Charlie Ward Jr. (born October 12, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Ward was an exceptional

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

player as well, winning the

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...

Davey O'Brien Award The Davey O'Brien Award, officially the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award, named after Davey O'Brien, is presented annually to the collegiate American football player judged by the Davey O'Brien Foundation to be the best of all National Co ...

, and

College Football National Championship A national championship in the highest level of college football in the United States, currently the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), is a designation awarded annually by various organizations to their selection of the best co ...

as a quarterback for the

Florida State Seminoles The Florida State Seminoles are the athletic teams representing Florida State University located in Tallahassee, Florida. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level (Football Bowl Subdivis ...

. Ward played in the NBA with the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

for nine years and started in the

1999 NBA Finals The 1999 NBA Finals was the championship round of the shortened 1998–99 NBA season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs took on the Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks for t ...

. He later had short spells with the San Antonio Spurs and

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...

, before retiring in 2005. He was inducted into the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive attraction devoted to college football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players and coaches of college football that were vote ...

in 2006.

College football

Ward won the 1993 Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award, and the

as a quarterback for the

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...

. He subsequently led the Seminoles to their first-ever national championship when FSU defeated Nebraska 27–14 in the

1993 Orange Bowl The 1993 Orange Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 1993. This 59th edition to the Orange Bowl featured the Nebraska Cornhuskers, and the Florida State Seminoles. Nebraska came into the game ranked number 11 at 9–2. Florid ...

. The Seminoles had suffered their only defeat of the season to a second-ranked Notre Dame team, but their path to the national championship was cleared a week later when the Irish were upset at home by

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...

. Ward holds the fourth-largest margin of victory in the history of Heisman trophy balloting, with a 1,622-point difference, fourth only to Joe Burrow's 1,846 point win in 2019,

O. J. Simpson Orenthal James Simpson (born July 9, 1947), nicknamed "Juice", is an American former football running back, actor, and broadcaster who played for the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. Once a popular figure ...

's 1,750-point win in 1968 and Troy Smith's 1,662-point win in 2006. He was also the only Heisman winner to play in the NBA. In 1993, Charlie Ward won the James E. Sullivan Award from the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) as the most outstanding amateur athlete in the United States.

College basketball

Ward also played basketball for four years at

The Florida State University Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the sta ...

(FSU). Former teammates included future

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

players Bob Sura,

Doug Edwards Douglas Edwards (born January 21, 1971) is an American former professional basketball player who was selected by the Atlanta Hawks in the first round (15th pick overall) of the 1993 NBA draft. Edwards played for the Hawks and Vancouver Grizzlies ...

, and Sam Cassell. His 1993 team made it to the Southeast Regional Final where they lost to Kentucky 106–81 with the winner advancing to the Final Four. Ward's 1992 team made the Sweet Sixteen. He made the game-winning shot in its Metro Conference Tournament Championship game win over Louisville in 1991. Ward still holds FSU basketball records for career steals at 236 and steals in one game at 9, and ranks sixth all-time in assists at 396. He played a shortened season his senior year, joining the basketball team just 15 days after winning the Heisman Trophy. He started 16 games at the point guard position that year, and averaged a college career high of 10.5 points and 4.9 assists for the season. , - , style="text-align:left;", 1990–91 , style="text-align:left;", Florida State , 30 , , — , , 23.8 , , .455 , , .313 , , .713 , , 3.0, , 3.4 , , 2.4 , , .3 , , 8.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1991–92 , style="text-align:left;", Florida State , 28 , , 22 , , 30.0 , , .497 , , .458 , , .530 , , 3.2 , , 4.4 , , 2.7 , , .2 , , 7.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1992–93 , style="text-align:left;", Florida State , 17 , , 14 , , 32.8 , , .462 , , .320 , , .667 , , 2.6 , , 5.5 , , 2.8 , , .3 , , 7.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1993–94 , style="text-align:left;", Florida State , 16 , , 16 , , 35.9 , , .365 , , .253 , , .625 , , 3.9 , , 4.9 , , 2.8 , , .1 , , 10.5 , - , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 91 , , 52 , , 29.5 , , .441 , , .323 , , .636 , , 3.1 , , 4.4 , , 2.6 , , .2 , , 8.1

Professional career

Upon graduation, Ward stated he was undecided about professional basketball or football and made it clear that he would not consider playing in the NFL unless selected in the first round of the

1994 NFL Draft The 1994 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 24–25, 1994, at the Marriott Mar ...

. Ward proclaimed that he "deserved to" be a first-rounder. Ward's mother reported that the family was told he "was probably a third- to fifth-round pick." Due to his smaller stature and uncertainty about whether he would play in the NBA, Ward was not selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. Having been chosen in the 1st round (26th overall) of the

1994 NBA draft The 1994 NBA draft took place on June 29, 1994, at Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis. Two NBA rookies of the year were picked in the first round, as Jason Kidd and Grant Hill were co-winners of the award for the 1994–95 NBA season. Kidd and Hill ...

by the

, he began his career in the NBA as a

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. Point guards are expected to run t ...

. An inquiry was made during Ward's rookie year with the Knicks for him to become the backup quarterback for Joe Montana of the Kansas City Chiefs, but Ward declined. Ward is the only Heisman Trophy winner to play in the NBA, and one of only three Heisman winners to play professionally in another Big 4 league ( Bo Jackson and Vic Janowicz both played Major League Baseball). Ward played sparingly in his rookie year under head coach Pat Riley, but the Knicks organization referred to him as "the point guard of the future." When assistant coach

Jeff Van Gundy Jeffrey William Van Gundy (born January 19, 1962) is an American commentator for ESPN and former basketball coach. He served as head coach of the New York Knicks and the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). During his ten ...

took over the head coaching position, Ward's time on the floor began to increase, becoming the primary backup for point guard Derek Harper. He became a fan favorite in New York for his hard work ethic and unselfish play. During his NBA career, Ward established himself as a good three-point shooter, a reliable ball distributor, and a respected floor leader. Ward was selected to participate in the 1998 NBA All-Star three-point competition, finishing fourth in the event. He soon helped the Knicks reach the

before falling to the San Antonio Spurs. Ward was traded to the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...

in February 2004 as part of the blockbuster trade that brought Stephon Marbury to the Knicks and was promptly cut by the Suns for salary purposes. Ward spent the remainder of the season with the Spurs and signed a contract with the

the following summer. After maintaining relatively good health over his first decade in the league, injuries caused Ward to miss most of the 2004–05 season. Because of his injuries Ward retired. During his time with the Knicks, Ward was often called the "best quarterback in New York" due to the struggles that the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

and

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

had at the position. Ward was the last Knicks draft pick to sign a multiyear contract with the team after the expiration of their rookie deal for 23 years.

Controversy

In Game 5 of the 1997 Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Miami Heat, with the Knicks holding a 3–1 series lead, Ward tried to box out

P. J. Brown Collier "P. J." Brown Jr. (born October 14, 1969) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The , center/ power forward was selected out of Louisiana Tech University by the N ...

. When he tried to get inside after the free throw shot, Brown became frustrated, then retaliated by picking Ward up, flipping him over and throwing him into the first row. This caused a bench-clearing brawl. After Miami won the game 96–81, Patrick Ewing,

John Starks John Levell Starks (born August 10, 1965) is an American former professional basketball shooting guard. Starks was listed at 6'5" and 190 pounds during his NBA playing career. Although he was undrafted in the 1988 NBA draft after attending four ...

, Larry Johnson,

Allan Houston Allan Wade Houston (born April 20, 1971) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1993 to 2005. A shooting guard, Houston played nine seasons for the New York Knicks; he w ...

, and Ward were suspended by the NBA. Ewing, Houston, Johnson, and Starks left the bench during the brawl, which was mandatory cause for suspension according to NBA rules. Brown was suspended for the rest of the series; Ewing, Ward and Houston were suspended for Game 6, and Johnson and Starks were suspended for Game 7. Due to the suspensions, the Knicks were shorthanded and lost Games 6 and 7 to Miami 95–90 and 101–90, respectively, failing to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. Miami would go on to lose to the Chicago Bulls in five games. In 2001, while playing for the Knicks, it was discovered that Ward had made comments about Jews during a Bible-study session, comments that were eventually leaked to the press. Among the comments made: "Jews are stubborn...tell me, why did they persecute Jesus unless He knew something they didn't want to accept...They had His blood on their hands." There was outrage directed at Ward from Jewish groups, the public, as well as the Knicks organization itself. Ward defended himself by saying "I didn't mean to offend any one group because that's not what I'm about. I have friends that are Jewish. Actually, my friend is a Jewish guy, and his name is Jesus Christ." He also said the quotes were taken out of context, as he stated that "Jews are stubborn" in speaking to what he perceived to be their disinclination to convert to Christianity. Ward eventually apologized for those statements, with his apology being accepted by the

Anti-Defamation League The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), formerly known as the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, is an international Jewish non-governmental organization based in the United States specializing in civil rights law. It was founded in late Septe ...

Post retirement career

Coaching

Ward was an assistant coach for the NBA team, the

. In June 2007, Ward was hired as an assistant coach for the varsity boys basketball team by Westbury Christian School in Houston, Texas. In November 2007, he accepted the job as head coach for the varsity football team at Westbury Christian School, stating that his desire is to help prepare young minds for Christ. In February 2014, it was announced that Ward accepted the head coaching position at Booker T. Washington High School in

Pensacola, Florida Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ...

, where his son Caleb would be attending and playing football. As of March 8, 2018, Ward is the Ambassador of Football for Florida State University. In March 2018, Ward became the head Boys' Basketball coach for Florida State University Schools (FSUS or Florida High) in Tallahassee, Florida. The program improved since Ward's arrival.

Other

Ward hosts a web series
''Chalk Talk with Charlie Ward''
where he discusses his thoughts on Florida State Seminole Football. Charlie Ward made his acting debut, playing himself on the Netflix comedy series '' Family Reunion'' in the episode "Remember M'dear's Fifteen Minutes?" in 2020.

Charitable work

Off the court, Ward became known for his extensive charitable work through groups like the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. In 2011, at the NCAA Final Four, Ward received the

John Wooden John Robert Wooden (October 14, 1910 – June 4, 2010) was an American basketball coach and player. Nicknamed the Wizard of Westwood, he won ten National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) national championships in a 12-year period as head ...

Keys to Life award given for continued excellence and integrity on and off the court. Ward established The aWard Foundation to enhance the lives of young people through sports based mentoring and educational programs.

Career statistics

NBA

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align;left;",

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, 10 , , 0 , , 4.4 , , .211 , , .100 , , .700 , , .6 , , .4 , , .2 , , .0 , , 1.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align;left;",

, 62 , , 1 , , 12.7 , , .399 , , .333 , , .685 , , 1.6 , , 2.1 , , .9 , , .1 , , 3.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align;left;",

, 79 , , 21 , , 22.3 , , .395 , , .312 , , .76 , , 2.8 , , 4.1 , , 1.1 , , .2 , , 5.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align;left;",

, style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 28.3 , , .455 , , .377 , , .805 , , 3.3 , , 5.7 , , 1.8 , , .5 , , 7.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align;left;",

, style="background:#cfecec;", 50* , , style="background:#cfecec;", 50* , , 31.1 , , .404 , , .356 , , .705 , , 3.4 , , 5.4 , , 2.1 , , .2 , , 7.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1999–00 , style="text-align;left;",

, 72 , , 69 , , 27.6 , , .423 , , .386 , , .828 , , 3.2 , , 4.2 , , 1.3 , , .2 , , 7.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align;left;",

, 61 , , 33 , , 24.5 , , .416 , , .383 , , .800 , , 2.6 , , 4.5 , , 1.1 , , .2 , , 7.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align;left;",

, 63 , , 0 , , 16.8 , , .373 , , .323 , , .810 , , 2.0 , , 3.2 , , 1.1 , , .2 , , 5.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align;left;",

, 66 , , 6 , , 22.2 , , .399 , , .378 , , .774 , , 2.7 , , 4.6 , , 1.2 , , .2 , , 7.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align;left;",

, 35 , , 10 , , 23.6 , , .442 , , .428 , , .762 , , 2.7 , , 4.9 , , 1.3 , , .2 , , 8.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align;left;", San Antonio , 36 , , 0 , , 11.8 , , .346 , , .368 , , .667 , , 1.3 , , 1.3 , , .5 , , .1 , , 3.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align;left;", Houston , 14 , , 13 , , 25.7 , , .312 , , .314 , , .846 , , 2.8 , , 3.1 , , 1.1 , , .0 , , 5.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 630 , , 285 , , 22.3 , , .408 , , .364 , , .771 , , 2.6 , , 4.0 , , 1.2 , , .2 , , 6.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

, style="text-align;left;",

, 7 , , 0 , , 13.1 , , .481 , , .250 , , .429 , , 1.3 , , 2.4 , , 1.6 , , .0 , , 4.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...

, style="text-align;left;",

, 9 , , 0 , , 20.2 , , .296 , , .111 , , .750 , , 2.8 , , 4.3 , , 1.4 , , .0 , , 2.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...

, style="text-align;left;",

, 10 , , 10 , , 26.1 , , .418 , , .429 , , .688 , , 2.8 , , 6.0 , , 2.0 , , .2 , , 6.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...

, style="text-align;left;",

, 20 , , 20 , , 24.7 , , .366 , , .321 , , .750 , , 2.3 , , 3.8 , , 1.8 , , .2 , , 4.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

, style="text-align;left;",

, 16 , , 16 , , 27.4 , , .504 , , .396 , , .714 , , 4.3 , , 4.1 , , 1.4 , , .3 , , 9.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

, style="text-align;left;",

, 5 , , 0 , , 17.2 , , .296 , , .250 , , 1.000 , , 1.4 , , 1.4 , , .4 , , .0 , , 5.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

, style="text-align;left;", San Antonio , 5 , , 0 , , 2.6 , , .667 , , 1.000 , , – , , .0 , , .2 , , .4 , , .0 , , 2.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 72 , , 46 , , 21.8 , , .422, , .349, , .710, , 2.5, , 3.7, , 1.5', , .1, , 5.5

Personal life

Ward and his wife Tonja have three children: Caleb, Hope, and Joshua. In June 2018, while on a church mission trip to Ensenada, Mexico, Ward suffered a

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

. He has since made a full recovery. Ward switched to a vegan diet and began a more consistent workout regimen to improve his health and prevent another stroke in the future. Ward is a member of

Omega Psi Phi Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. () is a historically African-American fraternity. The fraternity was founded on November 17, 1911, by three Howard University juniors Edgar Amos Love, Oscar James Cooper and Frank Coleman, and their faculty advi ...

fraternity.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ward, Charlie 1970 births Living people African-American basketball coaches African-American Christians African-American coaches of American football All-American college football players American football punters American football quarterbacks American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Georgia (U.S. state) Basketball players from Georgia (U.S. state) Basketball players from Houston Coaches of American football from Georgia (U.S. state) College Football Hall of Fame inductees Florida State Seminoles football players Florida State Seminoles men's basketball players Heisman Trophy winners High school basketball coaches in Texas High school football coaches in Texas Houston Rockets assistant coaches Houston Rockets players James E. Sullivan Award recipients Maxwell Award winners New York Knicks draft picks New York Knicks players Players of American football from Thomasville, Georgia Players of American football from Houston Point guards San Antonio Spurs players Walter Camp Award winners