The U.S. Army Parachute Team, the Golden Knights, hosted a tandem skydiving camp for a group of community leaders, educators and local guests in Frederick, Maryland, on July 29, 2026, giving each participant a firsthand look at the precision and teamwork required of the U.S. Army's aerial demonstration team.
Among the participants was former Detroit Lions wide receiver Dontez Ford, who completed a tandem jump from twelve thousand five hundred feet.
Ford, a McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, native, played college football at Syracuse University as a defensive back before transferring to the University of Pittsburgh, where he switched positions to wide receiver. At Pittsburgh, Ford led the team in yards per catch and was named a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, an award recognizing the top scholar-athlete in college football. He later signed with the Detroit Lions.
After his football career, Ford entered the medical technology industry and has continued to mentor young athletes in the Pittsburgh area.
The Golden Knights serve as the official aerial demonstration and competition parachute team of the United States Army. Formed in 1959 and based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, the team is composed of active-duty Soldiers drawn from across the Army and organized into demonstration, competition, tandem and aviation sections. Its mission is to conduct parachute demonstrations, competitions and tandem operations that connect the Army with the American public and promote opportunities for service.
| Date Taken: | 07.29.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 07.31.2026 18:11 |
| Category: | Interviews |
| Video ID: | 1017146 |
| VIRIN: | 260729-A-AE864-3009 |
| Filename: | DOD_111876163 |
| Length: | 00:02:21 |
| Location: | FREDERICK, MARYLAND, US |
| Downloads: | 0 |
| High-Res. Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Former NFL Receiver Dontez Ford Jumps with Golden Knights, by Frank Strumila, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
