MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - Being the grandson of Garrett Ford Sr. and the nephew of Garrett Ford Jr.,
Bryce Ford-Wheaton playing football at West Virginia University was almost a birthright.
"It was really a dream come true because when I was young I was kind of pushed toward this," Ford-Wheaton admits in this week's Life as a Mountaineer. "I could never really imagine myself going anywhere else but West Virginia. I would take recruiting visits and stuff but at the end of the day I couldn't see myself being anywhere else in the nation."
Of course, any Mountaineer fan with their weight in Gold and Blue knows the name Garrett Ford, one of West Virginia's pioneering athletes in the mid-1960s when the United States was becoming a more inclusive country.
Ford was a big-name running back from DeMatha High in Washington, D.C., who turned down big-time offers to play for the Mountaineers. Garrett became the first back in WVU history to rush for more than 1,000 yards during his junior season in 1966.
"My grandfather, Garrett Ford Sr., came to Morgantown in 1964 during a pretty rough time in history with the Civil Rights Movement going on," Bryce says. "He came here with my grandmother (Thelma). They had my mom in Morgantown and he was lucky enough to have a pretty good career here and went on to play in the NFL before returning to Morgantown to be on coach Bobby Bowden's staff. He had my uncle (Garrett Jr.) here too and they lived in Morgantown pretty much their whole lives."
Garrett Ford Jr.'s Mountaineer legacy is also pretty secure playing on a Gator Bowl team in 1989 and accumulating more than 1,500 yards rushing and 12 touchdowns in four seasons playing for Hall of Fame coach Don Nehlen.
"My uncle grew up here and went to Morgantown High. He also followed in my grandfather's footsteps and played here, wore his number and everything," Bryce says. "Then comes me down the line. I followed in my whole family's footsteps. I came here and added Ford to my last name to really honor them."
Bryce is having his best season in 2021 with 37 catches for 502 yards and three touchdown following Saturday's 31-23 victory over Texas. He had eight catches for 93 yards in West Virginia's close loss at Oklahoma, and he caught six passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns' in WVU's 38-31 upset victory over 22
nd-ranked Iowa State on Oct. 30.
In the game, Ford-Wheaton made an amazing touchdown catch in the back of the end zone that made SportsCenter and has been replayed again and again on social media.
"I watched it, honestly, as much as anybody else," he says. "Every time it comes across my timeline and somebody tags me I watch it. It's kind of hard for me to believe that's actually me."
Bryce recalls the days running around on the field at Milan Puskar Stadium with his brother and to have one of his catches added to the stadium's lore is mind blowing. He said he has vivid memories of watching some of the recent Mountaineer greats performing here.
"I remember sitting up in the (press) box where my grandfather would sit watching all those crazy plays. I remember the Chris Henry catch (against Maryland in 2004). I was here for Stedman (Bailey), Tavon (Austin), Bruce Irvin and all of them," he says. "So, for my catch being considered up there with them it's a crazy feeling. There's probably some kid sitting up in the same spot watching a play like that so he's probably thinking the same thing."
Ford-Wheaton admits there is an adrenaline rush whenever he's performing before a packed stadium full of Mountaineer fans.
"Not too many people have been on the field to hear what the crowd sounds like and all of the buzz in the air, but it's pretty cool because you can actually hear it," he says. "When you are open that's how I always know the ball is coming to me because you hear that 'oooohhhh' and you have the ability to make the play and make the crowd go wild.
"When I get the chance to do that it's a great feeling," he concludes.
This week's Life as a Mountaineer was produced by Meghan Crain and is presented each week by Panhandle Cleaning & Restoration.
