Campbell University

Denise Ford Shipman Photo Gallery

A native of Greensboro, Denise Ford Shipman arrived at Campbell in 1985 after a standout career at Grimsley High School.  During her Lady Camel career, she earned Big South all-conference and all-tournament honors three times and was named MVP of the 1989 league tournament.  Shipman finished her career with 1,243 points and 837 rebounds and the Lady Camels won nearly 73 percent of their games (80-30) while making appearances in three Big South tournament finals during her four-year tenure. 

During her first three seasons, Campbell won at least 20 games each year.  In 1986-87, the Lady Camels went 20-7 overall and 10-2 in the first year of women's basketball play in the Big South.  Ford ranked fifth among Big South leaders in rebounds (8.4) and seventh in steals (53). As a junior, she helped lead the Lady Camels to a 23-5 overall record and 11-1 mark in the league by pouring in 15.3 points and 9.6 rebounds per contest.  She was presented the team's Don Phelps Memorial Award as the most improved player. 

The daughter of Ovedia Foust and the late Jimmy Floyd, Shipman earned a number of honors during her senior year.  Not only did she garner all-conference and all-league tournament recognition for the third-straight year, but she was named MVP of the 1989 Big South tournament after leading the Lady Camels to their first league title on the Division I level.  She poured in a game-high 25 points and grabbed nine rebounds in a 58-53 win over top-seeded Radford. She was named special mention Fast Break All-American by the American Women's Sports Federation and was tabbed Campbell's Outstanding Female Athlete for 1988-89. 

In addition, she was the 1988 Homecoming Queen and later commissioned as a United States Army officer after graduating with a degree in social work. More than two decades after the close of her career, Shipman still ranks sixth on Campbell's all-time rebounding list (837), seventh in steals (178) and ninth in scoring (1,243). She was one of 12 players in Lady Camel history to record at least 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in a career.  Her 42 total rebounds during the 1988 Big South tournament set a conference record. 

Following graduation, Ford Shipman served as a first Lieutenant in the U.S. Army from 1990-93 and was stationed in Saudi Arabia with the 43rd Air Defense battalion during the Gulf War.  She later worked with the North Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation Services in Greensboro. 

She earned a master's degree in counselor education in 1998 from North Carolina A&T State University and another in educational leadership from the College of New Jersey in 2010.  She now serves as coordinator of pupil progression services for the Plainfield (N.J.) Board of Education.  She has also been active in coaching on the high school and youth level. 

She now resides in Plainfield, N.J. with her husband, Rodney, and their twin sons, Byron and Bryson.  She also has a stepson, Brandon Shipman.