It was always known that Jim Leavitt ran a bit of a loose ship in his time at South Florida, Mike Ford was in and out of trouble but always seemed to find a way back on Leavitt’s good side. There were high hopes at the University of South Florida after running back Mike Ford was named MVP of the International Bowl in January.
He put up a career high 207 yards in his team’s 27-3 victory over Northern Illinois and showed signs that he might live up to his potential.
It all came crashing down February when Ford, a Sarasota native, was dismissed from the USF football program. In a statement from the athletic department, the shocking announcement came late in the day that Ford was dismissed for “violation of team rules.”
Ford has been mostly an underachieving player prior to his breakout game in Toronto. Ford was suspended early in the 2009 season for two games. The 6-3, 220-pound power runner was in and out of trouble during his time at USF and the school did not reveal his latest rules transgression.
It was no doubt the first hard decision newly-hired coach Skip Holtz had to make. The back story is that Ford failed a drug test, and it may not be the first time that happened.
“I’m disappointed for Mike more than anything else,” Holtz said in the prepared statement by the school. Is Holtz simply working to clean house and get the USF football program to look squeaky clean? The Leavitt report was eye opening, and I think this is a step in the right direction for South Florida Football.
It was a huge disappointment to USF fans. There were big expectations when Ford signed with USF, but he failed to live up to those lofty hopes. The Bulls are fairly deep at running back, so this should only be a minor blow.
