Former Auburn DB Rudy Ford motivated by bedridden mother
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Only a select few college football players get picked in the NFL Draft, but former Auburn DB Rudy Ford, a sixth-round selection, knows he has plenty of work to do to secure his spot with the Arizona Cardinals. After all, the Cardinals’ last two sixth-round picks did not make the active roster coming out of training camp, as Kyle Odegard of azcardinals.com notes in his latest feature on Ford and his mother, Terrie.
After suffering a heart attack three years ago, Terrie has not been able to move or communicate. Any time Rudy needs motivation to get up and continue to work toward his goal, he thinks of his mother.
“She can’t physically move,” Ford told Odegard. “Me, I get up every day and I move. There’s a part of me that moves for her. We’re not from the wealthiest (background) so I move for her and my family.”
For Ford, part of that is learning and understanding the playbook. The Cardinals are not practicing or in training camp right now, but that hasn’t stopped Ford from reaching out to his coaches. Ford told Odegard that he tries to be mindful of the fact that coaches have lives when camp isn’t in session.
“They’ve got their personal time, but at the same time, if I have a question, they do pick up their phone,” he said. “Like, ‘This is how you correct that.’ ‘Thank you, Coach. I appreciate your time.’ And then I let them go about their day.”
His eagerness to learn has already man an impression on coach Bruce Arians.
“He’s extremely bright,” Arians said.
Odegard’s full feature on Ford and his mother can be read here.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
