,--I rare W!TUIrgparrIud 7- rvrcrvwuuy - n rr~uay, wVLJ6t9 s.Lv, aa -0 * y . . . . ' Ford The 38th president talks about the Michigan of yesterday and today In December 1934, a Michigan aily football writer included in his vish list for the following season a eam with more victories and more olorful players to interview. He did tot know that Gerald Ford, the start- center on the '34 Wolverines, was come the 38th President of the Inited States. Ford played on Michigan's 1932 nd 1933 national championship ams. In 1934, his senior year, he as named the team's Most Valuable layer for his work on the offensive ne. He received his law degree from ale and after four years in the Navy, unched a long political career. Ford ed as President of the United tates from 1974-76. Last week, Daily sports writer avid Rothbart spoke with the former resident about his athletic and po- tical careers. Daily: The 1994 Michigan foot- all team has had an exciting season afar. How good is this team? How ir can it go? Ford: I think it's a fine football 0, and it's tragic that one play kept iem from having an unbeaten record ) far, but they have a chance to do ry well. D: Is a Rose Bowl in Michigan's iture? F: Yeah, I think it's a possibility. hey have to beat Penn State, Wis- onsin, Ohio State, Minnesota, urdue, but they can do it. : After two consecutive national ampionships during your sopho- ore and junior years, the Wolver- es suffered a dismal season (1-7). hat caused the drop-off? F: In '32 and '33, we were unde- ated, and then in '34 we had a tough, ugh year. In those days, our offense as called a punt, a pass and a prayer. e had an outstanding passer, Bill enner, who broke an ankle before ason started. Our punter, John egeczi, was the greatest college iter I ever saw and he ruined his *ee All we had left was the prayer. D: They should have put you in as .arterback. F: No, no, no. D: Not many people in Ann Arbor t remember what it was like when e Michigan football team won its *ational championship. How did feel to win thoseconsecutive titles? F: It was a great thrill. The ring ith the national championship on it still a very prized possession. D: At some points during your hior year, team physicians said you d enough injuries to keep three men it, yet you still started every game. ow did you manage to play through ies? : I loved to play and I wanted to in, When you feel that way you can ay despite a lot of injuries. D: You excelled at the college vel. Did you ever consider profes- :nal career in football? F: Yes. I had two offers. Following my senior season, I played in the Shrine East-West game. I played 58 minutes out there and the coaches of the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers were there. On the way back, they offered me the opportunity to play for them. But I had thechance tocoach at Yale andalso attend law school. D: If you had signed on to play center for the Lions, might your ca- reer have gone differently? F: It's very possible, because you can't go to law school while you're playing pro football. They only of- fered you $200 a game. That was the Depression. My job at Yale was $2400 a year. In the Depression you were sworn in as President - that wasn't bad either. D: A lot of Presidents have been involved with athletics. George Bush played first base at Yale. You an- chored the Michigan football team. Does success in sports lead to success later in life? F: No question about it. One of the greatest honors I ever received was being chosen Most Valuable Player by my teammates and that experience and that recognition (stayed with me) my whole life, as I went to the White House. D: You graduated almost sixty years ago. Are there more or less opportunities for students coming out academically, and the Medical School, the Law School, the Engineering School, the Business School, they're all up in the top 10. I don't think we've compromised anything for ath- letic success. D: President Carter has been ex- tremely active in recent months, act- ing as a diplomat in North Korea and Haiti. What do you think about the work that he's done? F: I hope it's helpful to President Clinton. I have strong reservations about the United States sending mili- tary forces to Haiti to restore a dis- credited Aristide. On the other hand, once the President's made the deci- sion, as Clinton has, as a good Ameri- can I hope it's successful. D: How do you feel about Presi- dent Clinton's term in office? F: I have mixed feelings. I strongly applauded his effort to get NAFTA through. I was pleased to help Presi- dent Clinton (in that matter). I have reservations about Clinton's health program. I think he tried to go too far too fast and the net result is that Con- gress turned it down. D: The funeral of Richard Nixon was a sad occasion, but also a trium- phant moment for our country, with all of the Presidents assembled, along with family and friends of President Nixon. What were you going through that day? F: Well, I knew Dick Nixon from 1949 on. He was a good personal friend, and in the area of foreign policy, he was one of our best Ameri- can Presidents. He made some mis- takes and that's sad. I was very sad- dened at the funeral because we were close friends. D: What do you feel your role is as a former President? F: I've taught and lectured. I've done political campaigning for candi- dates I can conscientiously support. I vigorously campaigned for George Bush. I thought he was a good candi- date. I picked him to go to China as my representative there when I was in the White House, brought him back, made him head of the CIA. This year, I'm going to make a speech for Gov- ernor Engler. I've also campaigned for Governor Pete Wilson out in Cali- fornia. D: Have you had time for recre- ation? F: Sure. I've been trying to im- prove my skiing and my golf game. D: What's your handicap? F: I'm sorry, that's highly classi- fied. RACHEL BACHMAN Bach's Score A friendly game? No such thing with State ith apologies to Grantland Rice... Outlined against the blue-gray October sky, the 40 Daily staffers played again. In their occupation, they are known as Editor, Reporter, Photographer. These are only aliases. To those who saw these sinewy apparitions take the field against an academically challenged Michigan State squad, the Wolverines will go down in the annals of history as true warriors. OK, so they weren't the Four Horsemen, and the site wasn't Notre Dame. But the way the behemoths of Cow Manure U approached the Michigan Daily - State News football game, you'd think the golden dome itself were at stake. The day was last Friday. The place: Palmer Field. As is tradition before every Michigan - Michigan State football game, the schools' respective student newspapers Twgathered for a no-pad, tackle a precursor to the real game. This was the definition of a fall classic: leaves crumpling on their stems, sun setting behind the bell tower, warmup tosses looping like bumble bees in flight. It was to be a SI friendly game, between non-football