Ricky Ford
Athletic Director/Head Women's Basketball Coach
Northeast Mississippi Community College head women's basketball coach/athletic director Ricky Ford is entering his 29th season at Northeast as women's coach, and his fifth year as the school's athletic director.
Heading into the 2009-10 basketball season, Ricky Ford's record at Northeast stands an amazing 570-203.
Ford continued his streak to the Mississippi Association of Community/Junior Colleges (MACJC) state tournament when he led the Lady Tigers (10-14, 5-7) to a fourth-place finish in the North Division and a berth in the state tournament in 2009
Under Ford's leadership, the 2007-08 Lady Tigers (12-13, 8-4) earned a trip to the MACJC State Tournament after grabbing the number two seed in the North Division.
One year prior, Coach Ford and his Lady Tigers set yet another milestone in 2006-07. Not only did the Northeast women continue to build the strongest tradition in women's community college basketball in Mississippi, the 2006-07 Lady Tigers successfully defended their 2005 MACJC State Title, earning their fourth straight crown as North Division champions along the way.
The Lady Tigers ended the regular season with a 19-6, 10-2 record in Coach Ricky Ford's 26th season at Northeast.
In 2005-06, Coach Ricky Ford and the Lady Tigers, on the heels of a division title and state championship, captured the Region XXIII Title and earned a trip to the NJCAA national tournament in Salina, KS. Northeast's women finished that campaign ranked 21st in the nation.
During the opening ceremony of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) women’s Division I National Basketball Tournament held March 21-26, 2006, in Salina, Kan., Ford was recognized as the Division I, District “O,” Region 23 Coach of the Year. The award goes to the head coach of each of the 16 region championship teams.
Ford began to build a powerhouse women’s program at Northeast in 1981, after a successful stint as girls and boys coach at Booneville High School. Entering his twenty-eighth year at the helm, Ford has led his teams to 14 North Division crowns, eight State Championships, three Region 23 titles, and three appearances in the National Tournament, including a runner-up finish in the in 1986 and the 1987 National Championship. His record at Northeast stands at an extraordinary 560-189.
Ford’s 31-year career mark stands at 658-230.
This year, Ford enters his fifth year as athletic director. He oversees the day-to-day operations of an athletic department that features seven varsity sports, a co-ed cheerleading squad and that coordinates the annual Mississippi Community/Junior College All-Star Classic football game each December.
An alumnus of Northeast, Ford earned a bachelor’s degree from Mississippi State University and a master’s degree from the University of Mississippi.
Ricky and his wife LuAnne have four children, Aaron, Lauren, Suzanne, and Ben.
