FSU football: 10 greatest Seminoles of the Bobby Bowden era
By Josh Yourish
435. Charlie Ward Jr.. . QB. Charlie Ward Jr.. player. FSU Bowden Era. . 1989-93. 2
Career passing yards: 5,747
Career passing TDs: 49
Awards: 1993 Heisman Trophy, College Football Hall of Fame inductee, 2x ACC Player of the Year, 1993 Davey O'Brien Award, 1993 Maxwell Award
While Chris Weinke was only a fourth-round pick, Charlie Ward is one of three Heisman Trophy winners to never be drafted into the NFL. Instead, Ward chose to play basketball in the NBA after his historic career on the football field at Florida State.
Ward took over as the starting quarterback of the Seminoles in 1992. He threw for 2,547 yards and 22 touchdowns, but only completed 55.9% of his passes and threw 17 interceptions. FSU fell one game short of the national title, finishing at No. 2 after an Orange Bowl win.
Back for his senior year, Ward was a different player. He completed 69.5% of his passes for 3,032 yards and 32 touchdowns with just four interceptions. He also ran for 339 yards and four touchdowns to help secure the 1993 Heisman Trophy and the national championship.
The undersized Ward was not a prolific passer at FSU and therefore the NFL wasn't very interested in the best player in college football. So, Ward went on to play in the NBA for 12 seasons.