Ike Forte
Encyclopedia
Donald Roy "Ike" Forte is a former American football
running back
in the National Football League
for the New England Patriots
, the Washington Redskins
, and the New York Giants
. He played college football
at the University of Arkansas
and was drafted
in the second round of the 1976 NFL Draft
.
, playing two seasons. He earned junior college All-America honors in his sophomore season when he ran for 1,175 yards.
Next moving to Arkansas, Forte was the leading rusher for the team in his junior and senior seasons, earning All-Southwest Conference honors in both 1974 and 1975. He had eight 100-yard games rushing and finished as the third best rusher in team history to that point.
In 1975, Forte was a co-captain and a key player in the Hogs winning the Southwest Conference title and, in his last college game, he led the team in an upset of the Georgia Bulldogs
in the 1976 Cotton Bowl Classic. In that game, he rushed for 119 yards and two touchdowns, earning the game's Most Outstanding Offensive Player award.
with New England after being drafted in the second round (38th pick overall) by the team. Over 64 games in the league, Forte scored seven touchdowns while gaining 511 yards rushing and 387 yards receiving.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
for the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
, the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
, and the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at the University of Arkansas
Arkansas Razorbacks
The Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the names of college sports teams at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The term Arkansas Razorbacks properly applies to any of the sports teams at the university. The Razorbacks take their name from the feral pig of the same name...
and was drafted
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
in the second round of the 1976 NFL Draft
1976 NFL Draft
The 1976 National Football League Draft was an annual player selection meeting held on April 8–April 9, 1976. It lasted 17 rounds, with the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks making the first two selections. The expansion teams were also given a pair of extra picks at the end of...
.
College career
Forte began his college career with the Tyler Junior CollegeTyler Junior College
Tyler Junior College is a two-year community college in Tyler, Texas, United States. TJC is one of the largest community colleges in Texas, with an enrollment of more than 12,000 credit students each year with an additional 20,000 continuing education enrollments annually. Its West Campus includes...
, playing two seasons. He earned junior college All-America honors in his sophomore season when he ran for 1,175 yards.
Next moving to Arkansas, Forte was the leading rusher for the team in his junior and senior seasons, earning All-Southwest Conference honors in both 1974 and 1975. He had eight 100-yard games rushing and finished as the third best rusher in team history to that point.
In 1975, Forte was a co-captain and a key player in the Hogs winning the Southwest Conference title and, in his last college game, he led the team in an upset of the Georgia Bulldogs
Georgia Bulldogs
The Georgia Bulldogs are the athletic teams of the University of Georgia. The Bulldogs compete in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and are members of the Southeastern Conference...
in the 1976 Cotton Bowl Classic. In that game, he rushed for 119 yards and two touchdowns, earning the game's Most Outstanding Offensive Player award.
Professional career
Forte began his journeyman career in the National Football LeagueNational Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
with New England after being drafted in the second round (38th pick overall) by the team. Over 64 games in the league, Forte scored seven touchdowns while gaining 511 yards rushing and 387 yards receiving.