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Ford Always Managed to Be a Good Sport

Without question, Gerald R. Ford was one of the most athletic presidents in history.

Ford, who died Tuesday night at age 93, loved to take part in sports from his days as a youth in Grand Rapids, Mich., until he occupied the White House and during the many years afterward. He is best known for playing center at the University of Michigan, where he was on the Wolverines' national championship football teams of 1932 and 1933 and was the team's most valuable player in 1934.

Even after he became president in 1974, Ford still found the time to follow sports avidly -- and to participate.

"I've always loved sports," he told a Washington Post reporter in 1976. "When I was a boy, I knew every batting average in the big leagues. I still look at the standings and I feel a day is wasted if I don't read the sports pages."

As president, Ford engaged in an array of sports: swimming, golf, tennis, skiing. As a younger man especially, he loved sailing.
Read entire article at WaPo