'President's Caddie': Jim Harbaugh Shares Incredible Story At Gerald R. Ford Museum
During a recent visit to the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum, Michigan head football coach Jim Harbaugh shared a story about one pretty cool experience with the former President.
You can read more below on Ford's history with Michigan and beyond, via MGoBlue.com:
The 38th president of the United States, Gerald R. Ford was born Leslie Lynch King on July 14, 1913 in Omaha, Nebraska. His parents soon divorced, then his mother moved to Grand Rapids and married a man named Gerald R. Ford. The son was formally adopted and renamed for his stepfather. Young Gerald was athletic, playing on the Grand Rapids South High School football, basketball and track teams.
At Michigan, Ford was a substitute center behind All-American Charles Bernard on Michigan's national championship squads of 1932 and 1933. In 1934, his senior season, Ford started at center for all of Michigan's games and was named team MVP.
Ford graduated with a B.A. in 1935 and wanted to attend law school, but money was a problem. Ford took a job as an assistant football coach at Yale, attending law school in the off-season. After obtaining his degree in January 1941, Ford returned to Grand Rapids to practice law. His first job was short-lived, as World War II broke out and Ford entered the Navy. After serving in the Pacific and reaching the post of lieutenant commander, Ford returned to Michigan in 1946.
In 1948, Ford ran for Congress and was elected. He served 13 terms in the House of Representatives, rising in power to serve on the Warren Commission and become house minority leader in 1965. After the resignation of Spiro Agnew, Ford was asked by President Richard Nixon to serve in Agnew's place as vice president. Ford accepted the position, rising to the office of the president when Nixon resigned on Aug. 9, 1974. He moved quickly to stabilize a country rocked by political turmoil.
- 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977
- 40th Vice President of the United States, serving from 1973 to 1974
- National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame Gold Medal award recipient (1972)
- NCAA Theodore Roosevelt Award recipient (1975)
- NCAA Profession Award recipient (1966)
- State of Michigan Sports Hall of Fame Inductee (1977)
- Tuss McLaughry Award recipient (1975)
