed grounds of Lakewood High School, a campus that I still treasure to this day, I have received news that the greatest football coach to lead the Lancer faithful has departed, taking the train to the football stadium in the sky. I suppose Coach Ford is smiling down, still being a guiding light for our team this coming season, and many more years to come. I may have not been there when I saw Lakewood steamroll over its opponents in the 1960's and 70's (I was only an idea of my parents then), but I do know that Coach Ford's new journey has made this team, this community of Lancers around the world even stronger. It's not really a loss at all, rather, it's a victory we all share. We share his legacy for excellence, a legacy I was only beginning to grasp when I was a freshman at LHS, and still grasping to this day.

Thank you for becoming a true patron of Lakewood, Coach John T. Ford. We will never forget you. And yes, as you say, "It's all in a state of mind".

Jo-Ryan Salazar
LHS Class of 2002

"Shaving our heads was a badge of honor. No matter where you went, people knew you were a Lakewood football player." --Ron Ayala, '67 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |