Travis Ford, the long standing head coach of Saint Louis Billikens men’s basketball, was fired after the team’s loss Wednesday night 83-73 to Duquesne in the Atlantic 10 tournament.

“For eight years, Travis has led our men’s basketball program with passion and dignity,” said SLU Athletic Director Chris May.

Multiple insiders and outlets reported the news almost immediately after the Billikens were knocked out of the A-10 conference tournament. The firing was widely expected.  

Ford’s firing comes after one of the worst seasons in program history as the team finished with a 13-20 overall record. This season, the Billikens were ranked as one of the worst teams in college basketball in points per game allowed. The Billikens struggled to find any momentum or rhythm in conference play. 

Ford joined the basketball program in March 2016 after serving as head coach at Oklahoma State. During his time as head coach at SLU, he was the third-winningest coach in program history with a 146-109 all-time record. Ford was the highest-paid coach in the Atlantic 10 despite never finishing better than fourth place in conference regular-season standings. While he was head coach, Ford took the Billikens to the NCAA Tournament once in 2019.

Ford’s next career move is unknown. “​​​​”You look back on my 27 years as a college head coach and all the different people that I’ve met and the relationships I’ve built over the years,” Ford said. “I’ve loved St. Louis—absolutely loved St. Louis. My kids call St. Louis home, and I’m looking forward to spending more years in St. Louis.”

“It is our expectation to regularly compete for conference championships and play in the NCAA tournament,” said May. “Unfortunately, we have not met those expectations the last several years. We thank Travis for his dedication to SLU and wish him the best in the future.”