Did Charlie Ward play college football? All we know about FAMU basketball HC's dual-sport past
Charlie Ward will become the next coach for the Florida A&M basketball team. He has agreed to a reported five-year contract that will run through June 2030.
This will be Ward's first coaching job at the collegiate level, but some have been curious to learn whether he played football during his college days.
Did Charlie Ward play college football?
Charlie Ward played football and basketball for Florida State. He was a quarterback on the gridiron and a very good one, too.
Ward played as a quarterback for the Seminoles from 1989 to 1993. He played in 11 games as a freshman but was mainly used as a backup and redshirted his sophomore season in 1990.
In the 1991 season, Ward played 12 games but was once again a backup. He completed just five of nine passes for 68 yards.
It was in the 1992 season that Ward made a name for himself at FSU when he got the starting QB role. He recorded 2,647 passing yards, 22 touchdowns and 17 interceptions while also rushing for 504 yards and six touchdowns in 100 carries across 11 games.
In the 1993 season, Ward led Florida State to its first national title. The QB also won the Heisman Trophy for racking up 3,032 passing yards, 27 touchdowns and four interceptions. He also contributed 339 yards and four touchdowns on 65 carries.
Ward also won the Davey O'Brien Award, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and the Walter Camp Award for the 1993 season.
Across his college football career, Ward completed 473 of 759 passes for 5,747 yards with 49 touchdowns and 22 interceptions. He also posted 889 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns.
Due to his achievements on the gridiron, Florida State retired Ward's No. 17 jersey.
Ward also played four seasons with the Seminoles' basketball team. He averaged 8.1 points, 4.4 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game during his time with the program.
Despite being a standout QB at the collegiate level, Ward opted to pursue a career in basketball. He went on to play in the NBA for 11 seasons before venturing into coaching.