Garrett Ford became the first running back to rush for more than 1,000 yards during the 1966 season playing for coach Jim Carlen.

The West Virginia athletic community lost a legend Sunday night.

Former Mountaineers running back Garrett Ford Sr. passed away from a lingering illness in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Sunday night.

Ford Sr. was one of the all-time great WVU running backs. He was the first WVU running back to rush for over 1,000 yards in a year and over 2,000 during a career. The back totaled 2,167 rushing yards, 16 rushing touchdowns and 20 total touchdowns from 1965-67. He had eight 100-yard games and totaled 120 career points.

Ford’s best game was arguably in the Backyard Brawl in 1965, where he rushed for 133 yards in the second quarter, tallying a 192-yard day, and 268 all-purpose yards. The Mountaineers won 63-48.

After his time with WVU, Ford was drafted in the third round by the Denver Broncos. He spent one year with the Broncos, and then came back to Morgantown in 1970, becoming WVU’s first African American assistant coach. Ford coached under Bobby Bowden.

Ford moved on from coaching and became an athletic department academic counselor in 1977, and later became the assistant athletic director in 1985. In 2002, Ford became the associate athletic director.

Ford was inducted into the West Virginia University Sports Hall of Fame in 1995 and the School of Physical Education Hall of Fame in 2004.

Funeral arrangements are still pending, but there have been discussions of potentially having a memorial service in Morgantown, according to WVU athletics’ John Antonik.