Wednesday, November 4, 1998

Ford top of the line(backer) for Cooper

By JEFF WALKER

Staff Writer

The middle linebacker on defense is the equivalant to the quarterback on offense.

Both players relay instructions from the coaches on the sidelines, both bark out signals to the rest of the team, both relay audibles at the line of scrimmage based on the way the opposition lines up and both play intregal roles on every play.

One of the best defensive signal-callers in District 4-5A is Cooper's Coby Ford.

"He's a guy that has worked very hard and developed his ability to be a team leader," Cooper head coach Randy Allen said. "He's one of the players we look to for leadership and with him coming back this week, we have a chance to solidify our defense."

Ford has been out of the lineup the last two weeks battling a knee injury, and no one was more excited about his return than Ford himself.

"It's been a struggle because this is my senior year," he said. "I missed a couple games my sophomore year and one game last year, but this year the games I missed were crucial in determining if we went to the playoffs. It was tough sitting on the sidelines and normally I'm happy to be at practice but (Monday) I couldn't be any happier than when I put on the pads and got back on the field."

The second-happiest person to see Ford throw away his crutches may be Cooper defensive coordinator Joe Crousen.

"He's very intense, he's a very heady player and he's been like that as long as he's been a three-year starter," Crousen said. "He can get us lined up and he makes the right calls, he's the search light on our punt team. He makes real good decisions and is an excellent pass defender too."

Before missing two games with the knee injury, Ford was leading the team in tackles and assists with 20 and 19, respectively. He also has one sack and caused a fumble.

Allen said one of the things he likes most about Ford is his versatility.

"We like to move Coby around sometimes so he's not always lined up at the middle linebacker position," Allen said. "He played outside as a sophomore and junior so he's familiar with it."

Versatility is one of Ford's strengths, but Allen didn't have a tough time handing out a few more.

"He has great physical strength, he's intelligent and has game-savvy," he said. "He's a competitor, he's developed into a team leader and he's unselfish, he's a team player."

One adjective Allen left out was inspirational.

Ford keeps a football card of Jacksonville Jaguars' linebacker Bryce Paup on the sun visor of his truck. He also writes his father's initials on his gloves before every game.

"He's a great leader and I keep it there to remind me to try and get to the level where he needs to be to play football," Ford said of his football role model.

When it comes to off-the-field role model, Ford quickly pointed to his father, who was injured in an automobile accident last year that left him paralyzed from the waist down.

"I look to him a lot," Ford said. "He's taught me everything I know, how to be a good human being, how to play football. He's been through a lot and he keeps bouncing back."

Ford has received interest from several colleges. Out-of-state schools, he said, need not inquire.

"I've talked to people from TCU, SMU, Texas and Tech," he said. "I want to stay close to home. I've heard from some schools out of state but I don't listen too much to what they say because I'm not planning on leaving Texas."

Right now, however, Ford has his sights set on his immediate future, which includes the cross-town shootout Friday night with Abilene High.

"I'm not really thinking about (college) right now," he said. "I won't worry about that until after the season is over."

Jeff Walker can be reached at 676-6711 or sports@abinews.com.