HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University family mourns the passing of former men's basketball head coach Hank Ford. Ford passed away on Sunday, September 11 at his home in Atlanta, Ga. He was 70.
 
The winningest head men's basketball coach in Hampton University history, Ford excelled as the Pirates' mentor from 1975-87. His 12-year tenure saw him lead the Pirates to a cumulative total of 228 victories and 120 defeats -- a winning percentage of .655, the all-time best in Hampton history. 
 
No other coach in the Pirates history has come close to matching that victory total.
 
During his illustrious stint at Hampton, Ford's teams captured two CIAA tournament championships, winning the crowns in 1982 and 1983. He led the Pirates to 20 or more victories a total of five times, the best seasons coming in 1981-82 (28-8), 1978-79 (24-6), 1977-78 (24-7) and 1982-83 (23-7).
 
Ford's Pirate teams competed in the NAIA district tournament a total of seven times during his tenure and in the NAIA national tournament three times.
 
Ford was selected the CIAA Tournament's Most Outstanding Coach four times: 1979, 1980, 1982 and 1983. In 1980, following a season that saw the Pirates go 21-10, Ford was named NAIA District 19 Coach of the Year.
 
One of the top recruiters of his time, Ford brought to Hampton some of the most skillful basketball players to ever don a Pirate uniform, many of them gracing the pages of Hampton's all-time records book. Among the players who played for Hampton during Ford's tenure are: Rick Mahorn, Gregory Hines, and Darryl Warrick, along with the likes of Tony Washington, Marvin Payne, and Cedric Miller. 
 
Many of Ford's players received all-conference, all-district and All-America honors, and three of his players reaped CIAA Tournament MVP honors.
 
In 1997, the CIAA bestowed upon Ford that conference's greatest honor: induction into its Hall of Fame. Ford was also inducted into the Hampton Athletics Hall of Fame in 2009.
 
Services for Ford will be held on Saturday, Sept. 24 at 11 a.m. at Dickenson AME Church, 614 Henry Street, Georgetown, S.C. Funeral services are being handled by Wilds Funeral Home, which is located at 130 North Merriman Road, Georgetown, S.C.