‘Gentle giant’ kind off field, elite on it
Milby star later played for UH, Suns, Rockets
Alton Ford, a “gentle giant” who was a McDonald’s All-American at Milby and played one season at the University of Houston before leaving for the NBA, died Monday night after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 36.
An intimidating 6-9, 260-pound forward, Ford was one of the top players to come out of Houston ISD in recent decades, averaging nearly 24 points and 15 rebounds. He played one season for the Cougars, averaging 10.8 points and 5.9 rebounds in 2000-01 before deciding to turn pro.
“He was quite a character,” said Jim Duffer, Ford’s former coach at Milby. “The word gentle giant is just an absolute great characteristic that he had. He just was a sweet kid. When you got on the court, he was a man and wasn’t going to back down to anybody. But he was such a gentle person off the court and had such a charismatic smile and booming laugh. What a great kid.”
Ford was selected by the Phoenix Suns with the 50th overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft. Ford averaged 2.5 points and 1.7 rebounds in two seasons with the Suns. He appeared in nine games for the Rockets during the 2003-04 season before playing overseas for five seasons. He played the final years of his career in the NBA D-League until retiring in 2011.
“The Suns organization is saddened this morning by the passing of former Suns forward Alton Ford , who was a beloved teammate and friend to man during his two seasons in Phoenix,” the organization posted on Twitter.
Ford was diagnosed with stage-4 lymphoma in November, according to a video posted on Facebook. A celebration of Ford’s life will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at Daryl’s Place (3330 Avenue A) in Santa Fe. Proceeds from the crawfish boil will go to Ford’s family to assist with medical bills and funeral costs.
Ford is survived by his wife, Victoria, and three children. He is preceded in death by his mother, Carol Ford. “She did such a great job of raising that kid,” Duffer said.
Funeral arrangements are pending.