Feb. 1, 2016
In celebration of Black History Month, RamblinWreck.com will highlight several African-American athletes that left their mark on Georgia Tech Athletics. We will post a new profile each Monday in February. Our first profile feature is Kisha Ford-Torres, who was the first Georgia Tech women’s basketball WNBA draft pick. She is currently a deputy sheriff for Brevard County in Florida.
By Chris Yandle | Communications & Public Relations
A decorated guard/forward at Georgia Tech, Kisha Ford-Torres spent her four seasons on The Flats as one of the best to ever play women’s basketball for the Yellow Jackets. When Ford-Torres left Georgia Tech in 1997, she was the Jackets’ all-time leading scorer with 1,955 points; she now is second all-time to Tyaunna Marshall.
A first-team All-ACC performer in 1997, she averaged 20.3 points and 8.6 rebounds, which earned her honorable mention All-American honors by Kodak and The Associated Press. She capped off her final year at Tech as the recipient of the Total Person Award.
The 1997 Georgia Tech graduate was named to the ACC’s 50th Anniversary Team in 2003. She averaged 17.9 points in four seasons and still ranks in the top 10 on Tech’s career charts in field goals made, field goals attempted, free throws made, rebounds, assists and steals. Her 92 steals in 1993-94 still stand as the most ever by a Georgia Tech freshman.
In addition to her successful college and professional basketball careers, Ford-Torres played on the USA Basketball Select Team that won bronze in the 1995 Jones Cup played in Taipei.
She became the first WNBA draft pick in Georgia Tech history as she was drafted in the fourth round (No. 27 overall) of the 1997 WNBA Draft by the New York Liberty. She enjoyed a five-year career in the WNBA, playing for the Liberty (1997-98), the Orlando Miracle (1999) and the Miami Sol (2000-01).
Once her basketball career concluded, she earned her master’s degree in healthcare and international business from Baker College in 2001. She spent some time as a forensic accountant for a firm in Atlanta while also working on an MBA in accounting at Baker College, where she completed her degree in 2007.
A year later, Ford-Torres was inducted into the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame.
She went from serving up assists to her teammates at Alexander Memorial Coliseum (now McCamish Pavilion) to serving the citizens of DeKalb County (Ga.) as a senior police officer. Today, she serves the people of Brevard County, Florida, in a different capacity – deputy sheriff. Ford-Torres has spent the last 10-plyus years in law enforcement and is also a 1st Lieutenant in the Army National Guard, serving five years as 1st Lieutenant – Battalion Staff Officer and 2nd Lieutenant – Platoon Leader.
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