Melvin Farr (November 3, 1944 – August 3, 2015) was an American professional football player and businessman.

He was selected as a consensus first-team All-American in 1966, gained over 1,000 yards from scrimmage in both 1965 and 1966, and was inducted into the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame in 1988.

In a career shortened by injury, Farr gained a total of 4,446 yards from scrimmage and scored 36 touchdowns during his seven years in the NFL.

By 1998, Farr's automotive group was cited as the largest African-American owned company in the country.

[7] In 1965, Farr was the starting halfback for Tommy Prothro's UCLA Bruins team that compiled an 8–2–1 record, won the Athletic Association of Western Universities (AAWU) championship, defeated No.

Farr totaled 1,034 yards from scrimmage (809 rushing and 150 receiving) and 11 touchdowns and finished seventh in the Heisman Trophy voting.

[6] At the end of the 1966 season, Farr was a consensus first-team running back on the 1966 College Football All-America Team.

He led the Lions in both rushing yardage and with 39 receptions,[13] and he was selected by the United Press International as the NFL Rookie of the Year.

[15] In October 1968, Farr was named by the AP as the NFL offensive player of the week after totaling 210 yards (138 rushing, 72 receiving) and scoring three touchdowns in a 28–10 victory over the Chicago Bears.

[22] Farr and teammate Lem Barney recorded background vocals on Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On", released in January 1971.

[24] He appeared in nine games in 1971, but only one as a starter, as he continued to be hampered by injuries and lost the starting running back job to Steve Owens (who rushed for over 1,000 yards in 1971) and Altie Taylor.

Farr had his best game of the season on October 22, 1972, gaining 96 yards and scoring two touchdowns on 22 carries against the San Diego Chargers.

[31] In November 1975, after retiring from the NFL, Farr invested his savings to purchase a boarded-up Ford dealership in Oak Park, Michigan.

[36][37] There were legal problems surrounding Farr's On-Time Device,[38] 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.

[44] His third wife was Jasmine Rozier, with whom he had a daughter, Melia (b. November 3, 2015), born shortly after Farr died.

Farr died at his home in Detroit on August 3, 2015, at age 70 of a massive heart attack.