Christopher Joseph Ford (born January 11, 1949) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player and

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

. He is known for making the first counted NBA

three-point shot A three-point field goal (also 3-pointer, three, or trey) is a field goal in a basketball game made from beyond the three-point line, a designated arc surrounding the basket. A successful attempt is worth three points, in contrast to the two poi ...

on October 12, 1979.

Amateur career

A 6-foot-5 (1.96 m) guard from

Atlantic City Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, Boardwalk (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...

, Ford played high school basketball at Holy Spirit High School in

Absecon, New Jersey Absecon (, ) is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 8,411,

, He averaged a

Cape-Atlantic League The Cape-Atlantic League (CAL) is an athletic conference consisting of both public high schools and non-public high schools located in Atlantic County, Cape May County Cape May County is the southernmost county in the U.S. state of New Jers ...

record 33 ppg as a senior, and finished with 1,507 career points, which is still a school record. Ford then signed to play at

Villanova University Villanova University is a Private university, private Catholic church, Roman Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinians in 1842 and named after Thomas of Villanova, Sa ...

, sat out his freshman year as required at the time, and then quickly established himself, averaging 16.1 ppg, helping the team advance to the regional finals of the 1970 NCAA University Division basketball tournament, losing to St. Bonaventure 97–74, with the Bonnies led by 26 points by

Bob Lanier Robert Jerry Lanier Jr. (September 10, 1948 – May 10, 2022) was an American professional basketball player who was a center for the Detroit Pistons and the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Lanier was inducted int ...

, a future teammate of Ford with the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at Li ...

. Villanova and Ford continued their winning ways, advancing in the 1971 NCAA University Division basketball tournament to the championship game, losing to

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

and legendary coach John Wooden 68–62. Ford averaged 13.8 ppg on the season. In his senior year, Ford averaged a stellar 17.9 ppg, 6.4 rpg, again helping lead Villanova to the 1972 NCAA tournament, with the team losing in the regional semi-final to Penn 78–67. For his college career, Ford averaged 15.8 ppg, 6.0 rpg, leading Villanova to three consecutive NCAA appearances.

Professional career

Ford was drafted by the Detroit Pistons in the 1974 NBA draft (2nd round, 17th overall pick). Ford established himself as a defensive oriented regular for Detroit, helping lead the team to four straight post-season berths (1974-1977). His averages peaked in the tumultuous 1976-77 Detroit Pistons season with 12.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 4.1 apg, and 7th in steals (179) in the NBA. In October 1978, he was traded by Detroit with a 1981 2nd round draft pick to the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

for

Earl Tatum William Earl Tatum (born July 26, 1953) is a retired American professional basketball player from Mount Vernon, New York. He was a 6'4½" (194 cm) 185 lb (84 kg) guard who played high school basketball at Mount Vernon, where he w ...

. He averaged a career high with 15.6 pgg in the 1978-79 Boston Celtics season and was a member of the 1981 Boston Celtics championship team. He retired after the 1981-82 Boston Celtics season, with 10-year career averages of 9.2 ppg, 3.4 apg, and 1.6 steals per game, remaining in the top 100 for his career in steals per game. Ford also appeared as a member of the Detroit team in the cult classic basketball film

The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh ''The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh'' is a 1979 American sports/fantasy comedy film directed by Gilbert Moses and coproduced by David Dashev and Gary Stromberg. It was produced by Lorimar and distributed by United Artists. The film was shot on loc ...

in 1979 alongside Pistons teammates

Eric Money Eric Money (born February 6, 1955) is a retired American professional basketball player. Amateur career A 6'0" guard out of Kettering High School in Detroit, Michigan, Money played alongside fellow future NBA players Lindsay Hairston and Coni ...

John Shumate John Henry Shumate (born April 6, 1952) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. Shumate grew up in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and played high school basketball at Thomas Jefferson High School. A 6'9" forward/ center from th ...

, Kevin Porter, and

Leon Douglas Leon Douglas (born August 26, 1954) is an American basketball coach and former professional player. He played seven seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) before transitioning to an extensive professional career overseas in Europe. ...

Coaching career

Ford became an assistant coach with Boston, first under KC Jones and then Jimmy Rodgers, helping the Celtics to NBA championships in

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and

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...

. After Rodgers dismissal, Ford was promoted to head coach for the Celtics (1990–95, 222–188, .541), and then dismissed, replaced by former Pistons and Celtics teammate ML Carr. Ford then coached

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

(1996–98, 96–95, .421), the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

(1999–2000, 20–75, .211), and finally the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...

(2003–04, 12–18, .400). Ford coached the Eastern All-Stars in the 1991 NBA All-Star Game. In addition to coaching at the professional level, Ford spent two seasons (2001–2003) as head basketball coach at

Brandeis University , mottoeng = "Truth even unto its innermost parts" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = NECHE , president = Ronald D. Liebowitz , pro ...

, a Division III school in

Waltham, Massachusetts Waltham ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, and was an early center for the labor movement as well as a major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. The original home of the Boston Manufacturing Company, th ...

. Ford then became a scout for the 76ers and was also a coaching consultant for the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

Coaching record

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Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

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Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

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Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

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References

External links

BasketballReference.com: Chris Ford (as coach)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ford, Chris 1949 births Living people American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from New Jersey Basketball players from New Jersey Boston Celtics assistant coaches Boston Celtics head coaches Boston Celtics players Brandeis Judges men's basketball coaches Detroit Pistons draft picks Detroit Pistons players Holy Spirit High School (New Jersey) alumni Los Angeles Clippers head coaches Milwaukee Bucks head coaches Philadelphia 76ers assistant coaches Philadelphia 76ers head coaches Shooting guards Small forwards Sportspeople from Atlantic City, New Jersey Villanova Wildcats men's basketball players