UNC standout and seven-year NBA veteran Phil Ford visited Cherokee on Wednesday, June 26. Here, he visits with huge UNC fan Elnora Thompson in the Office of Principal Chief Michell Hicks. Ford played four seasons for the Tarheels (1974-78) and seven seasons in the NBA (1978-85). As a senior at UNC, Ford was named the 1977-78 Sporting News Player of the Year and the 1977-78 John Wooden Award winner. He was twice named a Consensus All-American, won the ACC tournament championship twice (1974-75, 1976-77) and the ACC regular season championship three times (1975-76, 1976-77, 1977-78). Ford was the second overall pick in the 1978 draft and played his career with several teams including the Kansas City Kings, New Jersey Nets, Milwaukee Bucks and the Houston Rockets. He was named the 1978-79 NBA Rookie of the Year. In all, he played in 482 NBA games and scored a total of 5,594 points.
– Photo courtesy of Ashleigh Stephens/Office of the Principal Chief
