Alas, William Clay Ford (1925-2014), the last surviving grandson of the original Henry Ford, has passed away at the age of 89, reportedly from pneumonia.
It's likely fair to say Ford was thought of in different ways, by different people, over the last several decades -- particularly considering his long-time ownership of the Detroit Lions.
By most public accounts, Ford was held in high esteem by most who came to work for him in one capacity or another. He was kind, honest, trustworthy, patient, and definitely loyal -- to a fault. In other words, and with apologies to Loretta Lynn, sometimes he would "stand by his man" even after such an employee had already long since proven their incompetence at their job.
And his generosity can hardly be questioned. From the profit-sharing checks enjoyed by workers at his various Ford Motor plants to the front office, coaches, and players of the Lions themselves -- Ford may have been a lot of things -- but a tightwad he wasn't.
Sure, he could be considered somewhat of a recluse, hiding out in his ivory tower, but that didn't necessarily make him a bad owner. Team success isn't necessarily predicated on an owner maintaining a high profile, ala the late George Steinbrenner of the NY Yankees, or the current Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys, or Mark Cuban of the Dallas Mavericks.
For that matter, across the spectrum of American professional sports, many more owners than not prefer to delegate the responsibilities of running a team to those that are much more knowledgeable about such things. Typically, owners are billionaires that have made their fortunes in other business ventures, while knowing little about sports themselves. Owning a pro team could be perceived in such lofty circles as having another "toy", like a bigger yacht than one of their competitors. A status symbol, if you please.
But the key to a winning franchise is, and always has been, hiring the right people to make the right decisions at the right times. These are the people that will determine who the players actually are, how much they're paid, and whether they can be coached into becoming a cohesive unit, capable of being championship caliber.
And on that front, the legacy of William Clay Ford Sr. does not bode well.
Ironically, WCF closed the original deal to purchase the Lions on the exact same day John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. An omen of things to come?
What is not in dispute is during the next 50 years -- and counting -- the Lions have won a grand total of one playoff game, again ironically enough, over the Dallas Cowboys. Amongst NFL teams, the Lions are one of only four that have never even made it to the Super Bowl, let alone won it. The other three?
The Cleveland Browns. Yes, their original franchise moved to Baltimore, and became the Ravens, who have indeed won Super Bowls. But never a team in Cleveland.
The Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars -- both expansion teams.
Only the Lions continue to suffer to ignominy of being an "original" NFL franchise that has never made it to the Super Bowl.
And one way or the other -- this has to be a reflection of sorts on William Clay Ford. Nice guy or not, 50 years of team futility, oftentimes to the point of being downright comical in their foibles and hapless play was what it was and continues to be what it is. Though it's sad when anybody dies, WCF doesn't get a feel good pass just because he inherited an automobile empire, then presided over a half century of his football team being arguably the sorriest professional franchise in professional American team sports over all that time. Though he shelled out countless millions of dollars over the years to people who were no longer even in his employ -- because he had signed off on ridiculous long-term contracts to incompetent folks he had allowed to be hired in the first place -- William Clay never stepped up to the plate and had a Harry Truman moment. As in -- the buck stops here.
Nevertheless, yours truly mourns his passing.
Now, it would appear, his son William Clay Ford Jr. will be in charge. Perhaps a changing of the old guard to the new will bring better fortunes to the Lions. Then again -- sometimes Jr. is referred to as "Mustang Billy", though that term never made a lot of sense. The creation of the classic Ford Mustang itself is thought to be the brainchild of former Ford CEO Lee Iacocca.
At any rate, it's highly doubtful Will Jr. had any hand in creating it. Why? Because the Mustang debuted in 1964 -- when Jr. was 6 years old. He might have been a bright kid -- but he wasn't THAT bright.
How do I know this? Because over Sr.'s reservations at the time back in 2000, Jr. insisted Matt Millen was the answer to all the problems that had ailed the Lions over the years. By God, Millen was a football man, a genius, and he would take them to the promised land in short order, quoth the heir apparent. Senior signed off on it, and we know how all that turned out.
So now Jr's in charge calling the shots.
It ain't looking good for the next few decades either......
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