DETROIT -- Mel Farr, the former Detroit Lions running back who became owner of the nation’s largest black-owned dealership group, has died at the age of 70.
Two years after retiring from the NFL, Farr acquired a Ford dealership in suburban Detroit in 1975, and he eventually grew his automotive empire to a chain of 11 dealerships. The group had Ford, Toyota, Mazda, Suzuki, Volkswagen and Hyundai stores.
His post-football persona was “Mel Farr, Superstar” -- the pitch he used in local TV commercials for his dealerships.