Former Chipola MBB Assistant, Dana Ford, Tabbed Head Coach at Tennessee State

Tennessee State has named Dana Ford as its 17^th men’s basketball coach.

The announcement signals a homecoming of sorts for Ford who was an assistant under former TSU coach John Cooper from 2009-2011. 

Ford was instrumental in recruiting talented classes for the Tigers including players who went on to have professional careers in Robert Covington and Kellen Thornton. TSU went 20-13 in Ford’s last season, including the upset of previously unbeaten Murray State. 

After his success with the Tigers, Ford became an assistant at Wichita State in 2011-12, helping head coach Gregg Marshall guide an NCAA Tournament team to a final Associated Press ranking of No. 18. The Shockers were 27-6 overall and claimed the 2012 Missouri Valley Conference regular-season championship. 

Ford then joined the Illinois State coaching staff for the 2012-2014 seasons, where he assisted in the Redbirds’ 36-31 mark that included an appearance in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) semifinals. He was ISU’s recruiting coordinator and managed players’ academic progress along with his coaching duties. 

Before TSU, he served as an assistant coach at Chipola College (Fla.). While there, he helped lead Chipola to an impressive 35-2 overall record, its sixth-consecutive Panhandle Conference Championship with a 12-0 record, its fifth FCCAA State Championship in 10 years and a third-place finish at the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) National Tournament. 

Prior to Chipola, Ford served two years as a graduate assistant under Marshall at Wichita State and Winthrop. While at Winthrop, the Eagles captured their first NCAA Tournament win, defeating Notre Dame and finishing the season ranked No. 22 in the Associated Press and USA Today Top-25 polls. 

A 2006 graduate of Illinois State, Ford earned a Bachelor of Science degree in political science. While at ISU, he was a four-year letterwinner from 2002-06 and was voted the squad's defensive player of the year after being ranked in the MVC top-10 in both steals and blocks. 

Ford is a native of Tamms, Ill., and is a member of the NABC and BCA. He is married to Christina Ford and has a son, Carson, and a stepson, Cameron.