Dan Ford

[William Malone]

Darnell Glenn Ford was born on May 19, 1952 in Los Angeles, California.

The Oakland Athletics selected him with the 18th overall pick in the 1970 MLB Draft. He was traded to the Minnesota Twins in 1974, and made his Major League debut for them in 1975.

Ford played 130 games for the Twins as a rookie, batting .280/.333/.434 with 15 home runs and 59 RBI. Highlights from his first big league campaign include separate hit streaks of 12 and 14 games, plus homering three times with six RBI during a Fourth of July doubleheader.

He led the Twins with 20 home runs in 1976, adding 24 doubles and seven triples to the mix. His 51 extra base hits were eight most in the American League that summer, and his .457 slugging percentage was ninth. Ford was especially good in the second half, slashing .296/.348/.518 after the All-Star break. Minnesota had gotten off to a disastrous start as a team that season, and were 16 games out of first place at one point. A late season rally saw them fall just five games short of winning the AL West.

Ford got off to another slow start in 1977, but he hit .305/.366/.489 after July 1st. This surge was attributed to Tony Oliva telling him to change where his feet were positioned in the batter's box, moving Ford away from home plate after watching him struggle to hit inside pitches. He had 82 RBI and a career best 36 doubles in 1978.

Minnesota traded Ford to the California Angels after the 1978 season. There were several reasons for the trade, the biggest one being how far apart Ford and Twins owner Calvin Griffin were in extension negotiations. He also wanted to be closer to home after the murder of childhood friend and former Twins teammate Lyman Bostock. The two had grown up playing baseball together as kids in Los Angeles, and formed a dynamic center field-right field duo as teammates for the Twins.

Ford played three years for the Angels, slashing .284/.332/.448 with 43 home runs and 175 RBI. This included a career high 101 RBI during the 1979 season. He played for the Baltimore Orioles from 1982 to 1985, helping them win the World Series in 1983.

He's kept himself busy with several business ventures since retiring. Ford has worked in real estate, raised horses, and ran a firm dedicated to helping athletes figure out life after sports.

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