[2], https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mel_Farr_Jr.&oldid=983952734, Sportspeople from Santa Monica, California, Players of American football from California, American football running back, 1960s birth stubs, NFL player missing current team parameter, Infobox NFL biography articles with old NFL.com URL, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 17 October 2020, at 07:36. His brain and spinal cord were donated by his family to Boston University School of Medicine, where an autopsy revealed he had CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) a disease commonly found in football players. Mel Farr Jr. has done everything just right to have himself in prime position for the National Football League draft next spring. I hurt not knowing how my daddy suffered and what he was dealing with.”, “What happened to Mel Farr is a sad story, and it actually makes the family’s loyalty to the game that much more fascinating. Mel Farr, who rose to fame with the Detroit Lions before launching a second career as an automotive dealer, has died at the age of 70, the team confirmed … He also played for the Denver Broncos in 1988. After Farr Jr. retired from football, he worked with his dad in the car business. At perhaps the peak of his career he paired with Donald Trump in an unsuccessful attempt to open a Detroit casino. Both of Farr’s sons, Mike and Mel Jr., who also played in the NFL, are now experiencing similar symptoms,” said Hays. His brain and spinal cord were donated by his family to Boston University School of Medicine, where an autopsy revealed he had CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) a disease commonly found in football players.
Farr is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. Farr died on August 13, 2015 of a heart attack. . His father Mel Farr Sr. was a running back for the Detroit Lions in the 1970’s. Born in Beaumont, Texas on November 3, 1944, Melvin Farr was a running back for the Detroit Lions and owner of one of the country’s largest black-owned businesses. The special explores what football means to America and examines how it intersects with everyday life in communities all over the country. The patriarch of the group, Mel Farr, was a Pro Bowl running back in the 1960s and 70s, while his brother, Miller Farr, built an equally impressive résumé around the league as a defensive back. Both sons went on to play football at UCLA, and then professional football in the NFL. Farr closed his suburban dealerships in 2002, severing his relationship with Ford. In 1984 recruiting stars did not exist as much as they do today, but with the rankings and ratings as it is done today Pitt would have signed 3 Five Star prospects in the Class of 1984. His goal was to open a mega dealership in Detroit selling new and used cars, but he left the car business in 2003 after selling his last dealership. Today on Outside the Lines the daughter of former Detroit Lions star Mel Farr discussed her father’s diagnosis of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). His “Mel Farr Superstar” TV commercials, featuring a red-caped Farr flying through the air, were renown. During the 1967 NFL draft, Farr was selected number seven overall in the first round and won the Rookie of the Year award. In later years he faced negative publicity and class action law suits for the high interest rates and allegedly poor quality of cars sold to his inner-city customers. He also had a daughter, Monet, with his first wife Mae Forbes, and a daughter, Melia with his third wife Jasmine Rozier. Two sons from his first marriage, Mel Farr, Jr. and Mike played for the NFL. He attended and played college football for the UCLA Bruins. Farr passed away suddenly, Aug. 3 at the age of 70.Farr is survived by his wife, Jasmine, daughters Monet and Milan, and sons Mel Jr. and Mike. There are few families as firmly entrenched in Detroit lore than the Farrs. “When Farr died suddenly of a heart attack in August of 2015 at age 70, the family decided to have his brain tested for CTE. “What we discovered is, despite the increased concern about health and safety, football still has great meaning in many segments of our society and in several of the towns and cities we visited, the game plays a fundamental role in bringing people together.”, Subscribe to our newsletter to get daily updates, father’s diagnosis of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, Journalism on Display: ESPN NBA Reporters Win Prestigious Writing Awards, ‘It’s a story about sports, immigration, and activism all in one.’, Journalism on Display: The Undefeated’s story leads to investigation, resignation in college coaching ranks, ‘They all begin with fascinating questions, introduce riveting characters, and take listeners on a storytelling journey . “One of our jobs on Outside the Lines is not only to hold people accountable and to seek the truth but also to reflect reality, so we asked our producers to find stories about people dealing with real issues and determine what role football plays in their lives,” Hays said.
While playing football, Farr finished a degree from the University of Detroit and worked during the off season for Ford Motor Company’s management department. Due to injuries, Farr retired from football in 1973, and transitioned into a car dealership career. ET, ESPN). “Football players are these big macho guys they’re not going to tell you they are hurting. Mel has 1 job listed on their profile. Farr, whose cause of death is unknown pending an autopsy, is survived by his wife, Jasmine, daughters Monet and Milan, and sons Mel Jr., and Mike. Farr spent his entire football career, from 1967 to 1973, with the Lions, earning trips to the All Pro Team in 1967 and 1972. In 1975, Farr opened Mel Farr Ford in Oak Park, Michigan. © 2020 Detroit Historical Society.
“As we were reporting our story, producer Pia Malbran learned from the family that Mel Farr Sr. had struggled with memory loss the last couple of years of his life,” said coordinating producer Tim Hays. (Saturday, Feb. 4, 10:15 p.m. .
[42] [43] Farr was married three times. .’, Journalism on Display: ‘SC Featured’ Wins Two Edward R. Murrow Awards, ‘.
Farr is the son of former NFL player Mel Farr, the nephew of former American Football League and NFL player Miller Farr, and the older brother of former NFL player Mike Farr. Targeting the inner-city’s need for automobiles and financing, Farr served a population with high credit risk through creative management and marketing ideas. Farr died on August 13, 2015 of a heart attack. “My daddy was suffering and he suffered in silence,” Bartell tells Outside the Lines. The tests came back positive, but the family has never released that information publicly until now.”, Farr’s daughter Monet Bartell and son Mike Farr agreed to appear on Outside the Lines today with host Bob Ley to discuss the news about their father.
By 1998, the Mel Farr Auto Group grossed $596.6 million, making it the top African American business in the United States and the 33rd largest auto dealership in the U.S. Farr helped found the Black Ford Lincoln and Mercury Dealers Association, later renamed the Ford Motor Minority Dealers Association. On tonight’s edition of the Sports Exchange, we welcome back Mel Farr Jr. Farr is a former running back for the LA Rams from 1989-1990. View Mel Farr Jr’s profile on LinkedIn, the world's largest professional community. They had two sons, Mel Farr Jr., born in 1966, and Mike Farr, born in 1967, and one daughter, Monet. All Rights Reserved. Melvin Farr Jr. (born August 12, 1966) is a former American football running back who played one season for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). Farr is part of a family full of professional football players. The Mel Farr piece is just one of seven stories that will be featured in Outside the Lines: Football Forever?. The news came out when OTL was reporting on the Farr family’s football history as part of its primetime special OTL: Football Forever? | 5401 Woodward, Detroit, MI 48202. He attended and played college football for the UCLA Bruins. After graduating from Herbert High School in 1963, Farr played football for the UCLA Bruins as a halfback. “Despite the fact that years of repeated blows to the head may have impacted the brain function of all three of them, our story reveals that Monet and her two brothers are still passionately encouraging her 10-year-old son Parker to play football.”. As a family, we are so moved by the way that genuine father-son moment touched people’. Both of Farr’s sons, Mike and Mel Jr., who also played in the NFL, are now experiencing similar symptoms,” said Hays. . Two sons from his first marriage, Mel Farr, Jr. and Mike played for the NFL. Melvin Farr Jr. (born August 12, 1966) is a former American football running back who played one season for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). 13 Mel Farr Jr. via twitter.com. Farr was married to his first wife, Mae Rutha (Forbes) Farr, in the mid-1960s.