Mel Farr
Farr from 1965 UCLA yearbook | |||||||||||||
| No. 24 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Running back | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | November 3, 1944 Beaumont, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Died | August 3, 2015 (aged 70) Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 210 lb (95 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school | Hebert (Beaumont) | ||||||||||||
| College | UCLA | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1967: 1st round, 7th overall pick | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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Melvin Farr (November 3, 1944 – August 3, 2015) was an American professional football player and businessman.
A native of Beaumont, Texas, Farr played college football as a halfback on the 1965 and 1966 UCLA Bruins football teams that were ranked No. 4 and No. 5 respectively in the final AP Polls. 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.
Farr was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the first round, seventh overall pick, of the 1967 NFL/AFL draft and played seven years as a running back for the Lions. He led the Lions in both rushing and receiving in 1967, totaling 1,177 yards from scrimmage as a rookie, and was selected as the NFL Rookie of the Year. He was twice selected to play in the Pro Bowl, in 1967 and 1970. 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.
After retiring from football, Farr acquired a Ford Motor Company dealership in 1975, eventually expanding his business to 11 dealerships in five states. By 1998, Farr's automotive group was cited as the largest African-American owned company in the country. His business failed in 2002 following adverse publicity and lawsuits relating to sales and finance practices.