The NCAA Gerald R. Ford Award was named in recognition of Gerald Ford, the 38th President of the United States as well as a University of Michigan football star. Presented by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the award honors an individual who has provided significant leadership in the role of advocate for intercollegiate athletics and has done so on a continuous basis over the course of their career. Ford played the position of center in football at the University of Michigan, participating on national championship teams in 1932 and 1933. He turned down offers from the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions to study law at Yale University. The Gerald Ford Award was first awarded in 2004.
Recipients The recipients of the award are:
2004: Theodore Hesburgh 2005: William C. Friday 2006: Birch Bayh & John Wooden 2007: Christine Grant 2008: James Frank 2009: Billie Jean King 2010: Myles Brand 2011: Joe Paterno (subsequently revoked) 2012: Pat Summitt 2013: Donna Lopiano 2014: James Andrews 2015: Walter Harrison 2016: Condoleezza Rice 2017: Grant Hill 2018: Robin Roberts 2019: Jackie Joyner-Kersee 2020: Dick Vitale 2021: David Robinson 2022: Ann Meyers Drysdale 2023: Jim Nantz 2024: Anita DeFrantz 2025: Gene Smith 2025: Charlene Curtis
In July 2012, following the Penn State child sex abuse scandal, the NCAA vacated the 2011 award given to Joe Paterno.
See also NCAA Award of Valor NCAA Inspiration Award NCAA Sportsmanship Award NCAA Woman of the Year Award Silver Anniversary Awards (NCAA)
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