Leading up to the 2017 CoSIDA Convention in June (June 11-14 in Orlando), we are showcasing different aspects of the upcoming in a "Convention InSIDer Spotlight" series.
Register for the 2017 CoSIDA Convention | #CoSIDA17 Information
Previous #CoSIDA17 "InSIDer" posts:
Feb. 17: CoSIDA Community Service Project (June 13 with Samaritan's Feet
Feb. 24: Featured Presenter Alana Muller Explores Key Elements of Networking
Mar. 3: "Talking Tech" Interactive Sessions (June 14)
Mar. 10: Special Promotions for CoSIDA Attendees
by Barb Kowal, CoSIDA Director of Professional Development and External Affairs
Today. we spotlight
Jack Ford, CBS News legal analyst and correspondent for 60 Minutes, who will address CoSIDA attendees on Sunday and Monday, June 11 and 12. Ford is an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning journalist, nationally recognized trial attorney, author, and teacher, and has had a unique and remarkably successful career.
An award-winning broadcast journalist, documentary producer, author and former college football player, Ford is one of the featured speakers at #CoSIDA17. His presentation will highlight the SIDEARM Sports Leadership Forum Presented by Learfield on Sunday, June 11. Ford will deliver the keynote address, followed by a discussion, on Sunday afternoon (time TBA) during the Leadership Forum.
The Leadership Forum is day-long specialized programming leading off the 2017 CoSIDA Convention, bringing together senior-level administrators in sports communications, athletic directors and executives who have impacted college sports for panel discussions and networking opportunities.
Ford is a advocate of collegiate athletics and has spent time traveling around the country, speaking about the opportunities and
benefits of collegiate athletics, the importance of the art of "storytelling" and how to communicate our messages when it comes to promoting college sports.
On Monday, June 11, Ford is the special guest at the CBS StatCrew breakfast which kicks off our "Divisional Day" programming. A new addition to the convention, this breakfast is open to all CoSIDA registrants and leads off the full day which includes division-specific programming, the CoSIDA Hall of Fame luncheon, and afternoon and evening social events including the annual ESPN Party.
A television news personality specializing in sports and legal commentary, Ford has spent over two decades in front of the TV camera as host and presenter of numerous information and entertainment programs. Over the years, he has worked for major news outlets (CBS, NBC, and ABC), ESPN and Court TV (now TruTV). The network shows he has appeared on include Good Morning America, 20/20, Dateline, 60 Minutes, and he was a one-time host of the ESPN Sports Reporters. Ford is currently a CBS News legal analyst and correspondent for 60 Minutes Sports.
Ford was a standout high school athlete and was raised by a single parent along with his two siblings. Ford earned an academic scholarship to Yale and went on to play linebacker and defensive back for the Bulldogs, then one of the top Division I programs (NCAA split into Division 1 and Division 1-AA, eventually FBS and FCS). He played under legendary Hall of Fame coach Carm Cozza.
"As someone who was raised by a single-parent and was blessed with a scholarship to Yale University and the opportunity to play football there, I am an evangelist for the transformative values of college athletics," Ford recently told CoSIDA.com. "At a time when these values are sometimes challenged, there is nothing more important to the continued vitality of the college sports experience than the ability to communicate these values to the public. That is why those of us who believe so deeply in the experiences and opportunities that flow from college athletics are so indebted to the storytellers -- the CoSIDA members!"
Ford elaborated on why he is so passionate about spreading the word on the importance of collegiate athletics.
"I have always, always said that without college athletics I have no idea what I'd be doing with my life," Ford stated in to
Ford was a three-year starter at Yale University.
NCAA.org in a
recent feature, "so whenever I have the opportunity to trumpet the values of college athletics, I take it."
After obtaining his undergraduate degree from Yale in 1972, Ford received his law degree from Fordham University School of Law. An appearance on the popular TV quiz show Jeopardy! led to three winnings which helped finance his legal education. Following law school, he served as a New Jersey prosecutor for three years before becoming a highly successful trial attorney, handling numerous high-profile cases in the Northeast. These cases included the Northeast's first death penalty trial, one of the nation's first corporate homicide cases, and the Wall Street insider trading scandal of the late 1980's.
His charisma and presence in the courtroom led to his first opportunities in local (New York) television. Ford's broadcasting career began in 1984 when he took an anchor position at WCBS-TV in New York and his TV career skyrocketed from that point forward.
In 1997, he received the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award, which is presented to former outstanding college athletes who have achieved extraordinary success in their professional lives. In 1998, Ford was honored as the "National Father of the Year" and the next year, in one of his more unique achievements, he was named People Magazine's "Sexiest News Anchor."
Among his extensive community and public service work, he has served as spokesman, host and board member for a range of charitable causes and organizations, including the Alzheimer's Association, the N.J. Special Olympics, the Jimmy V Foundation, the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame, the Ivy League Football Association, the NCAA Honors Committee, Jersey Shore University Medical Center, and Yale University.