Ford made 506 appearances for Gloucester, scoring 146 tries, represented Gloucestershire 46 times, won four caps for England and sported the famed Barbarians shirt on three occasions.
Now a Gloucester club ambassador, Ford has taken turns at fixture secretary, team secretary, selectors chairman, club trustee, chairman and president.
His contribution to Gloucester Rugby is superbly summed up by Malc King's text on the excellent Gloucester Rugby Heritage website:
Peter Ford is the epitome of the committed club man. He enjoyed a long and distinguished playing career for Gloucester, during which he captained the club for five seasons, and earned representative honours for England and Gloucestershire.
His attitude can best be summed up in his own words that it was "such an honour to play for Gloucester" - he was "always proud to wear the jersey".
Unusually his playing and administrative duties for the club overlapped - after his initial retirement as a player, he accompanied the team as a committee man, but travelled with his boots, and the team were pleased to continue to call upon his considerable presence in various hours of need on the field of play.
He has served the club faithfully and well in many other capacities - as team secretary, on the grounds committee, as chairman of selectors, as a trustee of the club, as Chairman and as President.
He was influential in the club coming to terms with a more commercial environment, for example by procuring substantial sponsorship; and in the development of the ground, for example in transforming the Deans Walk end from the cinder and ashes of the tump into the first hospitality boxes.
He also served England well, not only as a player, but also as an administrator - he was the Gloucestershire representative on the RFU committee, and an England selector for four seasons.
Initially he may have had misgivings about the professionalization of rugby and the consequential changes to the club, but as ever the club came first in his mind, and he adapted to these changes, and continues to be the welcoming face of Gloucester Rugby by entertaining the committees of visiting teams.
Superb stuff and a huge well done to Peter.
