A native of New Haven, Connecticut, Ford attended Somerville High School, where he played on the school's baseball team. He went on to attend Tufts University, where he studied mechanical engineering, and was considered by some as the "premier shortstop in college ball". While at Tufts in 1915 and 1916, he played shortstop for Falmouth in what is now the Cape Cod Baseball League. Ford was signed to a professional contract in 1919 while still a student, foregoing his senior year of college baseball eligibility. He graduated from Tufts University in 1919.[citation needed]
Ford made his major league debut in September 1919 for the Boston Braves, where he was a teammate of the legendary Jim Thorpe. Ford appeared in ten games for Boston that season, playing mainly at shortstop, where he backed up Hall of Famer Rabbit Maranville. By 1921, Ford had become a regular in the Braves' lineup, knocking 155 hits that season, and another 140 in 1922. After the 1923 season, Ford was traded by the Braves to the Philadelphia Phillies.
Ford hit .272 in 145 games for the Phillies during the 1924 season, and was selected off waivers by the Brooklyn Robins early in the 1925 season. At Brooklyn, Ford played alongside Hall of Famers Burleigh Grimes, Dazzy Vance, and Zack Wheat, but the team floundered and finished the season in a virtual three-way tie for last place in the National League.

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