Chris Ford
Christopher Joseph Ford (born January 11, 1949) is an American former professional basketball player and head coach. He is known for making the first counted three-point shot in October 1979. A 6-foot-5 (1.96 m) guard, Ford played high school basketball at Holy Spirit High School in Absecon, New Jersey,[1] before continuing on to Villanova University.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 11, 1949 Atlantic City, New Jersey |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 190 lb (86 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Holy Spirit (Absecon, New Jersey) |
| College | Villanova (1969–1972) |
| NBA draft | 1972 / Round: 2 / Pick: 17th overall |
| Selected by the Detroit Pistons | |
| Playing career | 1972–1982 |
| Position | Shooting guard |
| Number | 42 |
| Coaching career | 1983–2004 |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 1972–1978 | Detroit Pistons |
| 1978–1982 | Boston Celtics |
| As coach: | |
| 1983–1990 | Boston Celtics (assistant) |
| 1990–1995 | Boston Celtics |
| 1996–1998 | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 1998–2000 | Los Angeles Clippers |
| 2001–2003 | Brandeis University |
| 2003–2004 | Philadelphia 76ers (assistant) |
| 2004 | Philadelphia 76ers (interim) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
As player:
As head coach: As assistant coach:
| |
| Career statistics | |
| Points | 7,314 (9.2 ppg) |
| Assists | 2,719 (3.4 apg) |
| Steals | 1,152 (1.6 spg) |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
He played 10 seasons (1972–1982) in the NBA as a member of the Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics. Ford is credited with scoring the NBA's first three-point shot, for the Boston Celtics on October 12, 1979, in a game against the Houston Rockets at Boston Garden, which was also the debut game of Indiana State sensation Larry Bird. After winning a championship with the Celtics, he ended his playing career in 1982 with 7,314 total points.
Ford later served as a head coach for the Celtics (1990–95), the Milwaukee Bucks (1996–98), the Los Angeles Clippers (1998–2000), and the Philadelphia 76ers (2003–04). He coached the Eastern All-Stars in the 1991 NBA All-Star game. He also served as an assistant with the Celtics and Sixers.
In addition to coaching at the professional level, Ford spent two seasons (2001–2003) as head basketball coach at Brandeis University, a Division III school in Waltham, Massachusetts.
Ford later became a scout for the 76ers. He was also formerly a coaching consultant for the New York Knicks.[2] Ford was at one point considered for the Knicks' coaching job in the summer of 1995 before they decided on Don Nelson.[3]
Coaching record
| Regular season | G | Games coached | W | Games won | L | Games lost | W–L % | Win–loss % |
| Playoffs | PG | Playoff games | PW | Playoff wins | PL | Playoff losses | PW–L % | Playoff win–loss % |
| Team | Year | G | W | L | W–L% | Finish | PG | PW | PL | PW–L% | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | 1990–91 | 82 | 56 | 26 | .683 | 1st in Atlantic | 11 | 5 | 6 | .455 | Lost in Conf. Semifinals |
| Boston | 1991–92 | 82 | 51 | 31 | .622 | 1st in Atlantic | 10 | 6 | 4 | .600 | Lost in Conf. Semifinals |
| Boston | 1992–93 | 82 | 48 | 34 | .585 | 2nd in Atlantic | 4 | 1 | 3 | .350 | Lost in First Round |
| Boston | 1993–94 | 82 | 32 | 50 | .390 | 5th in Atlantic | — | — | — | — | Missed Playoffs |
| Boston | 1994–95 | 82 | 35 | 47 | .427 | 3rd in Atlantic | 4 | 1 | 3 | .350 | Lost in First Round |
| Milwaukee | 1996–97 | 82 | 33 | 49 | .402 | 7th in Central | — | — | — | — | Missed Playoffs |
| Milwaukee | 1997–98 | 82 | 36 | 46 | .439 | 7th in Central | — | — | — | — | Missed Playoffs |
| L.A. Clippers | 1998–99 | 50 | 9 | 41 | .180 | 7th in Pacific | — | — | — | — | Missed Playoffs |
| L.A. Clippers | 1999–00 | 45 | 11 | 34 | .244 | (fired) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Philadelphia | 2003–04 | 30 | 12 | 18 | .400 | 5th in Atlantic | — | — | — | — | Missed Playoffs |
| Career | 699 | 323 | 376 | .462 | 29 | 13 | 16 | .448 |
References
- "Assistant Ford promoted to replace Ayers", ESPN.com, February 10, 2004. Accessed May 21, 2007. "A native of Atlantic City, N.J., Ford attended Holy Spirit High School in Absecon, N.J., and went on to play at Villanova University from 1968-72, where he helped the Wildcats reach the 1971 NCAA championship game against UCLA."
- May, Peter. "Woodson Mentor-Turned-Consultant Has Celtic Roots as Player and Coach". NYTimes.com. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
- https://articles.latimes.com/1995-06-25/sports/sp-16910_1_coaching-jobs