Mel Farr Mel Farr ( born November 3 , 1944 in Beaumont , Texas ) is a former American football player who played for the Detroit Lions . He played college football for UCLA . Early life . As a youth , Farr played football , baseball , track and basketball . He graduated from Hebert High School in 1963 , where he lettered in football , basketball , baseball , and track . He was named All - State in football and track and All - District in basketball . UCLA . Farr played football for the UCLA Bruins , where he was a halfback . He started on the 1965 and 1966 varsity teams , part of UCLA ' s famous Sports Illustrated dubbed " dream backfield " along with eventual Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Gary Beban . Had a 50 - yard touchdown run in UCLA ' s upset of USC in 1965 , securing a berth in the 1966 Rose Bowl , a stunning UCLA upset over # 1 ranked Michigan State . UCLA ' s final rankings were # 4 and # 5 in the AP his two starting years . He finished seventh in the balloting for the 1966 Heisman Trophy ( Beban # 4 that year ) . He was a consensus All - American at the school in 1966 . He was named to the all AAWU conference team and named All Coast in 1965 and 1966 . 1988 Inductee into the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame . Detroit Lions . He was the number seven overall selection in the first - round in the 1967 NFL draft by Detroit . In 1967 , Farr joined the Detroit Lions , and won the year ' s NFL Rookie of the Year award . He spent his entire career from 1967 through 1973 with the Lions , and earned trips to the Pro Bowl in 1967 and 1970 . Farr and his teammate Lem Barney also sang background vocals on the 1971 Marvin Gaye song " What ' s Going On " . Mel Farr Ford . After his retirement from pro football , Farr entered the business world , and in 1975 opened the Mel Farr Ford automobile dealership in Oak Park , Michigan . By 1998 , the Mel Farr Auto Group grossed $ 596 . 6 million , making it the top black business in the United States and the thirty - third largest auto dealership in the US . There were legal problems surrounding Farr ' s controversial " On - Time Device " , which prevented drivers of leased vehicles from starting the car if they missed payments . In June 2000 , Farr settled a suit with customers who complained that the device turned off their cars when they were in motion . Many claimed they had not been late with their payments . Each of the 1 , 500 customers received $ 200 worth of coupons for their troubles . In January 2002 , Farr was in discussions to sell his franchises in Oak Park and Waterford Township , Michigan , to Ford Motor Company , who had outstanding liens with Farr . The franchises were sold in April 2002 and subsequently closed . For many years Farr appeared in his dealerships ' commercials in a stylish suit and superhero red cape flying through the sky as he was dubbed " Mel Farr , your Superstar dealer " . The commercials have earned Farr pop star status in the Detroit area . Family . Farr is part of a family full of professional football players . He is the younger brother of former AFL and NFL player Miller Farr as well as the father of former NFL players Mel Farr , Jr . and Mike Farr , who both attended UCLA . He married Linda Johnson Rice , the adopted daughter of the late publisher , John H . Johnson of " Ebony " Magazine in 2004 .