Here’s to Chris Ford, The Three-Point Pioneer
Last week, on January 17th, the world as a whole, and more specifically the basketball world, lost a legend in Chris Ford.
Ford made a name for himself at a local school many of you will know, Villanova, where he averaged around 15 points and six rebounds a game throughout his collegiate career.
Ford helped the Wildcats to three straight NCAA appearances and advanced as far as the NCAA tournament championship game in 1971, where Villanova, unfortunately, lost to a John Wooden-coached UCLA team.
Ford was selected in the NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons where he played from 1972 until 1978 and then played an additional five years with the Boston Celtics from 1978-1982.
Ford and the Celtics won the NBA Finals in 1981.
However, the biggest accomplishment of his career came a year or two prior, when he pioneered one of the biggest plays in today’s game of basketball.
Ford was the first ever player to successfully make a three-point shot in the Celtic’s season opener during the 1979-1980 season.
Funny enough, I, along with comedian Mike Birbiglia, had the chance to ask the three-point pioneer himself where the easiest place to hit a three-point shot on the floor was from!
Back in December of 2009, Birbiglia was making a tour stop in Philadelphia and was hanging out on the floor before a Philadelphia 76ers game.
Apparently, he was going to be in some sort of three-point contest during a break, so he asked me what the best strategy would be for him to hit some shots.
It just so happened that Chris Ford was walking by at that very moment, so I said, why don’t we just ask Mr. Three Point Shooter himself?
Without hesitation, Ford said, “The corner.”
He couldn’t have been nicer, either!
He chatted with us for a few minutes too!
It was awesome!
You can view the video below!
Here’s to Chris Ford!
MATT CORD
Join me weekdays 9am to 2pm right after The John DeBella Show and before André Gardner from 2pm-7pm. CONNECT 3 at 10am for FABULOUS prizes, Noontime Nuggets at 12noon, and you can win concert tickets throughout the show for many of the upcoming MGK Concerts. Text in your requests at MGKMGK or call 215-263-WMGK. I end every show with a voicemail from my late father Jack Cord because he always left the coolest voicemails on my machine and phone.
Also the PA Voice for the Philadelphia 76ers for the past 26 years, and the Voice of NBA2K22 and NBA2K23.