Click here for Ford's Cornell Football Bio
Junior Season - 2008
A first-team All-Ivy League selection as a utility player, Ford had one of the greatest seasons in Cornell history in 2008. He batted .410 for the season, good for third-highest all-time, while his 17 doubles are the most in a season. He proved his versatility by starting 23 games at third base and 16 at catcher for the injured Adam Jacobs. Ford went 4-for-4 with a run against Pitt on March 16, then had a 3-for-4 performance against nationally ranked Miami two days later, driving in three runs against the Hurricanes. The following day, he went 5-for-12 in a doubleheader against Long Island, scoring two runs and driving in four. He was even better in Ivy League play, posting a .419 average with 12 doubles, two triples and two home runs to go along with 13 runs scored and 13 driven in. Against eventual league champion Columbia, Ford went 12-for-17 with two runs scored, four driven in, four doubles and a triple. Ford led the team with 15 multi-hit games and had a team-best 14 game hitting streak from March 16 against Pitt through April 5 at Brown.
Sophomore Season - 2007
Ford started in all 38 of Cornell’s games as a sophomore, making 27 starts at third base and 11 at catcher, and earned second-team All-Ivy League honors for his play at the hot corner. He excelled at both positions defensively, posting a .964 fielding percentage (five errors in 139 chances), and was named the team’s Most Valuable Player. He also had success throwing out would-be base stealers, picking off six of 14 attempts. At the plate, Ford posted a team-best .338 average (48-of-142) with two home runs, 16 runs scored and a team-high 27 runs batted in. He had the team’s only five-hit game on April 24 against Penn, going 5-for-6 with a run and three RBI - his third game with three RBI on the year (also driving in three in both games of a doubleheader on March 4 against Bucknell).
Freshman Season - 2006
Ford batted .290 as a freshman, starting in 19 of the 24 games he appeared in — 14 of those starts came at third base. He picked up his first collegiate hit in his first start, going 2-for-5 with a run scored and one driven in against Illinois. He collected a season-high three hits in the second game against Penn on April 15. In that double-header, Ford went 5-for-8 with four runs scored. For the season, he had 11 runs scored and nine driven in.
At Palo Alto
A two-time first-team All-Santa Clara Valley Athletic League selection, Ford was also named San Jose Mercury News second-team All-Central Coast Section as a junior. He led Palo Alto in home runs in both 2004 and 2005, and he won the team batting title in his junior year. Ford was also highly recruited out of high school as a quarterback. The two-year tri-captain was named the league’s Outstanding Offensive Player and first-team all-league and honorable mention all-state as a senior. In 2004, Ford was awarded the San Jose Mercury News All-Central Coast Junior of the Year. For his career, Ford threw for 6,357 yards and 72 touchdowns, while running for 19 more.
Personal
Nathan Edward Ford is the son of Kevin and Celeste Ford, and he has two sisters. He is enrolled in Cornell’s College of Engineering. Ford is a two-sport star at Cornell, serving as the starting quarterback on the varsity football team for three seasons. His 6,266 career passing yards are eighth-most in Ivy League history and second at Cornell, while his 6,707 total yards places him ninth in the Ivy League. He accounted for 37 career touchdowns (26 passing, 11 rushing) in his three seasons.
