Chris Ford

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 on October 1979. 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. NBA Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins once recalled Ford as the worst coach that he had ever seen and played for on Open Court, a basketball show on NBA TV where former professional basketball players discuss their outlook of the game. 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. He was also formerly a coaching consultant for the New York Knicks.

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