Idaho (Big Sky) has moved quickly to fill its head coaching vacancy by hiring Thomas Ford. Ford was the running backs coach at Oregon State (Pac-12) for the 2024 season and will replace Jason Eck who left for New Mexico (Mountain West). Ford has previous coaching experience at Idaho in 2022 and 2023 as the running backs coach and special teams coordinator.
Ford played collegiately at NCAA Division III Linfield University, which is where he got his first collegiate coaching experience. He was the running backs coach in 2007 and 2008 before joining Division II’s Southeastern Oklahoma State University. Ford spent three seasons (2009 – 2011) with the Savage Storm as the wide receivers coach and special teams coordinator.
In 2012, Ford joined the University of Puget Sound as the ST coordinator and defensive backs coach before being promoted to defensive coordinator for the 2013 campaign. Ford spent the 2014 through 2017 season as the head coach of Stadium High School in Tacoma, Washington where he turned around a team that hadn’t posted a winning season in over 20 years. Ford led SHS to playoff appearances in 2016 and 2017.
He returned to collegiate coaching in 2018 as the head coach of Division II Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada. Ford went 2-17 overall after the Red Leafs had gone winless from 2015 through 2017 seasons. In 2020 and 2021, Ford was an offensive quality control coach with the Washington Huskies when they were in the Pac-12 and then moved on to Idaho in 2022.
Ford will be following in the footsteps of Jason Eck who led the Vandals to three straight FCS Playoff appearances in his three seasons, which includes back-to-back quarterfinals. Eck went 26-13 overall and 18-6 in the Big Sky. Ford’s first game will be at Washington State (Pac-12) on August 30 followed by another road game at St. Thomas (MN) (Pioneer). Idaho’s first home game in 2025 will be on Saturday, September 13 against the United Athletic’s Utah Tech Trailblazers.
Photo Credit to the University of Idaho Athletics
