Mel Farr

Mel Farr (born November 3, 1944 in Beaumont, Texas) is a former American football player who played for the Detroit Lions. He played college football for UCLA.

Early life
As a youth, Farr played football, baseball, track and basketball. He graduated from Hebert High School in 1963, where he lettered in football, basketball, baseball, and track. He was named All-State in football and track and All-District in basketball.

UCLA
Farr played football for the UCLA Bruins, where he was a halfback. He started on the 1965 and 1966 varsity teams, part of UCLA's famous Sports Illustrated dubbed "dream backfield" along with eventual Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Gary Beban. Had a 50 yard touchdown run in UCLA's upset of USC in 1965, securing a berth in the 1966 Rose Bowl, a stunning UCLA upset over #1 ranked Michigan State. UCLA's final rankings were #4 and #5 in the AP his two starting years. He finished seventh in the balloting for the 1966 Heisman Trophy (Beban #4 that year). He was a consensus All-American at the school in 1966. He was named to the all AAWU conference team and named All Coast in 1965 and 1966. 1988 Inductee into the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame.

Detroit Lions
He was the number seven overall selection in the first-round in the 1967 NFL draft by Detroit. In 1967, Farr joined the Detroit Lions, and won the year's NFL Rookie of the Year award. He spent his entire career from 1967 through 1973 with the Lions, and earned trips to the Pro Bowl in 1967 and 1970.

Farr and his teammate Lem Barney also sang background vocals on the 1971 Marvin Gaye song "What's Going On".

Mel Farr Ford
After his retirement from pro football, Farr entered the business world, and in 1975 opened the Mel Farr Ford automobile dealership in Oak Park, Michigan. By aggressively targeting the mostly black, poverty stricken, automobile-hungry population of inner city Detroit, he built an auto empire. By 1998, the Mel Farr Auto Group grossed $596.6 million, making it the top black business in the United States and the thirty-third largest auto dealership in the US.

There were legal problems surrounding Farr's controversial On-Time Device, which prevented drivers of leased vehicles from starting the car if they missed payments. In June 2000, Farr settled a suit with customers who complained that the device turned off their cars when they were in motion. Many claimed they had not been late with their payments. Each of the 1,500 customers received $200 worth of coupons for their troubles.

In January 2002, Farr was in discussions to sell his franchises in Oak Park and Waterford Township, Michigan, to Ford Motor Company, who had outstanding liens with Farr. The franchises were sold in April 2002 and subsequently closed

For many years Farr appeared in his dealerships' commercials in a stylish suit and superhero red cape flying through the sky as he was dubbed "Mel Farr, your Superstar dealer". The commercials have earned Farr pop star status in the Detroit area.

Family
Farr is part of a family full of professional football players. He is the younger brother of former AFL and NFL player Miller Farr as well as the father of former NFL players Mel Farr, Jr. and Mike Farr, who both attended UCLA. He married Linda Johnson Rice, the adopted daughter of the late publisher, John H. Johnson of Ebony Magazine in 2004.