[1] He graduated from the Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Connecticut, in 1943[2] and received a Bachelor of Science in economics from Yale University in 1949; he was a member of the Psi Upsilon fraternity, captain of the soccer and tennis teams, an honorable mention all American selection in soccer senior year, and winner of seven varsity letters as a collegiate athlete.

William first met Martha at a lunch in New York City arranged and attended by both of their mothers, according to the biography The Fords.

[6] By that time both families had acquired considerable wealth, and the matchup between the grandchildren of two empire-builders was reported by numerous news outlets.

[3] The Continental Division, however, was short-lived and merged with the Lincoln Motor Company shortly before Ford's public stock offering.

According to Forbes magazine, Ford was the 371st richest person in the United States in 2013, with an approximate net worth of $1.4 billion.

[19] During Ford's ownership, he hired sixteen head coaches while the team won 41 percent of their regular-season games, made the playoffs ten times and never appeared in the Super Bowl.

From 1967 until 1989, Ford had Russ Thomas as general manager of the team that saw them win no postseason games in his tenure before he retired.

The decision to fire him only occurred when Ford's son came out in the media to publicly state that he would change general managers if he could do so.

Three years later, the team went through a uniform re-design that saw Ford's initials placed on the left sleeve of the jersey that stayed on until the 2024 season.

[24] Ford also served as chairman of the short-lived Detroit Cougars (1967–1968), a professional soccer team, which played in the USA and NASL leagues.

Ford died of pneumonia, five days before his 89th birthday, at his home in Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan, on March 9, 2014.