Wake Forest Athletics
Q&A With Antonio Ford
9/29/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
This article was originally published in the Sept. 6 edition of Kickoff, the official gameday magazine of Wake Forest football.
Q: Why did you choose Wake Forest?
A: Coming from the high school that I came from, we were always the smaller school but we would find a way to win state [chamiponships] and win against the bigger schools. I found the same connection at Wake Forest being a little school in the ACC going against bigger schools like Florida State, Clemson, Duke and still being able to win. On my official visit, everyone made it feel like home. The older guys coming from my town like Antonio Wilson and Alphonso Smith told us the ins and outs of the school before we got here and having Zach [Allen] and Merrill [Noel] coming here and all of us having a connection together helped.
Q: As one of the senior veterans have you taken a leadership role among the offensive linemen?
A: As a veteran on the offensive line, I definitely try to be a leader. I always try to ignite the practices with a lot of screaming and not yelling, but mostly encouraging the younger guys to do things right like practicing hard and lifting hard. I take it upon myself to text everybody and say let's go to film and even when we go to eat, talking more about schemes and making sure we are comfortable for every game.
Q: How has it been playing for new offensive line coach Nick Tabacca?
A: Coach Tabacca is great. He is definitely a technician to the core. He's a really great coach, a really cool down to Earth guy but he will get on you in a second when you mess up. We really like him; the whole group likes him.
Q: What are your plans for after your football career ends?
A: I am majoring in sociology, but I am thinking about doing financial findings for sports athletics at different schools. I actually interned this summer with Barry Faircloth in the Deacon Club. That is a career that I would really like to do. As an intern, I mostly made coffee and copies and things like that, but I also called up donors and asked them to renew their contract for the new season, made sure we got certain tickets out, and made sure that everyone was comfortable with where they were in the Deacon program.
Q: What do you love most about football?
A: What I love most about football is the chase to win. I love going out there and working hard in practice, lifting and running and seeing what it gets you. Seeing your hard work pay off at the end of the day and winning with my teammates is what I love. It's all about them at the end of the day.
Q: Do you have any pre-game superstitions?
A: Before we warm up, I listen to slow music to calm myself down. And I always pray and read the Bible. I am definitely a religious kind of man.
Q: What is your favorite sport at Wake Forest other than football?
A: I follow the basketball team pretty closely at Wake Forest. I always wanted to play basketball. I was never good at it because I can't shoot, but I definitely like watching the basketball team and what they are going to do with Coach Manning.
As told to Scott Wortman, Wake Forest Athletic Communications
