Phil Ford

Rocky Mount native Phil Ford graduated from Rocky Mount High in 1974. At UNC-Chapel Hill he scored 2,290 points, an all-time basketball record. As a freshman, Ford was recognized as All-American and was the first freshman to win the Everett Case Award as the ACC Tournament MVP. He started on the US Basketball Team which won the Gold Medal in the 1976 Olympics. Ford was selected first team All-ACC in 1976, 1977 and 1978. In his junior and senior years he was ACC Athlete of the Year and received the Anthony J. McKevlin Award. In 1978 he was ACC Player of the Year and was named National Player of the Year by the US Basketball Writers Association, the National Association of Basketball Coaches, and Sporting News and received the John Wooden Award, the highest honor in basketball. Ford entered the NBA in 1978 and earned Rookie of the Year honors. During his eight years as a pro he scored 5,594 points with over 3,000 assists. Ford was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 1991.

Inducted into Hall of Fame 2008