2015 DETROIT LIONS MEDIA GUIDE

WILLIAM CLAY FORD, JR.
VICE
CHAIRMAN
William Clay Ford, Jr. has made a positive and
lasting impact on the Detroit Lions since assuming
the post of vice chairman in February 1995. He
remains focused on helping his family create a
winner in the present and on ensuring the team’s
success well into the 21st century – both on and
off the field.
Ford shares in his family’s longtime commitment
to the Lions and a burning passion to win. That
passion dates back to 1934 when his father, William
Clay Ford, attended the first Lions’ game ever
played in Detroit as a child. Mr. Ford would later
purchase the team as sole owner in 1963. Now, Ford
Jr.’s mother, Martha Firestone Ford, has assumed
ownership of the team with great pride following
Mr. Ford’s passing on March 9, 2014.
Like his entire family, Ford wants nothing less
than for the Lions to become a premier franchise
in the NFL, and he knows that means delivering a
championship to the fans.
Key examples of Ford’s influence are Ford Field
in downtown Detroit and the team’s headquarters
and practice facility in Allen Park. Both are
considered among the best facilities in all of sports.
Ford’s dedication and commitment to the fans
never was more evident than when he spearheaded
stadium negotiations that led to the 1996 decision
to build Ford Field. Due largely to his perseverance,
the Lions struck a deal with the city of Detroit and
Wayne County that established the foundation to
return to downtown Detroit in 2002.
Along with moving the Lions to downtown
Detroit, Ford has provided a world-class practice
facility to complement the team’s stadium. The
$36 million team headquarters in Allen Park, which
opened in April 2002, provides the ideal training
center for NFL players and coaches.
Ford also played a vital role in Detroit’s bid for
Super Bowl XL. Through his leadership, the Ford
family, the Detroit Lions and Ford Motor Company
were integral in Detroit’s hosting of the premier
event of the NFL in February 2006. Super Bowl XL
exceeded expectations, generating an overall $260
million economic impact, including $100 million in
downtown improvements, $10 million in emerging
business – the most in Super Bowl history – and
$6 million in the NFL/Boys & Girls Club Youth
Education Town, the largest in the country.
In other past roles within the NFL structure, Ford
also has served on the NFL Finance Committee and
NFL Properties Committee.
Now in his 21st season as vice chairman, Ford
has pushed the Lions to take major steps on several
fronts. He strongly supports active community
outreach programs to make people’s lives better.
Several initiatives, such as Detroit Lions Charities,
have served Detroit and the state of Michigan. In
September 2012, the Lions began a new community
initiative – Living for the City – that has reshaped
the club’s aim to improve the lives of Detroiters.
Ford also emphasizes the importance of growing
the game of football. The Detroit Lions Youth
Football program is one of the most extensive
youth sports programs operated by a pro sports
team. This program includes numerous camps and
clinics teaching the game, life-skills, proper safety
practices for players and assists in development
of youth coaches. Through Detroit Lions Charities,
Ford helped develop the Detroit Police Athletic
League youth football program into one of the
largest in the country.
Though football remains a passion for Ford,
his top priority continues to be in serving as Ford
Motor Company executive chairman. His role is a
professional and personal commitment, leading
the company founded by his great-grandfather,
American automotive pioneer Henry Ford. A
member of the board of directors since 1988, Ford
assumed the role of chairman of the board on
January 1, 1999. He also served as chief executive
officer from October 2001 through September
2006. Additionally, he serves as chairman of the
board’s finance committee and is a member of the
sustainability committee.
Among his many outside leadership roles,
Ford serves on the Board of Trustees of The
Henry Ford and Henry Ford Health System. He is
also chairman of Detroit Economic Club and the
New Michigan Initiative Committee of Business
Leaders for Michigan. He also is a founding partner
of Fontinalis Partners, LLC, a Michigan-based
investment firm that acts as a strategic operating
partner to transportation infrastructure technology
companies around the world. From 2005 to 2015,
Ford also served on the Board of Directors of
eBay Inc.
Ford is the 2015 recipient of the USC Shoah
Foundation’s prestigious “Ambassador for
Humanity” award, which honors individuals who
embody the institute’s values and mission to
promote tolerance and mutual respect. The award
will be presented to him in September 2015 by the
institute’s founder, Hollywood legend Stephen
Spielberg, and will honor Ford for his leadership in
the community and educational outreach.
Born in Detroit in 1957, Ford holds a Bachelor
of Arts from Princeton University and a Master of
Science in management as an Alfred P. Sloan fellow
from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT),
an honorary Doctor of Environmental Sciences
and Engineering degree from Koc University, an
honorary doctor of laws degree from the University
of Michigan and an honorary doctor of humane
letters degree from Bradley University. Ford is a
member of the Irish America Hall of Fame.
DETROIT LIONS
EXECUTIVES AND COACHING