MI SR0172

Proclaims October 20, 2012, as Willis Ward Day in Michigan, marking 78 years after Ward was benched from a University of Michigan football game against Georgia Tech because he was African-American.

Recognizes Willis Ward as the first African-American football player at the University of Michigan in 40 years and a close friend and roommate of Gerald Ford.

Acknowledges Ward's athletic accomplishments, including winning numerous track and field championships and being named High School Athlete of the Year as a junior at Northwestern High School in Detroit.

Honors Ward's decision to forgo competing in the 1936 Berlin Olympics despite being favored to excel, choosing not to risk persecution by Adolf Hitler.

Recognizes Ward's career achievements including serving as head of the Civil Rights Division at Ford Motor Company, becoming the first African-American probate court judge in Wayne County in 1973, and serving as a U.S. Army lieutenant during World War II.