 Ward in 2019 | |||||||||||
| Arizona State Sun Devils | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Wide receivers coach | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born: | March 8, 1976 Seoul, South Korea | ||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 205 lb (93 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | Forest Park (Forest Park, Georgia) | ||||||||||
| College: | Georgia (1994–1997) | ||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1998 / round: 3 / pick: 92 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
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| As a coach: | |||||||||||
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| As an executive: | |||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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Hines Edward Ward Jr. (born March 8, 1976) is an American football coach and former player who is the wide receivers coach for Arizona State. He played as a wide receiver in the NFL after being selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 1998 NFL draft. He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs.
Ward played his entire professional career for the Steelers and he became the team's all-time leader in receptions, receiving yardage and touchdown receptions. Ward was voted MVP of Super Bowl XL and upon retirement was one of eleven NFL players to have at least 1,000 career receptions. Ward is often regarded as one of the best wide receivers of the 2000s, as well as one of key figures for the Steelers' success during the 2000s.[1][2][3][4][5] Aside from his career in the NFL, Ward has appeared in various forms of film and television media, including the reality TV series Dancing with the Stars and brief cameos in the 2012 film The Dark Knight Rises and in the television series The Walking Dead.[6][7][8] He was a studio analyst for NBC's Football Night in America from 2012 to 2015. Ward joined CNN and HLN in May 2016. He was the player relations executive of the Alliance of American Football. In 2019, Ward began his coaching career as an offensive assistant for the New York Jets, working with wide receivers coach Shawn Jefferson. In 2021, Ward was hired by Florida Atlantic as special assistant to the head coach.
Born in Seoul, South Korea to a Korean mother and African-American father, Ward grew up in the Atlanta area. He has become an advocate for the social acceptance of foreigners in Korea, especially blended or mixed race youth.[9]
- ^ Hill, Brad (October 19, 2009). "Best All Around Receiver In NFL: Hines Ward". Bleacher Report. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
- ^ Swartz, Bryn. "Hines Ward: The Epitome of a Perfect Football Player". Bleacher Report. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
- ^ "The Life And Career Of Hines Ward (Complete Story)". Pro Football History. January 5, 2022. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
- ^ "5 most violent and physical Pittsburgh Steelers of the 2000s". Still Curtain. August 10, 2020. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
- ^ Dockett, Eric. "The 10 Best Wide Receivers in Pittsburgh Steelers History". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
- ^ "Hines Ward was a rotting zombie on 'Walking Dead'". TODAY.com. November 6, 2012. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
- ^ Fitzpatrick, Kevin (January 29, 2013). "'The Walking Dead' Season 3: See Football Star Hines Ward as a Zombie!". ScreenCrush. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
- ^ Brown, Jay (January 29, 2013). "Hines Ward Making Zombie Debut in TV's the Walking Dead". Bleacher Report. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
- ^ Branch, John, "Ward Helps Biracial Youths on Journey Toward Acceptance", The New York Times, Monday, November 9, 2009.