No injury will stop him: Mocs running back as motivated as ever
FLORENCE, S.C. (BVM) — The name Ailym Ford speaks volumes around Florence when it comes to high school football. The now Chattanooga Mocs star running back was a two-time all-state selection at West Florence, where he was awarded the Palmetto Champions Back of the Year award and was a Shrine Bowl selection.
His senior year, he put the Knights on the map, snapping school records by rushing for 2,460 yards and 33 touchdowns. But for some reason, the ferocious tailback was just a two-star prospect, fielding offers from UConn and Chattanooga. After choosing the Mocs and moving to Tennessee, Ford wanted to prove that his “two-star” rating was wide of the mark.
“I definitely played with a chip on my shoulder,” Ford said. “It (the two-star rating) motivated me to go harder, play harder…be the best I can be.”
That’s exactly what he did. In his freshman season for coach Rusty Wright, Ford was named the SoCon Freshman of the Year and was once named National Freshman of the Week after a 200-yard, two-touchdown performance against Mercer. He even eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark, totaling 1,080 yards on the year. All of this with only 10 games under his belt.
In the first quarter of their week 10 game against Samford, Ford went down with a torn ACL.
“I was like ‘man, did this really happen? Did this really happen to me?’” Ford said. “My next thought was that I got to get back up, I can’t have my head down. I have to come back with a purpose.”
So after surgery and some off-time for healing, Ford started to get back on his grind. About a month after the dust started to settle amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, he began training again. This consisted of running, lifting and sticking to a solid diet plan. And he made sure to credit his mother, Teresa, as a big part of the reason why he has continued to stay uplifted and work hard.
“She raised us (himself and two siblings) by herself when we were young…putting food on the table, clothes on our backs, healthy or sick she was working,” Ford said. “If she can do it, I can do it. If she’s working, I’m working.”
Ford also credited growing up in Florence as a factor for his dedication to hard work and the game of football. The relationships he built there supported him then, and they still support him now.
“Florence is a small town. You get a lot of love, support and motivation from the city,” Ford said. “I have good relationships with the people in this city. They know me by face and name.”
With a solid foundation of people around him, on top of his strong self-perseverance, Ford hopes to be ready for the season opener against Western Kentucky, COVID-19 willing. And though he has dreams of making it to the NFL, he has some short-term goals he wants to tackle first.
“Honestly, what I really want to do is complete a full season of college football, cause I haven’t done that yet.” Ford said. “I do have aspirations of going to the league, but I’m taking that day-by-day, year-by-year.”
