Dana Ford has been fired as Missouri State’s basketball coach, the school announced in a news release on Sunday morning.
Missouri State’s season came to an end on Friday, March 8 with a 75-59 loss to Indiana State in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament quarterfinals. The ninth-seeded Bears beat Murray State 60-35 a day earlier in the opening round.
Ford could not immediately be reached for comment, but in a one-on-one interview with the Daily Citizen before the team's final home game, he acknowledged that his job status was uncertain. Ford was at peace with the situation, no matter how it played out.
“I’m not a guy that worries about anything in life,” Ford said. “Here’s what I know: God has a plan for my life. Whatever that plan is for my life, that’s what is going to happen. No different than getting a job. God had a plan for that.
“I don’t get overly caught up in worrying about anything. I’ve overcome so much in my life that whatever plan God has for me is what is going to happen.”
Ford compiled a 106-82 record in six seasons at Missouri State. He was hired as the 18th head coach in program history on March 22, 2018, after four seasons at Tennessee State, where his teams had a combined 57-65 record (including 5-26 in his first year).
“Dana has been an amazing role model for our players and a great ambassador for our university and our program,” Missouri State athletic director Kyle Moats said in a news release. “Likewise, he has given so much of his time in support of youth programs, charities and other community endeavors. That's why the decision was not easy.”
“I want to thank Coach Ford and his staff for their hard work and professionalism during their tenure at Missouri State,” Moats continued.
Moats notes that a national search to find the men's basketball program's next coach will start immediately, and Moats will reserve commenting on that process until the search culminates in the announcement of the hiring of a new head coach.
Ford’s best season at Missouri State was 2021-22, when a team led by first-team all-conference players Gaige Prim and Isaiah Mosley finished tied for second in the league at 13-5. The Bears lost a 79-78 overtime heartbreaker to Drake in the semifinals of the MVC Tournament and settled for a National Invitation Tournament berth, losing to Oklahoma in the first round on the road.
Some early season non-conference defeats stymied momentum on different occasions during Ford’s tenure. His second season, when the Bears were picked to win the Valley after being a surprise contender in his debut season, saw a home and season-opening loss to Little Rock 67-66.
Playing an ambitious non-league schedule, the Bears went on to finish 16-17 overall and 9-9 in the Valley, to tie for sixth and lost to Valparaiso in the tournament semifinals.
The COVID-19-impacted season of 2020-21 was a good one, but with a limited non-league schedule because of pandemic cancellations. Missouri State went 17-7 overall and 12-6, for third in the league before losing at the buzzer to Drake in the tournament semifinals.
The 2021-22 season was the Bears’ best under Ford, but some fan interest was lost again in the home and season opener with a 99-94 loss to Southeast Missouri State.
Another frustrating home-court loss came in December of 2022-23 when Purdue Fort Wayne upset the Bears 65-61. Still, the team with nearly an entirely rebuilt roster after graduations and transfers, made enough progress for Ford to gain a vote of confidence prior to the league tourney. The Bears finished 17-15 and 12-8, sixth in the league and lost in the tournament quarterfinals by three to Southern Illinois.
Dana Ford Year by Year at Missouri State:
2018-19 - 16-16, 10-8 MVC (tie 3rd)
2019-20 - 16-17, 9-9 MVC (tie 6th)
2020-21 - 17-7, 12-6 MVC (3rd)
2021-22 - 23-11, 13-5 MVC (tie 2nd)
2022-23 - 17-15, 12-8 MVC (tie 6th)
2023-24 - 17-16, 8-12 MVC (9th)
Total - 106-82, 64-48 MVC
MORE MISSOURI STATE MEN'S BASKETBALL FROM THE SPRINGFIELD DAILY CITIZEN
