 Ford in 2006 | |||||||||||||||
| Biographical details | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | (1969-12-29)December 29, 1969 (age 56) Madisonville, Kentucky, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Playing career | |||||||||||||||
| 1989–1990 | Missouri | ||||||||||||||
| 1991–1994 | Kentucky | ||||||||||||||
| Position | Point guard | ||||||||||||||
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |||||||||||||||
| 1997–2000 | Campbellsville | ||||||||||||||
| 2000–2005 | Eastern Kentucky | ||||||||||||||
| 2005–2008 | UMass | ||||||||||||||
| 2008–2016 | Oklahoma State | ||||||||||||||
| 2016–2024 | Saint Louis | ||||||||||||||
| Head coaching record | |||||||||||||||
| Overall | 491–366 (.573) | ||||||||||||||
| Tournaments | 1–7 (NCAA Division I) 0–1 (NAIA Division I) 6–5 (NIT) | ||||||||||||||
| Accomplishments and honors | |||||||||||||||
| Championships | |||||||||||||||
| OVC tournament (2005) A-10 regular season (2007) A-10 tournament (2019) | |||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||
Travis Ford (born December 29, 1969) is an American formercollege basketball coach. He was head coach atSaint Louis University,Oklahoma State,Massachusetts,Eastern Kentucky andCampbellsville University. Prior to that, he played at theUniversity of Missouri and theUniversity of Kentucky.
Travis Ford was born inMadisonville, Kentucky on December 29, 1969.[1]
While attendingMadisonville North Hopkins High School, Ford made three state tournament appearances and was Western Kentucky Player of the Year twice. He was named to the All-State Team, and earned 31.7 points as a senior.[2]
Ford entered the University of Missouri in 1989. He played basketball for theMissouri Tigers and was named to theBig Eight Conference All-Freshman team. The following year, Ford transferred to theUniversity of Kentucky and sat out the 1990–91 season due to NCAA rules on transfers. After playing sparingly his sophomore year, Ford was a starter during his junior and senior years, and set school records in single-game assists (15), single-season three-point field goals (101) and consecutive free throws made (50).[3] Ford was named to the All-SEC team his junior and senior years, and was recognized as the Southeast Region's Most Outstanding Player in the1993 NCAA tournament.[4]
He earned a bachelor's degree in communications from University of Kentucky in 1994.[1]
After an unsuccessful attempt at anNBA career, Ford landed the role of Danny O'Grady in the 1997 movieThe 6th Man, starringMarlon Wayans andKadeem Hardison.[5]
In 1997, Ford was offered the head coach job atCampbellsville University. He accepted the position,[6] and in 1999 led the Tigers to a 28–3 record, earningMid-South Conference Coach of the Year honors.[3]
In 2000, Ford accepted the head coaching position at Eastern Kentucky University inRichmond, Kentucky. In five seasons at EKU, Ford led theColonels from a 7–19 record his first year to a 22–9 record and anOhio Valley Conference championship in2005. In a much publicized first-round NCAA Tournament matchup with his alma mater, the University of Kentucky, Ford's team pushed the Wildcats to the limit before losing 72–64.[3]
After the 2004–05 season, Ford accepted the head coaching position at theUniversity of Massachusetts Amherst. During his first season, 2005–06, with theMinutemen, Ford posted a 13–15 record, 8–8 in theAtlantic 10 Conference. The2006–07 season saw Ford coach UMass to the fifth most wins in school history with an overall mark of 24–9. The team shared the Atlantic 10 Conference regular season title withXavier, going 13–3, but lost to Saint Louis in the second round of theAtlantic 10 tournament. After earning a #4 seed in the postseasonNational Invitation Tournament, UMass defeatedAlabama before losing in the second round to eventual NIT championWest Virginia. The team featured Atlantic 10 Player of the YearStéphane Lasme. After the season ended, Ford's name was circulated as a long-shot replacement for the head coaching position at Ford's alma mater, theUniversity of Kentucky. It was also reported that Ford turned down an offer fromProvidence College.[7] After the season on April 10, 2007, UMass announced that Ford had signed a five-year contract extension.[8]
The2007–08 season was arguably even more successful for Ford and Massachusetts. The team finished the season with a 25–11 record and a 10–6 record in theAtlantic 10 Conference. After losing in theA-10 tournament toCharlotte, UMass accepted an invitation to theNIT for the second straight year. They defeatedStephen F. Austin,Akron,Syracuse andFlorida to make it to the NIT Finals. In the NIT Finals, they lost toOhio State 92–85. Ohio State had made the previous year'sNCAA championship game. Despite the team's postseason success and the previous year's contract extension, Ford would leave the next season forOklahoma State.[3]
On April 16, 2008, Oklahoma State hired Ford to become the head basketball coach. In his first season, Ford led the Cowboys to a 23–12 overall record, with a 9–7 record in conference. He led Oklahoma State to its firstNCAA tournament appearance since the 2004–05 season. In the tournament, Oklahoma State beatTennessee before being knocked off byPittsburgh in the second round. Inyear two, Ford's Cowboys finished 22–11, 9–7 in conference. The year was highlighted by wins over a top tenKansas State on the road and a home win over #1 rankedKansas. Big 12 player of the yearJames Anderson was instrumental in both wins and became Travis Ford's first Cowboy to be selected in the first round of the NBA draft.[9]
Prior to the 2010–11 season, Ford signed McDonald's All-American recruitMarcus Smart. The Cowboys finished 24–9 overall, 13–5 in conference. Ford'sfifth season was highlighted by a huge win inLawrence, Kansas againstKansas – the first win by OSU at Kansas since 1989.Marcus Smart was named the Wayman Tisdale National Freshman of the Year and Big 12 Player of the Year. Oklahoma State earned a 5 seed in theNCAA tournament but failed to advance after a disappointing loss to #12 seedOregon. Travis Ford had three key players announce their return for the2013–14 season inMarcus Smart,Lebryan Nash, andMarkel Brown.[10] A promising non-conference start was followed by a stumbling conference slate and the team finished 21–13, 8–10 in Big 12 play. A loss toGonzaga in the Second Round (formerly known as the First Round) of theNCAA tournament followed. Anotherdifficult season followed as the Cowboys finished the season 18–14, 8–10 in Big 12 play with a disappointing Second Round loss toOregon in theNCAA tournament. The2015–16 season was even worse, OSU finished the season 12–20, 3–15 in Big 12 play.[9]
On March 18, 2016, it was announced that Ford and the Cowboys agreed to part ways after 8 years as head coach.[11]
On March 30, 2016, Saint Louis University announced that Ford has been hired as the head basketball coach.[12] He inherited a Billikens team that had gone a disappointing 11–21 each of the previous two seasons under head coachJim Crews.[13] Due to a lack of talent from the previous regime, SLU was predicted to finish dead last of the Atlantic 10 conference during the 2016–17 season.[14]Basketball statisticianKen Pomeroy predicted the Billikens as the team most likely to go winless throughout its conference schedule.[15] Ford led the Billikens to six Atlantic 10 conference wins and a 146–109 overall record while at Saint Louis.[16] Ford was fired by Saint Louis University in 2024.[17]
Ford made his debut as a sports analyst in November 2024, commentating on the University of Kentucky-Lipscomb game.[18]
Ford has three children, Brooks, Kyleigh, and Shane, with his wife Heather.[1]
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Campbellsville Tigers(Mid-South Conference)(1997–2000) | |||||||||
| 1997–98 | Campbellsville | 7–26* | |||||||
| 1998–99 | Campbellsville | 28–3 | 10–2 | Ineligible | |||||
| 1999–00 | Campbellsville | 23–11 | 8–4 | T–2nd | NAIA Division I first round | ||||
| Campbellsville: | 67–31 (.684) | 25–11 (.694) | |||||||
| Eastern Kentucky Colonels(Ohio Valley Conference)(2000–2005) | |||||||||
| 2000–01 | Eastern Kentucky | 7–19 | 1–15 | 9th | |||||
| 2001–02 | Eastern Kentucky | 7–20 | 3–13 | 9th | |||||
| 2002–03 | Eastern Kentucky | 11–17 | 5–11 | T–8th | |||||
| 2003–04 | Eastern Kentucky | 14–15 | 8–8 | 4th | |||||
| 2004–05 | Eastern Kentucky | 22–9 | 11–5 | 2nd | NCAA Division I Round of 64 | ||||
| Eastern Kentucky: | 61–80 (.433) | 28–52 (.350) | |||||||
| UMass Minutemen(Atlantic 10 Conference)(2005–2008) | |||||||||
| 2005–06 | UMass | 13–15 | 8–8 | T–7th | |||||
| 2006–07 | UMass | 24–9 | 13–3 | T–1st | NIT second round | ||||
| 2007–08 | UMass | 25–11 | 10–6 | 3rd | NIT Runner-up | ||||
| UMass: | 62–35 (.639) | 31–17 (.646) | |||||||
| Oklahoma State Cowboys(Big 12 Conference)(2008–2016) | |||||||||
| 2008–09 | Oklahoma State | 23–12 | 9–7 | T–4th | NCAA Division I Round of 32 | ||||
| 2009–10 | Oklahoma State | 22–11 | 9–7 | T–6th | NCAA Division I Round of 64 | ||||
| 2010–11 | Oklahoma State | 20–14 | 6–10 | 9th | NIT second round | ||||
| 2011–12 | Oklahoma State | 15–18 | 7–11 | 7th | |||||
| 2012–13 | Oklahoma State | 24–9 | 13–5 | 3rd | NCAA Division I Round of 64 | ||||
| 2013–14 | Oklahoma State | 21–13 | 8–10 | 8th | NCAA Division I Round of 64 | ||||
| 2014–15 | Oklahoma State | 18–14 | 8–10 | T–6th | NCAA Division I Round of 64 | ||||
| 2015–16 | Oklahoma State | 12–20 | 3–15 | 9th | |||||
| Oklahoma State: | 155–111 (.583) | 63–75 (.457) | |||||||
| Saint Louis Billikens(Atlantic 10 Conference)(2016–2024) | |||||||||
| 2016–17 | Saint Louis | 12–21 | 6–12 | 11th | |||||
| 2017–18 | Saint Louis | 17–16 | 9–9 | T–5th | |||||
| 2018–19 | Saint Louis | 23–13 | 10–8 | T–6th | NCAA Division I Round of 64 | ||||
| 2019–20 | Saint Louis | 23–8 | 12–6 | 4th | Postseason cancelled because of COVID-19 | ||||
| 2020–21 | Saint Louis | 14–7 | 6–4 | T–4th | NIT first round | ||||
| 2021–22 | Saint Louis | 23–12 | 12–6 | 5th | NIT first round | ||||
| 2022–23 | Saint Louis | 21–12 | 12–6 | T–2nd | |||||
| 2023–24 | Saint Louis | 13–20 | 5–13 | T–13th | |||||
| Saint Louis: | 146–109 (.573) | 72–64 (.529) | |||||||
| Total: | 491–366 (.573) | ||||||||
National champion Postseason invitational champion | |||||||||
* Campbellsville forfeited 9 games in the season due to an ineligible player.[19]
