RIP Chris Ford
- Thread starter tims4wins
- Start date
Damn. First 3 pointer ever. Part of the 1981 championship team, coach during that dark days of the early 90's. Heart attack.
Good player, great guy. I went to lots of games when he was coach and used to get in early to the games. He always had time to chat with a fan or two.
Scored the first 3 pointer in NBA histoy
Scored the first 3 pointer in NBA histoy
I recall in HS how it was such a big deal that the first 3 pointer in NBA history was by a Celtic.
Didn't he recently celebrate a birth day?
Didn't he recently celebrate a birth day?
Loved that 81 team so much. Really sad to hear this.
I remember him getting a pass and looking to shoot a three-pointer and noticing both his feet were on the line.
Pulled back his right foot a few inches and then pulled back his left foot a few inches and then swished the shot. No call.
You see more egregious stuff ten times a night now but back in the day it was pretty funny.
I remember him getting a pass and looking to shoot a three-pointer and noticing both his feet were on the line.
Pulled back his right foot a few inches and then pulled back his left foot a few inches and then swished the shot. No call.
You see more egregious stuff ten times a night now but back in the day it was pretty funny.
Took over a team with an aging roster and then lost Reggie Lewis but still managed to make the playoffs four of five years.
On my TV back then, it looked there was barely enough room in the corner to fit your feet between the original 3-pt line and OOB.
RIP. That was a great year. That Sixers series was easily one of the craziest, most nerve-wracking things I've ever watched. And I watch a lot of sports.
My sister was a pretty good basketball player and Chris Ford was a good friend of her coach. When she was about 12-13 he came to help coach the girls in a practice. This was when he was coaching the Celtics. The look on his face was priceless when a preteen girl would dribble the ball of her foot out of bounds and start giggling. He looked like he wanted to rip his hair out but couldn't have been kinder and nicer with the team. I was a 15 year old watching from the sidelines and was in awe. He was gracious and talked with everyone at the end of practice.
RIP to a good man.
RIP to a good man.
That’s too bad. As others said, really good guy. I played against his son Chris in high school and over the summer at the Fidelity House in Arlington, and Coach Ford would come to most of the games — always hung around, talked to the players, made comments and jokes. RIP.
RIP. Really enjoyed those Celtics teams of the early 1980's and their epic battles against the Sixers. I also thought he was a great coach for those 90's Celtics teams, but got screwed over by bad ownership.
This saddens me greatly. I recall that when he released a shot from the corner, the Garden crown would shout out, "Thhhrrrrreeeeee!" before it even went through the net.
Just a good, smart player who helped us win the first of the Bird years championships. But man, he was sooo sloooow! All the more reason to be impressed that he became a decent NBAer
Yup: I wasn't old enough to remember his playing years, but remember him being K.C.'s right hand man followed by getting the most out of rosters that could have easily tanked completely.
I was too young in 81 to remember him on that championship team. I remember him best as a coach. He was dealt a difficult hand with Bird, McHale and Parish aging and declining however that 90-91 team was a lot of fun. The Celtics had a brief resurgence after a couple of underachieving seasons under coach Jimmy Rogers including two consecutive years of first round playoff exits. I was pretty excited about Reggie Lewis, Brian Shaw, Kevin Gamble and Dee Brown as a young up and coming nucleus. Coach Ford got the most out of that bunch. I think Ford was the Eastern Conference All Star coach that season. The first round playoff series victory over Reggie Miller, Chuck Person and Detlef Schrempf was intense and a lot of fun. They put up a pretty good fight in the 2nd round but lost to a superior Detroit Pistons squad. Unfortunately that season was the high water mark for the Chris Ford coached Celtics.
All told Chris Ford spent 16 season with the Celtics. 4 years as a player, 7 years as an assistant coach and 5 years as head coach. That’s a fantastic run.
RIP Mad Bomber.
The Globe’s article about Ford’s passing is worth reading for Dee Brown’s recollections about playing for Ford as a young pro.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/01/18/sports/former-celtics-player-coach-chris-ford-dies-74/
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/01/18/sports/former-celtics-player-coach-chris-ford-dies-74/
True Celtic
wore the 80’s Stache great
Doesn’t get enough respect for spearheading the Celtics and taking flak during arguably the lowest talent period (post back injury Bird, pre Pierce) in team history
huge loss
RIP Chris
wore the 80’s Stache great
Doesn’t get enough respect for spearheading the Celtics and taking flak during arguably the lowest talent period (post back injury Bird, pre Pierce) in team history
huge loss
RIP Chris
Bob Ryan-
View: https://twitter.com/GlobeBobRyan/status/1615855922546458626
"RIP Chris Ford: a player who got everything out of his natural ability and as unpretentious and normal a human being as any coach I’ve ever known. He was like your next door neighbor who just happened to be going to work at the Garden. And, yes, he made the first NBA three."
View: https://twitter.com/GlobeBobRyan/status/1615855922546458626
"RIP Chris Ford: a player who got everything out of his natural ability and as unpretentious and normal a human being as any coach I’ve ever known. He was like your next door neighbor who just happened to be going to work at the Garden. And, yes, he made the first NBA three."
At least you got to watch it. I was living in the Sheraton Southfield in Michigan after being transferred to Detroit by Group W Broadcasting. Back then the games were on tape delay and shown at 11:30 pm. NFW I could stay up that late on work nights, so I sat in my car in the parking lot and listened to Johnny Most on WBZ and yelled and screamed my ass off.
It was worth it!
So sad about Ford...really liked those Celtics teams.
Gotta' love Bob Ryan and how he puts things in perspective,
Yeah, especially playing with Larry. Bob Ryan is amazing. I'm positive that he knows that is how Chris wants to be remembered.
That's too bad. No one ever said a bad word about him. And his ex teammates respected him as a coach. When McHale was near the end, Ford cut back his time and McHale kinda ripped him publicly. The next day, McHale was really apologetic and admitted that he was just lashing out because he just couldn't play like he wanted to anymore and Ford was honest and right.
IIRC, there was one Boston writer who gave Ford some nickname based on his resemblance to Bert Lahr (cowardly lion).
IIRC, there was one Boston writer who gave Ford some nickname based on his resemblance to Bert Lahr (cowardly lion).
Last edited:
I was there for that first 3. From the left corner. Who'dah thought then that Chris and Tiny would steer the team to the finals + ring.
RIP #42
RIP #42
Probably the only guy who was on a team with Larry Bird and was, at least for that 1981 year, a better outside shooter than the king.
Loved his even-keeled intensity.
RIP to one of the 12. Will always appreciate that 1981 team, my first time enjoying a title (alive for 1969 and 70/72, but a baby). Chris did his part.
Loved his even-keeled intensity.
RIP to one of the 12. Will always appreciate that 1981 team, my first time enjoying a title (alive for 1969 and 70/72, but a baby). Chris did his part.