Christopher Joseph Ford (January 11, 1949 – January 17, 2023) was an American 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 (appro ...

player and

head coach A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...

in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA). Nicknamed "the Mad Bomber", Ford played most of his NBA career on 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 Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

, before finishing his playing career at 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 Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

. In the Celtics' season opener in 1979–80, he was credited with making the first official

three-point shot A three-point field goal (also 3-pointer, three, or triple) 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 ...

in NBA history. He won an NBA championship with the Celtics in 1981. Between 1990 and 1995, Ford was the head coach of the Celtics, and proceeded to coach for three other NBA franchises for various stints until 2004.

College career

A 6-foot-5 (1.96 m) guard from Atlantic City, Ford played high school basketball at Holy Spirit High School in Absecon, New Jersey. He averaged a Cape-Atlantic League record 33 ppg as a senior, and finished with 1,507 career points, which as of 2021, was still a school record. Ford then signed to play at

Villanova University Villanova University is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine in 1842 and named after Thomas of Villanova, Saint Thom ...

, sat out his first 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 tournament, losing to St. Bonaventure 97–74, with the Bonnies led by 26 points by Bob Lanier, a future teammate of Ford with the

. Villanova and Ford continued their winning ways, advancing in the 1971 NCAA 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, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

and legendary coach

John Wooden John Robert Wooden (October 14, 1910 – June 4, 2010) was an American basketball coach and player. Nicknamed "the Wizard of Westwood", he won ten National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, nati ...

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 to the Detroit Pistons in the 1972 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

for Earl Tatum. He averaged a career high with 15.6 PPG in the 1978–79 season In 1979–80, the NBA introduced the three-point field goal to its game. In the Celtics' season opener against the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

on October 12, 1979, Ford made a 3-pointer with 3:48 remaining in the first quarter. Three days later, an NBA press release credited him with making the first 3-pointer in league history, due to his game being "the first games according to start time". Kevin Grevey of the

Washington Bullets The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays i ...

made a 3-pointer the same night against the Philadelphia 76ers, but his game started 35 minutes later than Ford's. It is not clear the exact time their respective baskets occurred. In 1980–81, the Celtics won the 1981 NBA Finals. He retired after the 1981–82 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 fictional basketball comedy film '' The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh'' in 1979 alongside the Pistons teammates Bob Lanier, Eric Money, John Shumate, 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 served as an assistant at

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private university, private Catholic Jesuits, Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1863 by the Society of Jesus, a Catholic Religious order (Catholic), religious order, t ...

before doing some radio work. Ford became an assistant coach with Boston, first under KC Jones and then Jimmy Rodgers, helping the Celtics to NBA championships in 1984 and 1986. The 1990 NBA playoffs was a disaster for Rodgers, in which Boston lost in the First Round after winning the first two games that saw him fired two days after the series ended. On June 12, 1990, Ford was promoted to head coach for the Celtics. In his first season, the Celtics (a mix of aging greats such as

Larry Bird Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Hick from French Lick" and "Larry Legend" Bird is widely regarded a ...

to go with young players such as Brian Shaw) got off to a 29–5 start and as tradition for the wins leader (35–12) in the conferences for the All-Star Game, Ford was selected to coach the Eastern All-Stars in the 1991 NBA All-Star Game; as a show of who was in charge after seeing a play he didn't like, Ford went up to a player and asked why the play was called like that only to get a response of "Because Larry...", for which he responded by saying to listen only to Ford. Despite a back injury to Bird that saw him miss a quarter of the season, the Celtics won 56 games to be the #2 seed and make the postseason for the twelfth straight year. They narrowly won in the First Round to set up a matchup with the defending champion

that saw them win two of the first three games, but Detroit went on to win the next three games. The following year saw the Celtics win 51 games with Bird missing half the year. They again went to the second round and lost despite having a lead, this time blowing a 2–1 series lead to the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

by losing in seven games. In August 1992, Bird retired. The 1992–93 season would be the last with Kevin McHale on the roster, and the team struggled to 48 wins. Reggie Lewis averaged twenty points a game for the team. As the four seed, the Celtics were matched against the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team ...

. During Game 1 of the First Round on April 29, 1993, Lewis collapsed on the court. He eventually left the game with dizziness and shortness of breath, having scored 17 points in the only Celtic win of the postseason. Less than three months later, during a workout in trying to get back in shape to play for the following year, Lewis had a sudden cardiac death on the court due to a heart defect with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The 1993–94 season (the last with

Robert Parish Robert Lee Parish (born August 30, 1953) is an American former professional basketball player. A 7'1" Center (basketball), center, nicknamed "the Chief", Parish played for four teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1976 to 199 ...

) went from mediocrity to disaster, complete with the Celtics losing thirteen in a row for a winless February as the 32-win Celtics missed the playoffs for the first time since 1979. The following season was the last for Ford as coach, which saw them make the playoffs as the eighth seed despite being 35–47. They lost in four games in the First Round. He was replaced by M. L. Carr, who had been named general manager of the Celtics the previous year. On June 15, 1996, Ford was hired to coach the

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 Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

, who had not made the postseason in five years and had moved Mike Dunleavy to just serve as vice president of basketball operations; Ford cited the talent of Glenn Robinson and Vin Baker as a "great opportunity." He was fired on August 26, 1998, with team owner Herb Kohl stating, "Chris Ford has in many respects done a good job. But we think in order to maximize the talent that we have, the best thing is to go and find a coach of a nature, of a sort that would ensure that we reach the next level." Ford was fired with a year remaining on his contract and was later replaced by

George Karl George Matthew Karl (born May 12, 1951) is an American former professional basketball coach and player. After spending five years as a player for the San Antonio Spurs, he became an assistant with the team before being appointed as a head coach ...

. On January 13, 1999, after four months in the interview process, Ford was hired as head coach of the

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

on a three-year deal; the other major coaching candidate in Jim Brewer was retained as an assistant focused on team development (the team was among the youngest in the league) such as their recent #1 draft pick Michael Olowokandi. The team had won 17 games the season before he was hired. In the strike-shortened 1998–99 season, the Clippers proceeded to win just nine of fifty games, which saw them start the season 0–17 to tie the record for worst start in NBA history. On February 3, 2000, he was fired by the Clippers, who had lost sixteen of their last eighteen games; he was replaced on an interim basis by Jim Todd, who previously had coached two games in December when Ford had back spasms. In 2003, he had been serving as an assistant coach on the staff of Randy Ayers on the Philadelphia 76ers but suddenly became the head coach when Ayers was fired with the team at 21–31. Ford went 12–18 to close out the season. In October 2001, Ford was named head coach at

Brandeis University Brandeis University () is a Private university, private research university in Waltham, Massachusetts, United States. It is located within the Greater Boston area. Founded in 1948 as a nonsectarian, non-sectarian, coeducational university, Bra ...

, 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 Technological and industrial history of the United States, American Industrial Revoluti ...

. He coached there until 2003. 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 Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

Death

On January 17, 2023, Ford died at a hospital in Philadelphia from complications of a heart attack he had earlier in the month. He was 74. He was survived by his wife Kathy, three children and seven grandchildren.

Career statistics

NBA

Source:

Regular season

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Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, 74 , , , , 20.8 , , .479 , , , , .645 , , 3.6 , , 2.6 , , , , , , 6.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , , , 25.1 , , .444 , , , , .740 , , 3.7 , , 3.4 , , 1.8 , , .2 , , 7.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 80 , , , , 24.5 , , .474 , , , , .663 , , 3.4 , , 2.9 , , 1.4 , , .3 , , 5.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , , , 26.8 , , .426 , , , , .722 , , 3.5 , , 3.3 , , 2.2 , , .3 , , 8.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , , , 31.0 , , .476 , , , , .771 , , 3.3 , , 4.1 , , 2.2 , , .3 , , 12.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , , , 31.5 , , .481 , , , , .734 , , 3.3 , , 4.6 , , 2.0 , , .2 , , 10.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 3 , , , , 36.0 , , .371 , , , , .875 , , 6.0 , , 1.7 , , .3 , , .3 , , 11.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, 78 , , , , 33.7 , , .474 , , , , .753 , , 3.3 , , 4.7 , , 1.5 , , .3 , , 15.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 73 , , 73 , , 29.0 , , .465 , , .427 , , .754 , , 2.5 , , 2.9 , , 1.5 , , .4 , , 11.2 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 75 , , 33.2 , , .443 , , .330 , , .736 , , 2.0 , , 3.6 , , 1.2 , , .3 , , 8.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 76 , , 53 , , 20.9 , , .418 , , .317 , , .696 , , 1.4 , , 1.9 , , .6 , , .1 , , 5.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career , 794 , , 201 , , 37.8 , , .460 , , .375 , , .731 , , 3.0 , , 3.4 , , 1.6 , , .3 , , 9.2

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;", 1974 , style="text-align:left;",

, 5 , , , , 18.8 , , .471 , , , , .667 , , 3.9 , , 1.4 , , .4 , , .4 , , 4.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 3 , , , , 27.3 , , .545 , , , , – , , 4.3 , , 3.3 , , .3 , , .0 , , 4.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 9 , , , , 30.7 , , .407 , , , , .800 , , 4.0 , , 4.4 , , 1.2 , , .6 , , 8.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 3 , , , , 33.7 , , .409 , , , , .556 , , 6.3 , , 4.0 , , 2.3 , , .0 , , 13.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 9 , , , , 31.0 , , .430 , , .154 , , .800 , , 2.8 , , 2.3 , , 1.6 , , .7 , , 9.1 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...

† , style="text-align:left;",

, 17 , , , , 29.8 , , .452 , , .280 , , .600 , , 2.6 , , 2.7 , , .8 , , .1 , , 9.1 , - , style="text-align:left", 1982 , style="text-align:left;",

, 12 , , , , 11.5 , , .476 , , .286 , , .714 , , 1.3 , , 1.3 , , .3 , , .1 , , 3.9 , -class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career , 58 , , , , 25.5 , , .440 , , .244 , , .688 , , 2.9 , , 2.6 , , .9 , , .3 , , 7.5

Coaching record

Source: , - , align="left" ,

, align="left" , , 82, , 56, , 26, , .683, , align="center" , 1st in Atlantic, , 11, , 5, , 6, , .455 , align="center" , Lost in Conf. Semi-finals , - , align="left" ,

, align="left" , , 82, , 51, , 31, , .622, , align="center" , 1st in Atlantic, , 10, , 6, , 4, , .600 , align="center" , Lost in Conf. Semi-finals , - , align="left" ,

, align="left" , , 82, , 48, , 34, , .585, , align="center" , 2nd in Atlantic, , 4, , 1, , 3, , .350 , align="center" , Lost in first round , - , align="left" ,

, align="left" , , 82, , 32, , 50, , .390, , align="center" , 5th in Atlantic, , —, , —, , —, , — , align="center" , Missed Playoffs , - , align="left" ,

, align="left" , , 82, , 35, , 47, , .427, , align="center" , 3rd in Atlantic, , 4, , 1, , 3, , .350 , align="center" , Lost in first round , - , align="left" ,

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, align="left" , , 82, , 33, , 49, , .402, , align="center" , 7th in Central, , —, , —, , —, , — , align="center" , Missed Playoffs , - , align="left" ,

, align="left" , , 82, , 36, , 46, , .439, , align="center" , 7th in Central, , —, , —, , —, , — , align="center" , Missed Playoffs , - , align="left" , L.A. Clippers , align="left" , , 50, , 9, , 41, , .180, , align="center" , 7th in Pacific, , —, , —, , —, , — , align="center" , Missed Playoffs , - , align="left" , L.A. Clippers , align="left" , , 45, , 11, , 34, , .244, , align="center" , (fired), , —, , —, , —, , — , align="center" , — , - , align="left" ,

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, 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

References

External links

*
Basketball-Reference.com: Chris Ford (as coach)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ford, Chris 1949 births 2023 deaths 20th-century American sportsmen American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from New Jersey Basketball players from Atlantic County, 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 Utah Stars draft picks Villanova Wildcats men's basketball players