Chris Ford at Villanova: Looking at the college career of the late Boston Celtics legend

New recently emerged that NBA legend Chris Ford has passed away at the age of 74. The former Boston Celtic passed away at a hospital in Philadelphia after suffering a heart attack a few weeks prior.

Chris Ford grew up in Atlantic City, New Jersey, where he attended Holy Spirit High School. To this day, he is still the school's all-time leading scorer.

After an impressive High School career, Ford went to Villanova University, where he played for three seasons. He appeared in 91 games and finished with averages of 15.8 points and 6.0 rebounds (those were the only stats recorded at the time). Ford's 1971 Villanova team made it to the national championship and faced off against legendary coach John Wooden and UCLA.

Following his time at Villanova, Ford made the jump to the NBA. He was drafted with the 17th overall pick by the Detroit Pistons.

Chris Ford will forever be in the NBA history books

Chris Ford spent the first six years of his career with the Detroit Pistons, where he went on to make NBA history. During his early days in the league, he was the first player ever to make a three-point shot.

Ford's best years in the NBA came in the early 1980's, when the Pistons traded him to the Boston Celtics. Two years after being sent there, he was part of a championship team that featured Hall of Fame forward Larry Bird.

Following the 1981-1982 season, Ford decided to put his playing days to an end. He ended his career with close to 800 games played and averages of 9.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 3.4 assists.

What did Chris Ford do after retiring from the NBA?

Not long after his playing days ended, Ford returned to Boston in a coaching role. He started out as an assistant in 1983, and was named head coach eight years later. During his five seasons at the front of the Celtics' bench, Ford had a regular season record of 222-188 and a playoff record of 13-16.

Ford was a coach for the LA Clippers and Milwaukee Bucks from 1996 to 2000 before taking some time away from the game. His final stint in the league came in 2003 when he joined the staff of the Philadelphia 76ers. He became head coach after one year, and had a record of 12-18 before being let go. In his time as a coach, Ford got the chance to being around two all-time greats in Larry Bird and Allen Iverson.