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Spotlight on Former Athlete: Judi Ford Nash, Gymnastics/Trampoline 1967 & 68, Miss America 1969Ford put UL on glamorous map By Bruce Brown Written for Athletic Network Judi Ford Nash describes herself as a tomboy.
Since 1969, the world has known her as Judi Ford, Miss America, a title she won in September of 1968 while a student competing in trampoline and gymnastics on an otherwise all-male team at USL.
Both experiences _ a brief stay at USL and Miss America _ made lasting impressions on the native of Belleville, Ill.
“I had been competing in diving since I was 8, and I started with the trampoline at 12 to improve my diving,” said Nash. “I remember Christmas of my senior year (high school), I was competing in Sarasota, Fla.
“I knew (USL coach) Jeff Hennessy, and he told me they had just built an annex to the gym for female athletes, if I was interested. This was before Title IX and there weren’t a lot of sports teams for women.”
The invitation was accepted. Then, once in South Louisiana, Nash discovered a whole new world.
“It was culture shock,” she said. “I remember after about two weeks my roommate saying she was going to ‘pass a comb through her hair.’ I was always saying ‘you guys’ and the other girls said, ‘We’re not guys!’ I remember asking, ‘What cher? What’s a Ragin’ Cajun?’
“I’d had three years of French in high school, but I wasn’t ready for some of the pronunciations (Hebert, Hebert; Melancon, Melancon). But I enjoyed being down there. I picked up on ‘y’all’ right away, and I adapted well to the food.”
Nash added a “wow” factor to the Cajun roster, but also caused frequent confusion for competition organizers. She often competed in men’s events.
“There were not a lot of competitions in gymnastics,” Nash said. “That came later. I was a diver. The mechanics are pretty much the same in diving and trampoline.
“Now there has been a lot of change of equipment. Now you see women doing a full-twisting somersault on the balance beam. Are you kidding me?”
Just when Nash thought she was settled in to college life in the South and competing among men, her glamorous past caught up with her. On a whim, she had entered and won the Boone County beauty pageant at age 16. That led to a State Fair title, as well as the chance to compete in the Miss Illinois pageant.
She then won Miss Illinois, qualifying for a chance to be Miss America.
Nash wanted to perform a trampoline routine for her talent portion, and that broke new boundaries for the tradition-rich pageant.
“The state people said it could go either way,” Nash said. “To be an athlete was not considered that feminine a thing. If you were out running on the streets, people thought you were being chased.
“After Miss Illinois, I was sent to a modeling agency to teach me how to walk. I remember the woman saying, ‘You walk like an athlete.’ I said ‘thank you’ an she said ‘that was not a compliment!’ ”
There were roadblocks ahead to the trampoline routine, since no rules governed such a move. For example, entrants were supposed to perform alone on stage, but a trampolinist needs a spotter for safety reasons.
Also, dancers were allowed to warm up, but Nash was not allowed to prep for her two routines.
“I was really nervous,” Nash said. “Things can happen that the public doesn’t understand. Your knees can buckle. It was a totally different thing from competition. I had a 2:50 routine and you try to keep the flow going. I also got very little sleep the whole week.”
The groundbreaking trampoline routine was a hit, more comfortable than the interview portion to follow.
“Earlier, we had filled out questionnaires,” Nash said. “I had forgotten about it, and hurriedly filled it out in the car. There was one asking, ‘If chosen Miss America, what would be your biggest accomplishment?’ and I said ‘learning to live together.’
“I was the last one called for the Top 5. The first four were asked about being a music major, or about bacteriology, and I was asked about living together _ ‘specifically, how would you do this?’
“I paused for a full 6 seconds. Really? I thought, the others get music and you’re asking me about world peace? I said something about learning you’re no better than your neighbor, and getting along, and I got through it.”
Suddenly, at age 18, the tomboy was Miss America.
“After Miss Illinois in July, there were six weeks before Miss America,” Nash said. “I figured there was no chance. I was athletic, blonde. A blonde hadn’t won in 12 years. At 18, I was too young. My goal was to reach the Top 10, so I would be able to perform on TV on that Saturday. Anything else was gravy (lagniappe, perhaps?).
“Then after the question, when I didn’t mess up, I thought the worst I could do was fourth (runner-up). Then they started calling names, and it was third, then second. When it was the final two of us, I said, gee, there’s an outside chance I could win this thing. I was totally unprepared for the thought of winning it.
“It was kind of overwhelming. I was a tomboy. Pageants were not my thing.”
Nash was immediately whisked from Atlantic City to New York City to begin a whirlwind year that included 250,000 miles of appearances and living out of a suitcase.
Toward the end of her year, she learned 20-25 song-and-dance numbers for a USO Tour of Vietnam the next August.
“That was the most rewarding part of the year,” Nash said. “We were 7 miles from the DMZ (de-militarized zone) in the Mekong Delta. Incoming rounds would shake us out of bed and we’d take shelter in the bunker. Years later, I still hear from veterans who remember our tour there, saying thank you.
“You do grow up quickly and learn how to handle yourself. I also got $10,000, which totally paid for my college education at the University of Illinois.”
Aside from serving as honorary queen of the 1969 Bayou Classic, Nash did not return to USL.
“After I won Miss Illinois, I got a scholarship to attend a state-supported school in Illinois,” she said. “I thought I’d attend Illinois for a year, then transfer back (to USL), but USL had no scholarships for women. Also, I met my future husband and I had a lot of appearances to make.
“Logistically, I needed to be in Illinois, but I loved my time in Louisiana.”
Nash served for 8 years on the President’s Council for Fitness and Sports under Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, a group headed by astronaut Jim Lovell.
“They were looking to get younger people in it, so they chose me and (basketball star) Tom McMillian,” Nash said. “We’d meet three or four times a year and put together programs and plans for children and adults. I’d like to think were were partially responsible for the fitness boom at the time.”
That experience helped Nash later, after years as a corporate sponsor while raising a family, when she used her education degree for an 18-year career as a coach.
“I always wanted to be a PE teacher, and that (President’s Council post) gave me perspective,” she said. “I enjoyed it a lot.”
Nash taught from K-5 to middle school to high school, including middle school basketball and track as well as high school golf among her coaching duties.
She and second husband, attorney Jim Nash, have a blended family of 5 grown children and 8 grandchildren. All 5 offspring were in college at the same time for a couple of years.
An avid golfer, the retired educator still looks like she could compete in any sport she’d care to pursue.
It has been a life well-lived, spiced by the brief stay in South Louisiana when she discovered crawfish were more than just bait. Bruce Brown * * * * * * * * * *
Click here for a overview of the 1968 team performances and a photo of Judi. James & Judi Ford Nash Family below on Memorial Day, 2012
Braden and Tyler are the sons of my older son, Brad (Lisa) Johnson. Caleb is the son of my younger son Brian (Becky) Johnson (he also has new baby Jacob). Kate, Jack, Sam and Anna Rimington are children of my stepdaughter Molly Nash (Ryan) Rimington, and Nate and Adam are children of my stepson Drew (Carrie) Nash. He also has a stepdaughter, Ashley, who is not pictured. I also have another stepdaughter, Kelly Nash (Damian) van der Meer, who was recently married and lives in Australia. Click here for Judi’s Athletic Network profile. * * * * * * * * * *
Our rich athletic traditions were entrusted to the vision, hope, loyalty, and dedication of those former athletes and we will forever owe them a debt of sincere gratitude. May God bless each of them and their families.
Anyone with information, materials, pictures, memorabilia, etc., of the university’s former athletic program participants is requested to contact Ed Dugas at athleticnetwork@louisiana.edu Thank you.
The Photo Gallery Link located on the left side of the home page at www.athleticnetwork.net contains over 12,000 pictures of former and current athletes and support groups. Just click on photo gallery and when the menu appears, click on the sport or support group you wish to view. The years of pictures posted for that team or group will appear and you may click on the year you wish to view. One click on a thumbnail picture or narrative and it is enlarged; a click on the enlarged photo and it reverts back to the thumbnail. The Athletic Network seeks to post pictures of each team and support group for each year they represented the university. The stories of the previous honorees featured in the Spotlight on Former Athletes have been moved from the News Page to the Archived News Page. Please click on the title of any current news story, then the Archived News link in the upper left to go to the Archived News Calendar. The Spotlight on Former Athletes announcement has also been placed in the profile of each honoree, excluding the pictures. 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009
Ed Dugas served as feature writer. January – Tim Thompson Men’s Basketball 1957-61. February – Gene Bacque Baseball 1956 & 57. March – Dr. Louis Bowers – Tennis 1956-58, Track 1955, Coaches 1964-66. April – Dr. Carter Lomax, Jr. Tennis 1974-76. May – Johnny Morris, Jr. Football 1927-29,Men’s Basketball 1927-30,Track & Field 1928-30, Golf 1927-28, Coaches 1947-49 . June – S.L.I.I. Athletic Pioneers I July – S.L.I.I. Athletic Pioneers II August – 1912 – A Special Year – First L’Acadien September – Glenn Davis Lafleur Football 1966-69 October – Bill Bass – Boxing 1938 & 39, Football 1938-40, Coach 1971-75 & 1983 November – Tom Nolan – Cross Country & Track & Field 1971-76, Coaches 1978-83 December – Military Personnel – Military Page posted 2008 2007 Ed Dugas served as the initial feature writer and continued until Bruce Brown began writing in 2010. Peace, Ed Dugas
Ed Dugas, Research Coordinator (337)482-0999
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