Phil Ford - (1991)

College and pro basketball star. Standout guard at UNC, 1975–1978. First-team all-ACC, 1976–1978. Second-team all-American, 1976, first-team, 1977–1978. ACC Player of the Year, 1978. McKelvin Award as ACC’s top athlete, 1977–1978. Everett Case Award as ACC Tournament outstanding player, 1975. Member of 1976 U.S. Olympic team. Had 12 assists in winning gold-medal game. Led UNC to second-place finish in 1977 NCAA Tournament. Led ACC in assists, 1976–1978. Wooden Award as nation’s outstanding player, 1978. Scored 2,290 points for college career, average of 18.6 per game. Master of UNC’s patented four-corner offense. Played for four NBA teams, 1979–1985. Second pick in 1978 NBA draft by Kansas City Kings. NBA Rookie of the Year, 1979. Second-team all-NBA, 1980. Averaged 11.6 points, 6.4 assists for NBA career. Became UNC assistant coach, 1988. Born 1956, Kannapolis. Raised in Rocky Mount.