President’s Day

As we take this day to remember the greats that have led our dear nation, let’s look at the President’s that most loved sports.

 

Gerald Ford

Although Ford was never elected to the office of president, he is the most athletically gifted Commander in Chief. Ford played linebacker, center and long snapper at the University of Michigan. In 1932 and 1933 Michigan won the national title and went undefeated with Ford as their star player. Both the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears tried to entice Ford to the professional ranks. Instead he took a job coaching at Yale University where he hoped to go to their law school.

 

George W. Bush

Although Bush’s own abilities do not match up to Ford’s he has an obvious love for sports, especially America’s Past Time. In 1989 Bush invested $500,000 into owning the Texas Rangers. He would own and help mange the team for 5 years. He would regularly attend games, not sitting in box seats but in the open seats. Bush would eventually sell the team and enter politics. However, he is still a regular at Texas Ranger and SMU basketball games. He does various races in honor of veterans of the Iraq war as well.

 

Barack Obama

Obama’s love of sports has been well covered over the last 10 years. His brother in law coached at the Division 1 level, he regularly appeared on ESPN to do an NCAA Tournament bracket. His love of basketball has seen him at many games, NBA and collegiately.

Teddy Roosevelt

Roosevelt was another very active, sports loving president. As a child he was asthmatic and always ill, so he spent his young adult life developing his physical acumen. Whether it was sport hunting or hiking, Roosevelt loved to be active. Roosevelt is also a main reason why American football still exists. In the early 1900s football had claimed the life of too many young men. There were nation wide calls to ban the sport. Roosevelt was a fan of the game and fought for it’s survival.

George Bush

Bush was another one of our President’s to play collegiate athletics. Bush was the captain of Yale’s baseball team where he played 1^st base. Yale would make it to two College World Series in the two years he played.