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Joe Ford One of Area's Greatest Athletes

Joe Ford One of Area's Greatest Athletes
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By West Kentucky Star Staff
Jun. 22, 2017 | MAYFIELD, KY
By West Kentucky Star Staff Jun. 22, 2017 | 04:59 PM | MAYFIELD, KY
Friends and family are mourning the loss of Joe Ford, who died in a one-car crash on I-24. Ford, who resided in Paducah, is arguably the best athlete to ever come out of Mayfield High School and all of western Kentucky.

Ford starred at Mayfield from 1968-1972. He was a 4-year starter, earning 12 letters in basketball, football and baseball.

Ford is Mayfield's all-time leading scorer with 2,503 points. He had his jersey retired in 1972. That same year, he was named to the U.S. Basketball Writers Association's All-American Team. He was also named an All-American by Coach & Athlete magazine. In addition, he was named to the Louisville Courier-Journal's All-State Team in 1971 and 1972.

On the gridiron, Ford scored touchdowns by running, passing, receiving, kickoff returns and punt returns. He was named to the Courier-Journal's All-State Team in 1971 and 1972, and he led the Cardinals to the state playoffs twice.

On the diamond, Ford led Mayfield to four district titles and the 1970 regional title. He batted .475 in 1971 and .472 in 1972.

After high school, Ford played basketball and baseball at Vanderbilt from 1972-1976.

In basketball, he started in the fifth game of his freshman year, and then started in every game from 1974-1976. He scored over 1,000 points for his career and led the team in assists in three of his four seasons there.

He averaged 16 points per game his senior season, shooting 51.5% from the field and 81% from the free throw line. He was named 3rd Team All SEC in 1976.

Ford was a member of Vanderbilt's F-Troop team that won the 1974 Southeastern Conference regular season title. Ford played with Jeff Fosnes and Butch Feher with the F-Troop going 74-33 over four seasons, including the 1974 SEC title and an NCAA Tournament berth.

He also was a member of two SEC baseball championships in 1972 & 1973.
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