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Athletics

Third class of Tar Heel Trailblazers recognized

Phil Ford and Sharon Couch-Fikes were recognized for paving the way for success in all aspects of the student-athlete experience.

Sharon Couch-Fikes and Phil Ford stand together.
Former track and field star Sharon Couch-Fikes and former basketball player Phil Ford were recipients of the 2016 Tar Heel Trailblazers award.

When Phil Ford was setting scoring and assist records for the Carolina men’s basketball team in the late 1970s, he never imagined he was creating a path for student-athletes to come.

But Saturday, nearly 40 years since he last played for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Ford was honored for just that.

Ford joined former track and field star Sharon Couch-Fikes at center court of the Dean E. Smith Center on Feb. 20 to receive the third annual Tar Heel Trailblazers award, which recognizes individuals who paved the way for success in all aspects of the student-athlete experience.

“I think it’s extremely important for us to do things to help other people,’’ said Ford, one of the best basketball players in Carolina history. “If I did something to help somebody behind me — like the guys before me did to help me — it makes me extremely proud.”

Couch-Fikes, who competed on the Tar Heels’ track and field team from 1988 until 1991, was first the female track athlete from Carolina to compete in the Olympic games, finishing sixth in the long jump in Barcelona in 1992.

Arriving at Carolina from her hometown of Rice, Virginia, Couch-Fikes was one of only a few African-American women competing for the University.

“I didn’t know that I would be the first to be an Olympian, but I did know that there were high expectations and that I was ready to meet them,” she said. “Carolina was the place to do it.”

Throughout her career in Chapel Hill, Couch-Fikes met those expectations. A five-time All-America, she became the first African-American woman to win the Patterson Medal — the University’s highest athletic award.

She captured eight individual Atlantic Coast Conference titles and led the track and field team to seven straight league titles before graduating with a degree in speech communications. She went on to compete professionally and was a member of five U.S. World Championship teams as a long jumper.

The past recipients of the Tar Heel Trailblazer award were Courtney Bumpers, Robyn Hadley, Ricky Lanier, Charles Scott, Charles Waddell, Karen Stevenson and Stuart Scott.

Ford was particularly pleased to share the honor with Charles Scott, his childhood idol and Carolina’s first African-American scholarship athlete.

“Any time I share anything with Charles Scott is an honor because growing up, in 7th or 8th grade, Charlie Scott was my hero,” he said. “He still is my hero.”

A member of the College Basketball Hall of Fame, Ford’s No. 12 hangs in the Smith Center’s rafters. He was a three-time All-American at Carolina, and was named the ACC Male Athlete of the year twice. He also was named National Player of the Year, ACC Player of the Year and a was a gold medalist in the 1976 Olympics.

During his playing career, the 1978 Patterson Medal recipient averaged 18.6 points and 6.1 assists, graduating with the University’s scoring and assist records. He helped lead Carolina teams that won two ACC Tournament titles and advanced to the NCAA championship in 1977.

“I’ve enjoyed my entire experience here — athletically, academically and socially,” he said. “If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn’t think twice about attending the University of North Carolina again.”

Ford played NBA for eight seasons, and was named the 1979 Rookie of the Year. After retiring from the NBA, he served as an assistant to the Tar Heel basketball team for 12 years before returning to the NBA as an assistant coach.

He’s proud that he continues to connect with Tar Heels and offer guidance in any way he can.

He continues to be a trailblazer.

“They’re all like little brothers to me, just like how I was a little brother to Charlie Scott and Billy Cunningham,” he said. “I pull for them as hard as I pull for everybody. They’re all great guys and great kids. They probably go through a lot of the same times that I went through, so I understand a little bit. I’m just happy I’m a part of that family.”