![\"Jeff](\"http:\/\/www.daytonastateinmotion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Head-Shot-2-1024x683.jpg\")
Daytona State College<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Meet Jeff Ford, PA announcer for Daytona State College\u2019s\u00a0men’s and women’s basketball teams.<\/p>\n
Ford\u2019s\u00a0love for the\u00a0job began\u00a0in elementary school\u00a0when he started following the University of Louisville basketball games.\u00a0He was inspired by their PA announcer,\u00a0John Tong, and\u00a0began to impersonate his style.<\/p>\n
Years later, while Ford\u00a0was working for\u00a0an NBC television station in Louisville, he joined his\u00a0company\u2019s basketball team.\u00a0The team\u00a0traveled\u00a0to various schools and played\u00a0their faculties for charity.<\/p>\n
During a\u00a0game in Indiana, a\u00a0report came through that the PA announcer could not\u00a0make it to\u00a0the game.\u00a0Knowing what was at stake, Ford\u00a0lunged at the opportunity.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt went really\u00a0well,\u00a0but\u00a0at the end of the game, there were a couple people who came down to the scorers\u2019\u00a0table and looked at me and said, \u2018Excuse me but are you John Tong?\u2019,\u201d\u00a0said Ford,\u00a0recalling just how much he emulated his longtime hero.<\/p>\n
One game led to another and Ford\u00a0became\u00a0the full-time PA announcer for his station\u2019s team\u00a0in Louisville.\u00a0Eventually Ford\u00a0moved on from that\u00a0station, which meant the end of the road for his dream announcing job\u2026\u00a0or so he thought.<\/p>\n
He then began working at a\u00a0station in Nashville until he\u00a0burned out in 2010 and resigned.\u00a0Two years passed until his daughter,\u00a0Holly, suggested he make a Facebook\u00a0page.\u00a0Ford\u00a0complied and found\u00a0his\u00a0long-lost childhood sweetheart\u00a0and future wife,\u00a0Crystal.<\/p>\n
The history behind the\u00a0relationship goes back to 1975 when 16-year-old Ford\u00a0was on\u00a0his annual\u00a0family\u00a0vacation\u00a0from Louisville to\u00a0Holly Hill at\u00a0the Holiday Inn.\u00a0He met 13-year-old Crystal\u00a0at the pool\u00a0and they began to dive for pennies.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like to embellish the story by saying she was pool hopping. She actually had a sister,\u00a0who was working at this hotel,\u201d\u00a0Ford\u00a0said.<\/p>\n
The two went on adventures to the movies, McDonald\u2019s and the like\u00a0for the remainder of Ford\u2019s\u00a0vacation.\u00a0Despite their blossoming relationship, he went on to marry Pam in 1981, whom he\u00a0met during freshman orientation at the University of Louisville in 1977. In the \u201880s, they started their\u00a0own family tradition of coming to Daytona every year for vacation.<\/p>\n
During\u00a0a\u00a0trip to Daytona in 1983\u00a0Ford surprisingly noticed a familiar face.<\/p>\n
\u201cPam\u00a0and I were having lunch at a KFC in Ormond Beach and, lo and behold, I see Crystal\u00a0walk in with\u00a0her husband and I nearly choked\u00a0on a chicken bone!,\u201d\u00a0Ford said,\u00a0laughing.<\/p>\n
After\u00a01983 Ford\u00a0lost contact with Crystal,\u00a0but regained it after he made his Facebook page.\u00a0Crystal\u00a0actually had the same idea as Ford.\u00a0He and Pam had been divorced\u00a0and\u00a0Crystal\u00a0was looking for a new start,\u00a0so they were thrilled to have resumed contact.<\/p>\n
This reconnection prompted Ford\u00a0to\u00a0return\u00a0to Daytona to\u00a0visit Crystal.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had been looking for him as well. I was excited to see him again,\u201d Mrs. Ford recalled.<\/p>\n
Eventually Ford\u00a0moved down\u00a0in 2013\u00a0and the two married on Feb.\u00a07, 2014.\u00a0The new location also provided Ford with the opportunity to resume his\u00a0dream of PA announcing.<\/p>\n
At\u00a0the\u00a0end of October 2016,\u00a0Ford\u00a0received a call from his friend Luke Morrow,\u00a0radio commentator for the Daytona Tortugas.\u00a0Morrow\u00a0made Ford aware\u00a0that DSC was looking for a PA announcer for their\u00a0basketball program and asked if he could give Jeff\u2019s\u00a0name and number to Cody White, the\u00a0Athletic Event\u00a0Specialist for DSC.<\/p>\n
White\u00a0contacted Ford\u00a0a few\u00a0days later\u00a0to speak with him about the current job opening. He\u00a0agreed to meet with White and\u00a0within 15 minutes\u00a0of\u00a0the meeting the two came to an agreement that Ford\u00a0would be the new PA announcer for DSC basketball.<\/p>\n
\u201cI gave him the script,\u00a0he came, did it\u00a0and knocked it out of the park.\u00a0It’s nice to have somebody who enjoys doing that,\u201d\u00a0said White.<\/p>\n
The job\u00a0has its rough patches. As Ford\u00a0noted, basketball is\u00a0a fast-paced\u00a0game\u00a0that is difficult to keep up with and occasionally\u00a0he has gotten\u00a0behind on the foul\u00a0counts. But it also had its bright moments. He is always excited\u00a0to announce\u00a0the explosive plays made by DSC\u2019s\u00a0teams, such as\u00a03-point shots or dunks.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe did excellent. He sounded\u00a0great.\u00a0I was super excited to be able to find him. It was a godsend, it was a blessing,\u201d White\u00a0said of Ford\u2019s first season of announcing.<\/p>\n
Ford\u00a0may not\u00a0know what the future holds for his career, but he\u00a0recognizes\u00a0the opportunity that has\u00a0been offered\u00a0to him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey gave me the chance to do something I’ve always wanted to do and I’m so grateful for\u00a0that.\u00a0I have fun doing it,\u201d\u00a0Ford\u00a0said.<\/p>\n
The 2017-18 basketball season will launch in November. Visit http:\/\/www.dscfalcons.com<\/a> for information.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Kyrin Mayfield Special to In Motion Public Address\u00a0announcers keep tabs on\u00a0who scores, player substitutions or if a team calls\u00a0for a timeout.\u00a0While many know the voice behind the microphone, few\u00a0would\u00a0recognize the face. Meet Jeff Ford, PA announcer for Daytona State College\u2019s\u00a0men’s and women’s basketball teams. Ford\u2019s\u00a0love for the\u00a0job began\u00a0in elementary school\u00a0when Continue reading Basketball announcer Ford is man behind the mic<\/span>