Howard FORD

After representing Cambridge at skiing and as a shot putter (1927-28), Howard Ford placed second in the first-ever AAA decathlon in 1928 but failed to finish the Olympic event later in the year. He won the AAA pole vault in 1929 and at the 1930 British Empire games he won a silver medal in the pole vault, placed fifth in the shot, and sixth in the discus. He was the RAF Champion in both the pole vault and the shot and his discus best, set in Hungary in 1928, eluded statisticians for many years. Ford enjoyed a distinguished RAF career, reaching the rank of Air Vice Marshal two years before his retirement in 1962. He was awarded the CBV (1959), CBE (1954), and AFC (1944).

Personal Bests: PV – 3.73 (12-3) (1931); SP – 13.21 (43-4¼) (1933); DT – 39.74 (130-4½) (1928); Dec – 4854 (85 Tables) (1928).