Chris Ford
Encyclopedia
Christopher Joseph Ford (born January 11, 1949 in Atlantic City, New Jersey
, USA) is a former professional basketball
player and head coach
. A 6-foot-5 (1.96 m) guard, he played high school basketball at Holy Spirit High School in Absecon, New Jersey
,
before continuing on to Villanova University
.
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
. After winning a championship with the Boston 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, Mass.
Ford later became a scout for the 76ers.
| align="left" |BOS
| align="left" |
|64||56||26||.683|| align="center" |1st in Atlantic||11||5||6||.455
| align="center" |Lost in Conf. Semifinals
|-
| align="left" |BOS
| align="left" |
|82||51||31||.622|| align="center" |1st in Atlantic||10||6||4||.600
| align="center" |Lost in Conf. Semifinals
|-
| align="left" |BOS
| align="left" |
|82||48||34||.585|| align="center" |2nd in Atlantic||4||1||3||.350
| align="center" |Lost in First Round
|-
| align="left" |BOS
| align="left" |
|82||32||50||.390|| align="center" |5th in Atlantic||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
|-
| align="left" |BOS
| align="left" |
|82||35||47||.427|| align="center" |3rd in Atlantic||4||1||3||.350
| align="center" |Lost in First Round
|-
| align="left" |MIL
| align="left" |
|82||33||49||.402|| align="center" |7th in Central||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
|-
| align="left" |MIL
| align="left" |
|82||36||46||.439|| align="center" |7th in Central||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
|-
| align="left" |LAC
| align="left" |
|50||9||41||.180|| align="center" |7th in Pacific||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
|-
| align="left" |LAC
| align="left" |
|45||11||34||.244|| align="center" |(fired)||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |—
|-
| align="left" |PHI
| align="left" |
|30||12||18||.400|| align="center" |5th in Atlantic||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
|-class="sortbottom"
| align="left" |Career
| ||699||323||376||.462|| ||29||13||16||.448
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, and a nationally renowned resort city for gambling, shopping and fine dining. The city also served as the inspiration for the American version of the board game Monopoly. Atlantic City is located on Absecon Island on the coast...
, USA) is a former professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player and head coach
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...
. A 6-foot-5 (1.96 m) guard, he played high school basketball at Holy Spirit High School in Absecon, New Jersey
Absecon, New Jersey
Absecon is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 8,411.What is now the City of Absecon was originally incorporated as a town by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 29, 1872, from portions of Egg Harbor...
,
before continuing on to Villanova University
Villanova University
Villanova University is a private university located in Radnor Township, a suburb northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States...
.
He played 10 seasons (1972–1982) in the NBA as a member of the Detroit Pistons
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
and Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
. 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
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...
at Boston Garden
Boston Garden
The Boston Garden was an arena in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Designed by boxing promoter Tex Rickard, who also built the third iteration of New York's Madison Square Garden, it opened on November 17, 1928 as "Boston Madison Square Garden" and outlived its original namesake by some 30 years...
. After winning a championship with the Boston 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
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They are part of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and currently plays at the Bradley Center....
(1996–98), the Los Angeles Clippers
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, United States. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
(1998–2000), and the Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...
(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
Brandeis University
Brandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...
, a Division III school in Waltham, Mass.
Ford later became a scout for the 76ers.
Coaching record
|-| align="left" |BOS
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
| align="left" |
|64||56||26||.683|| align="center" |1st in Atlantic||11||5||6||.455
| align="center" |Lost in Conf. Semifinals
1991 NBA Playoffs
The 1991 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1990–91 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls winning their first NBA championship via a four-games-to-one victory over the Western Conference champion Los...
|-
| align="left" |BOS
| align="left" |
|82||51||31||.622|| align="center" |1st in Atlantic||10||6||4||.600
| align="center" |Lost in Conf. Semifinals
1992 NBA Playoffs
NBA Champions: Chicago BullsThe 1992 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament following the National Basketball Association's 1991-1992 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls winning their second consecutive NBA championship by defeating the Western...
|-
| align="left" |BOS
| align="left" |
|82||48||34||.585|| align="center" |2nd in Atlantic||4||1||3||.350
| align="center" |Lost in First Round
1993 NBA Playoffs
The 1993 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1992-1993 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls winning their third consecutive championship by defeating the Western Conference champion Phoenix Suns four...
|-
| align="left" |BOS
| align="left" |
|82||32||50||.390|| align="center" |5th in Atlantic||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
|-
| align="left" |BOS
| align="left" |
|82||35||47||.427|| align="center" |3rd in Atlantic||4||1||3||.350
| align="center" |Lost in First Round
1995 NBA Playoffs
The 1995 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1994-1995 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Houston Rockets winning their second consecutive NBA championship by defeating the Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic...
|-
| align="left" |MIL
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They are part of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and currently plays at the Bradley Center....
| align="left" |
|82||33||49||.402|| align="center" |7th in Central||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
|-
| align="left" |MIL
| align="left" |
|82||36||46||.439|| align="center" |7th in Central||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
|-
| align="left" |LAC
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, United States. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
| align="left" |
|50||9||41||.180|| align="center" |7th in Pacific||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
|-
| align="left" |LAC
| align="left" |
|45||11||34||.244|| align="center" |(fired)||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |—
|-
| align="left" |PHI
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...
| align="left" |
|30||12||18||.400|| align="center" |5th in Atlantic||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
|-class="sortbottom"
| align="left" |Career
| ||699||323||376||.462|| ||29||13||16||.448