RICHMOND, Ky. – Athletic Director John Shafer has announced a multi-year extension on the contract of head men’s basketball coach Travis Ford. Terms of the extension were not disclosed.

Ford, who came to EKU prior to the 2000-01 season, compiled a 14-15 record in 2003-04 and guided the Colonels into back-to-back appearances in the OVC playoffs for the first time since the 1996-97 and 1997-98 seasons. Ford’s win total last year was also the most for a Colonel head coach since the 1992-93 edition of the squad registered 15 victories.

“Travis has done an outstanding job in making improvements to our basketball program every year during his tenure at Eastern Kentucky,” Shafer said. “We look forward to continued success for many years to come.”

EKU president Joanne Glasser echoed Shafer’s sentiments.

“Coach Travis Ford has brought to EKU an aggressive, exciting style of basketball. We all look forward to his continued success with our student athletes both on and off the court,” she said.

Ford has shown steady improvement in the program, which had taken a downturn prior to his arrival. He seemed to break through during the 2002-03 season, lifting the team to an 11-17 record, the first to feature double-digit wins since the 1997-98 campaign. After the turnaround season of 2003-04, Ford parlayed his team’s success on the floor into one of the best recruiting classes in the program’s history. His signees ranked no. 28 nationally according to HoopScoop.

Ford also looked toward the future upon the announcement of his contract extension.

“I am excited about the things going on in the Eastern Kentucky University basketball program right now as well as the things we feel are on the horizon. I am also excited about the commitment that President Glasser and John Shafer have made to me and the basketball program and I am looking forward to practice getting underway in October.”