Charlie Ward

Charlie Ward, Jr. is a husband, father, mentor, and sports coach known for his principles of integrity, hard work, and faith in God. In 2025, he was announced as the head men's basketball coach for Florida A&M University thus making him the only Heisman Trophy winner to become an NCAA Division I head basketball coach.

Ward's first major success came during his stint as a two-sport standout student athlete at Florida State University (FSU) playing on the football and basketball teams. Not only did he set 19 school and seven Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) records, but he also led the FSU Seminoles to their first-ever National Championship under legendary football coach Bobby Bowden in his senior year. This impressive performance gained him over 30 awards, including the 1993 Heisman Trophy, which is awarded annually to the top player in college football. Furthermore, Ward was named ACC Athlete of the Year in 1993 and 1994. He would later be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006.

On the basketball court, Ward was the spark plug on three FSU NCAA Tournament basketball teams. He led the Seminoles to the brink of the 1993 Final Four, falling one game shy. He also started on FSU’s Sweet 16 team in 1992 and hit the game-winning shot in its Metro Conference Tournament Championship game win over Louisville in 1991. Ward still holds Seminole basketball records for steals in a game (9) and career (236) and ranks sixth all-time in assists (396).

Following his graduation from FSU, Ward's career took a professional turn when the New York Knicks drafted him in the first round of the 1994 National Basketball Associatin (NBA) draft. He is the only Heisman Trophy winner to play in the NBA. He had a notable NBA career, playing primarily for the Knicks and also had stints with the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets before retiring in 2005. Ward played in the 1999 NBA Finals and participated in the 1998 NBA All-Star Three-Point Competition. Following the 2004-05 season with the Houston Rockets, Ward retired from the NBA due to injuries.

Post-retirement, Ward served as an assistant coach for the Houston Rockets and was hired as the head coach for the varsity football team at Westbury Christian School in Houston, Texas, in November 2007. His coaching career further extended in 2018 when he became the head boys' basketball coach at Florida State University Schools in Tallahassee, a position he held until his current role at Florida A&M.

His acting debut came in 2020, when he appeared in the Netflix comedy series "Family Reunion." An advocate of youth development, Ward also founded The aWard Foundation to enhance the lives of young people through sports-based mentoring and educational programs. Recognizing his integrity on and off the basketball court, he was presented with the Coach Wooden "Keys to Life" Award in 2011.

Beyond sports, Ward is devoted to his family. He and his wife Tonja have been married for over 25 years, and they have three children, Caleb, Hope and Joshua. The couple also established a charitable foundation, the Charlie Ward and Tonja Ward Family Foundation, to support youth development programs and organizations, provide disaster relief support, and share Ward’s inspirational message of embracing the process that leads to success.