The Football Game Gerald Ford Never Forgot: Pigskins, Racism, and a Moment of Defiance in 1934
Jan 9, 2026
27:27
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On this episode of Our American Stories, before he was president, Gerald Ford was a rising football star at the University of Michigan. But in 1934, his loyalty was tested when Georgia Tech refused to play if his Black teammate, Willis Ward, took the field. Author and historian John U. Bacon shares this remarkable story of friendship, integrity, and a quiet act of defiance that helped shape Ford’s views on civil rights.
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