University of Tennessee Athletics
Staff Directory
Ford, Bud
Bud Ford
- Title:
- Historian Emeritus
- Email:
- Phone:
- (865) 567-6287
Updated: April 2025
Harris D. "Bud" Ford was appointed to the role of Athletic Department Historian in October of 2018 and now serves as its Historian Emeritus.
Ford has assisted the UTAD executive and athletic communications staffs with archiving and various projects and requests of a historical nature.
After an athletic media relations career spanning almost 46 years, Ford—a UT graduate—retired from his alma mater in December 2011.
Ford began his UT career as a part-time employee in the Vols' sports publicity office in 1964 while he completed his undergraduate studies. He pioneered Tennessee's position of full-time assistant sports information director (SID) in 1966 upon completion of his degree in retailing.
For the next 35 years, he worked alongside CoSIDA Hall of Famer and Associate Athletics Director Haywood Harris. Ford was promoted to Sports Information Director in January of 1987 and was named Assistant Athletics Director for Sports Information in March of 1989. He completed the last 10 years of his career as Associate Athletics Director for Media Relations.
He received the prestigious Arch Ward Award in July of 2006 as the CoSIDA member who had made outstanding contributions to the field of college sports information.
A member of three halls of fame, Ford was inducted into Tennessee Sports Writers Association (TSWA) Hall of Fame in July of 2010. Previously, he had been elected to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Hall of Fame in May of 2001 and the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame in 2006. In 2023, he received the Distinguished American Award from the East Tennessee chapter of the NFF Hall of Fame.
He currently serves as a member of the selection committee for the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame
Ford, a Knoxville native, graduated from West High School in 1962. He and his wife, Sandra, reside in the Halls Crossroads community. They are active members of Salem Baptist Church and have two grown children—Brent, a graduate of the University of Tennessee who currently works in the medical service field with HCA in Nashville and Julie (Shinlever), who completed her teaching degree at Carson-Newman College and is a fourth-grade teacher at Rocky Hill Elementary School.
Harris D. "Bud" Ford was appointed to the role of Athletic Department Historian in October of 2018 and now serves as its Historian Emeritus.
Ford has assisted the UTAD executive and athletic communications staffs with archiving and various projects and requests of a historical nature.
After an athletic media relations career spanning almost 46 years, Ford—a UT graduate—retired from his alma mater in December 2011.
Ford began his UT career as a part-time employee in the Vols' sports publicity office in 1964 while he completed his undergraduate studies. He pioneered Tennessee's position of full-time assistant sports information director (SID) in 1966 upon completion of his degree in retailing.
For the next 35 years, he worked alongside CoSIDA Hall of Famer and Associate Athletics Director Haywood Harris. Ford was promoted to Sports Information Director in January of 1987 and was named Assistant Athletics Director for Sports Information in March of 1989. He completed the last 10 years of his career as Associate Athletics Director for Media Relations.
He received the prestigious Arch Ward Award in July of 2006 as the CoSIDA member who had made outstanding contributions to the field of college sports information.
A member of three halls of fame, Ford was inducted into Tennessee Sports Writers Association (TSWA) Hall of Fame in July of 2010. Previously, he had been elected to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Hall of Fame in May of 2001 and the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame in 2006. In 2023, he received the Distinguished American Award from the East Tennessee chapter of the NFF Hall of Fame.
He currently serves as a member of the selection committee for the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame
Ford, a Knoxville native, graduated from West High School in 1962. He and his wife, Sandra, reside in the Halls Crossroads community. They are active members of Salem Baptist Church and have two grown children—Brent, a graduate of the University of Tennessee who currently works in the medical service field with HCA in Nashville and Julie (Shinlever), who completed her teaching degree at Carson-Newman College and is a fourth-grade teacher at Rocky Hill Elementary School.
FB | Cinematic Recap vs. ETSU (9.6.25)
Tuesday, September 09
FB | Kelsey Pope Press Conference (9.9.25)
Tuesday, September 09
FB | Arion Carter Media Availability (9.9.25)
Tuesday, September 09
FB | Sam Pendleton Media Availability (9.9.25)
Tuesday, September 09
