The best quarterback in New York plays for the Knicks. 😄 I remember that. And they were probably right. The Giants had Dave Brown and Danny Kanell. The Jets had Neil O’Donnell. 😄
@Charsplat SanFransisco plays in SantaClara, does that mean its not a SanFransisco team? Dallas plays in Arlington, does that mean they aren't a Dallas team? It goes on and on.
Charlie ward was my high school football coach and I was his QB. Most humble man I’ve ever met. Incredible guy and never bragged or boasted about his accomplishments
@@jrbehr4643 I cant believe when people share interesting stories that relate to the video content! Learn to be a little bit more human instead of a negative loser.
Glad you covered his story. Charlie Ward is quite possibly the most underrated player of all time. Certainly of the 90s. Dude played in a national championship game and the NBA Finals in the same year.
Not the same calender year and back then they kinda didn't have a national championship game. They would luck up and get the 1 and 2 teams. However they had to be named national champions. In the Orange Bowl game FSU was 3 and Nebraska was 11 and finished the season with that bowl loss 9-3 and FSU won the national championship finishing ranked number 2.
FSU should not have been in the national title game as they lost to Notre Dame however Notre Dame lost to Boston College the next week. It made absolutely no sense whatsoever. College football is still a mess in terms of determining a national champion.
In all fairness, while he did the smart thing and took the life changing money, the fact that he didn’t do anything much as a pro anything just kind of guaranteed that will be his legacy. It’s not like he was a Tebow or Vince Young type player in college where you can look past the professional career and base his legacy on college ball.
I met Charlie back in 1998 he was such a nice man, it’s a shame he didn’t get to play in the NFL but he still made his mark on the community via the NBA.
@@iGaveLiaHIVno? NBA players make so much more than NFL players it's insane. Plus it's all guaranteed, and you don't get concussed every time you suit up. Bradley Beal is making 50 million dollars a year and he's barely an all star. Bench guys in the NBA can easily make 15-20mil. You have to be an elite player in the NFL to make that kind of money. It's an absolute no brainer and he made the right choice
@@hmsfan9 okay cool Steve young and John elway were top of the NFL market at 4 million each that season. Meanwhile Magic Johnson made 15 mil to lead the NBA. It's not even close.
I forgot to mention in the video that Charlie Ward was selected twice in the MLB draft (59th round in 1993 by brewers and 18th round in 1994 by Yankees). Also, some of you may remember that I collabed with Mike Korzemba to make a video about Charlie Ward five years ago. Here’s a link to that ruclips.net/video/dYi5kfZR56s/видео.html
Some people know that Jim Brown was an absolute stud at football, lacrosse, and track. However, he also averaged 39ppg in basketball at his high school. His record broken by a Triple-Crown MLB HOF'er named Carl Yastrzemski (future video idea for all time great ATHLETES) 😀👍👍
Charlie Ward was my Head Coach in @ Booker T Washington High School. Super Humble Guy. You’d never know he’s as successful as he is unless you google him. His son was Nice at WR too
I used to love watching Ward at FSU. One of the greatest athletes I have ever seen. I am a Canes fan and was blown away by his command on the field. The way he transitioned from Heisman winner to NBA starter was inspiring. Ward was a great athlete who represented that multi-sport athlete well. He did it his way because he could✊🏾
I‘m sure he’s at peace now. Nba guaranteed money. Plus with everything we know about CTE and long term health implications in football, he definitely made the right choice
The NFL was a much different league in the 90's than it is today. Charlie Ward became a star when Florida State switched to a wide open, no huddle, shotgun based offense back in 1992. It's pretty common in college football today but at the time a team that never huddled was unheard of. It really helped take advantage of his athleticism while also making it easier for a short QB to see the field. The NFL at the time was only interested in Tall, drop-back type quarterbacks who could play under center in a pro-style system. Ward would likely have been a first rounder in today's game but at the time teams didn't play the wide open style you see today.
Charlie war was the same height as Steve Young and Joe Montana, with a very similar athletic profile (probably less athletic, and definitely lighter, than Young). Florida State developed the Fast Break by emulating the no-huddle (or, at least, very infrequent huddle), up-tempo offenses of Cincinnati and Buffalo - which were pretty good teams at the time. The average NFL QB has been around 6' 2-1/2" for a long time. It's almost a certainty racism played some role in his not being drafted. Other bigger factors were his stated desire to only play in the NFL if he was drafted in the first round (which is totally understandable), which was complicated by his only having one truly great season (and another excellent season; he barely played his first two years), the admission by Bowden they switched offenses because Ward was not all that great running the I-form, and skipping the combine (for good reason, but leaving a lot of unknown info in its wake).
@@craigjohnson5590 codespeak? So you mean they wanted a white guy? A dose of reality: Andre Ware, Rodney Peete, Cunningham, Doug Williams, Warren Moon, Vince Evans, james harris, joe gilliam (george taliaferro in the 50s, yes the 50s) were all given chances, some made good on it. As a Noles fan of this era, I loved Ward, but as I got older and understood game dynamics, it was more the defense and jackson/warrick dunn. Ward was the face. Probably not really a top 10 (or more) college qb. Great guy. Really. Reminds me of troy smith a bit. Didn't have Cunningham's strength to break arm grasps in the NFL. Didn't throw many tough passes and wasn't really a hardcore runner either.
Charlie Ward did not grow up in Atlanta Georgia he grew up in Thomasville Georgia when he played for the Thomas county Central yellow jackets... His father was the quarterback at Florida A&m University
He’s such a good guy too, I got to go to a conference recently that he spoke at and asked him a question and really appreciated his answer and the type of guy he is.
And his legend continues to grow since he won a State Championship for Florida High. My bet is that whenever Leonard Hamilton retires as FSU Basketball coach, Charlie Ward is coming home.
As a Florida State diehard fan, I have always been very proud of Ward. He has always been a great representative of the university and extremely talented.
Charlie Ward was one of my favorite Knicks growing up, hearing the PA announcer yell CHARLIEEEE WAAAARRRRRRD at MSG always brings me back to those days
You also have to wonder if teams back then would have been able to use his skill set properly. There was a lot of coaches who believed that good QBs were guys who showed poise in the pocket instead of using speed and finesse to leave a collapsing pocket to make their own opportunities. This was before Michael Vick changed perceptions on what good QB play could be. There's a good chance that NFL coaches would try to force him to play a slower style of play that wouldn't accentuate his strengths.
It's a fair question and I'd have been curious to see it. But this was JUST after Randall Cunningham's success as a significantly more mobile QB, so I'd like to think there was a chance he could have been utilized properly and really altered the game.
Kordell Stewart would be the closest comparison. A qb in a traditional system who can get big yardage from scrambles being the best case scenario (which was Atlanta Vick) or get his career sidetracked by being a gadget player (in modern terms, a Taysom Hill) They weren't designing plays around qb mobility back then. Really the mobile qb revolution didn't start until the early10's with Vick's Philly stint, RG3, Tebow, Kaepernick, and Newton.
There is another guy like Charlie Ward named Danny Ainge. Danny began his career as a Toronto Blue Jay in Major League baseball. He then left the team, and joined the Boston Celtics basketball team. Then he won a few championships in the NBA as The 6th Man on that Larry Bird team.
In consideration of the professional sports pay structure of each sport at that time, Charlie made the correct decision. Basketball until very recently, was much more lucrative and NBA contracts were guaranteed money for the life of the contract, unlike NFL rookie contracts. And NFL football at that time wasn't like it is now, with teams running more spread offense formations, something that was Charlie's forte. Teams were running much more run/play action offenses from a "pocket passing" concept seeking QB's with rocket arms, something which was NOT Carlie's forte.
This is really it. He wanted guaranteed money (who wouldn't?), so he would only *consider* the NFL if a first round pick, and his college football body of work was small, with one amazing season and one good season, only. Didn't attend the combine, didn't attend a pro day.
It is crazy to think all I remember Charlie Ward as was his Heisman Trophy and National Championship in football. I forgot that he played basketball, too. And I never realized he played 11 seasons in the NBA. And I never knew he was drafted for MLB. What a stud athlete! Very well done on this video. Keep it up, KTO!
Charlie is from Thomasville, Ga (not Atlanta) which is 20+ miles from Tallahassee and FSU. A copy of his Heisman Trophy is at the Library in Thomasville for anyone to see. Too bad he didn’t play for the Dawgs, but he was a Great player nevertheless.
Back in the early 90s, no team would’ve committed to him as their QB. The no-huddle spread offense was becoming popular, but teams weren’t building their futures around it. Had he been drafted he’d have probably sat behind someone, be used in gadget plays, run an offense that didn’t utilize his skills, and be asked to change positions. Ward knew that by not using an early pick on him, teams wouldn’t commit to him
That chiefs team that went 13-3 in 1995 was the 1 seed and was 1 and done in a playoff game in which they lost 10-7. Two years later in 1997 they had the same record and were the 1 seed again, and were one and done in a playoff game in which they lost 14-10. You gotta wonder if Charlie would’ve been their quarterback if they could’ve gotten those extra few points to win those games
@@fatinthehat2024 There's a whole lot of assuming in this comment section that Ward would've dropped right into the NFL and thrived...as if he were a 100% sure thing and QB's back then were never "busts". He was a 5th year redshirt senior who had one elite season at age 23/24...there were plenty of reasons for NFL teams to look at his entire College career and wonder whether his skills would translate against tougher competition. If he ended up in the right system of course he could have thrived...the talent was clearly there. But I think this video is skewing the reality a bit...he was never going to be the original Mike Vick 😂
In 1995 at the Chefs Charlie Ward would have been 3rd string behind SB winner Steve Bono and Rich Gannon. The Chefs probably wouldn't have even wanted to draft Ward. If they had, come 1997 he'd still have been behind Gannon whether the Chefs had got Elvis Grbac or not.
No doubt he had the skills to play in the NFL. What was doubtful is whether he would've gotten a fair shot in that era of the NFL. He was smart to chose the NBA.
@@gordonallen9095fax. Ward would have been back up. Eventually go in to win a critical game from behind. Then the expectation would be he was supposed to part waters. And when that didn’t happen, they’re like “see, he’s just not a pro qb 🤡”.
Why would he choose football??? He chose the sport that paid him more and took much less physical damage and was able to play and not be buried on a depth chart!
I’m a channel just starting out and I covered Ward in my last video (along with 2 other Heisman winners to not play in the NFL) but of course, KTO presented the story way better lol. Charlie Ward is one of the most underrated 2 sport athletes of all time.
As a college journalism student I remember an article about him being such a good guy on the Knicks the other players were sick of Charlie telling them not to cheat on their wives or sleep with so many women on the road because it wasn't the Christian thing to do.
Loved Charlie Ward - see the football pass he made in the closing seconds of Game One of the 1999 NBA Eastern Conference Championship. He threw up a ball fake and then ran down the baseline under the basket, line a line of scrimmage in football. Ewing caught the full court pass with his back to the basket close to the free-throw line, turned, and just missed on a rim-out....
*BEING DEAD HONEST:* All i remember about him is that he went to the Knicks after college. Thats all. Again, just being honest. I regret not realizing how awesome he was.
5:52 I was at this game in the stands as it was our 1st game my freshmen year. It was a torrential downpour and Charlie Ward was spectacular as they mauled us. My first time seeing a Heisman Trophy winner play in person and he lived up to the award. Also had the chance see him again a few months later on the basketball court. Remarkable athlete and seems to be just as good of a person.
He's not alone when it comes to picking a sport other than football. Kirk Gibson chose baseball over football even though most analysts said he would have been a first round pick as a WR. In fact, he was so good the Cardinals drafted him in the fifth round anyway just in case he flamed out as ballplayer. But he figured baseball players had longer careers, made more money, and didn't get their brains knocked loose on a regular basis and he did pretty good for himself, winning a couple WS championships along an ALCS and regular season MVP. Truth be told, if I would have had a kid with natural athletic skills I would have given him a glove or a golf club. But that's me.
that's one of the tough things about football - with the salary cap and physical toll the sport takes, if you're good at baseball or basketball, it's hard to choose the nfl.
I became a Florida State fan as a seven-year-old watching this entire basketball season then football season. I really appreciate the work you put into doing this video.
The actual quote that he stated was, " If l'm not drafted and developed as a quarterback then no NFL team should draft me." Black college quarterbacks were still being converted to wide receivers at this time because those football team owners didn't want the face of the organization to be a black man. God always had a plan for this individual to be successful in life.
@@mikko3 Then explain why Doug Williams the first black quarterback to win a Superbowl with the Washington Redskins in 1988; Broke over a dozen records in that game, voted Superbowl MVP and never played another down of football again!! No NFL team including Washington wanted him after all he had accomplished. By the way his nickname he went by was POCKET 'cause he never strayed out of it!!!😤😤😤
@@garyrobinson1568 He played the next season and got injured. Doug was a journeyman and had a good super bowl game and then lost his job to Rypien who was playing better. You acting Doug was Warren Moon who was actually good
Could you imagine if Charlie Ward and the Seminoles won the Natty in both Football and Basketball? That would be insane. I think the Florida Gators is the only team to do that. In 06.
I know you’re just referring to college but on top of Florida winning championships in basketball and football in 06, the Miami heat won the nba championship that year too. That was a good year for Florida sports fans
@@veezysmith2107 Utah didn't win championships in either sport that year but it is impressive that they had a player from football and basketball go number 1 in the draft that year. I can't think of any other teams who can say that
I live in Tallahassee but I'm not an FSU fan. Guy is a legend here even 30 years after his career. Most of my FSU friends have met him some time or another and they all say he's a great man.
He is from Thomasville, Georgia, and played for Central Thomasville High School. He is not from Atlanta ,we kinda take those facts seriously in Georgia. This was still a great telling of a great athlete
Fun video. Thank you. When Charlie came in as a junior, starter part of the typical FSU offense, there was a bunch of struggles a lot of interceptions. The offensive staff discovered in the two minute drill. He excelled and changed the whole offense into that fast break offense and that’s where it really took off. That was a really fun time in tally.
Without a pro football team in Baltimore, Maryland was my team and I loved watching college football in the early 90s. Charlie Ward was that guy for ACC rival FSU, watching that team was an absolute joy. I loved college basketball, Charlie Ward was that guy for FSU. College baseball, I didn't pay much attention to until recently. He is one of my favorite athletes of all time.
I was watching a football game involving either the Jets or Giants back in the day and one of the guys that was calling the game said "It's a shame that the best QB in New York was playing point guard for the Knicks".😂
Charlie is still my favorite college football player ever! He would’ve been a great NFL quarterback but the good ole boys wouldn’t allow it at the time 😢
Back then the "prototype QB" was 6'5" and weighed 220+ pounds. If you didn't fit that mold you weren't even considered. Shout out to Drew Brees and Doug Flutie for proving the so called experts wrong.
This will always be a what-if story due to how good he was as QB. However, for himself and as a full-grown adult he made the best decision. He played 11 seasons in the NBA and was actually good. That's a full Sports Career you can't regret that. His FSU QB days will always be etched in my memories thought dude was a monster.
Terry Bradshaw made the statement that the best football player in 10 years was playing basketball. He was truly a phenomenal overall athlete. He was a dynasty level quarterback for any NFL franchise.
10:00.....Im from KC and as a Chiefs fan i can they fucked up. They worked out Charlie and deciced they he wouldn't work in their new West Coast offense bc they didnt run shot gun formation plays. FSU ran all of their plays out of Shot Gun even run plays and the Chiefs ultimately decided that Charlie couldn't learn the foot work and timing under center in the West Coast offense. Stupid decision.
I remember that year vividly, but never knew he was drafted by MLB too. In my opinion, he would’ve made a bigger impact playing football but o figured he chose basketball because of the security (guaranteed contracts). I think a good takeaway is that you eventually have to commit to what you want.
In short: Charlie Ward wasn’t a too NFL pick because NFL scouts didn’t like that football wasn’t his only option in life! The NFL also did this to Myron Rolle!
Those 90s FSU teams were insane. As a Clemson fan and season ticket holder, I would sit up in the upper deck and marvel at their talent. It was worth getting in early to watch them warm up. And those 90s FSU uniforms were awesome.
I loved watching Ward in the 90s, he made me a huge Seminoles fan, but it seemed clear to me his chances of being great at the next level were pretty slim. NFL QB is the hardest position to excel at in all of sports. Anything is possible but the odds weren't in his favor and he was a bit undersized. Still, it's a shame we never got to find out for sure. Great vid, it brought back nice memories
Much like Nate Robinson, who if he continued playing football at Washington was on a trajectory of an NFL player, Charlie Ward made the right decision. Longer career, guaranteed $$, and an NBA team who used him correctly. Charlie also had the conventional wisdom of the era working against him, if he was coming out after Vick and other mobile QBs who changed the narratives, he would've easily been a top draft pick. The biases of the day were certainly a factor, as well as the NBA thing too. He walks and talks just fine and in that era they had no concerns about concussions or protecting the quarterback. It makes a hell of a "What if" though.
When I was a kid, I wrote him a letter when he was a rookie with the Knicks. I sent him 2 Classic cards that had pics of him playing basketball and football and a letter telling him i was a fan. I asked him to sign the card and told him he could keep the other if he didn't already have it. He wrote me back a short note telling me thank you for the card and for being a fan. He also autographed one of the cards and sent me a Knicks sticker. I always thought that was so cool that he took the time to make a 11 year old kids day by actually writing me back.
I watched Charlie Ward played for FSU in football and basketball. He was so cool under pressure he was so awesome to watch, it was must see TV in both basketball and football
He just took the safe route and established a quite legacy. I don’t know him but I hope he has a beautiful family and is content and is at peace with life. Seems like a solid simple dude.
Awesome story man. I feel like there isn’t any stories I haven’t heard when it comes to nfl or nba really. And somehow I didn’t know this one good stuff
I was surprised that the Raiders didn’t draft Charlie in a mid to late round. The Raiders have been known for taking chances in the draft. They drafted Bo Jackson in the 7th round of the 1987 draft even though Bo claimed at the time that he was 100% committed to baseball. Raghib Ismail was drafted in the 4th round of the 1991 draft even though he had signed with Toronto in the CFL.
Remember QB Eric Couch? Won the Heisman and first team All-American. Got drafted by the Rams and converted to receiver. Leg injury before ever stepping foot on field. Signed with the Chiefs as a safety but was cut.
Can you do a video of Pat White’s dominant run at WVU, and then why he didn’t work out in the NFL? I think he was ahead of his time! (And a concussion doesn’t help)
As a Knicks Fan, he's in my Top 5 Favorite Knicks Player of All-Time. I'm 42 & I remember all this growing up and watching it unfold. He always played hard, a great teammate and leader. There isn't a bad thing I could say about Charlie Ward. Football is my favorite Sport, but he was too ahead of his time. They didn't like these Black QB's at the time.
He had a much longer career in the NBA than he would have and made a lot more money. As a lifelong Seminoles fan (55 years) Charlie Ward and the "Fast Break" offense was 30 years ahead of today's football. They'll never be another Bobby Bowden. Go Noles!!
I remember playing NBA Live back in the day and I lit my boy up with Charlie Ward 😂😂 I even remember watching him and was blown away when the announcer said he won the Heisman I couldn't believe it. Dude was special, I think he made the right choice professionally and financially wise
Oh yeah! Jon Bois and his friends made an excellent video on this, and poor Steve got roasted by his best buddy (who was also a very good, but not all that mobile NFL QB himself) about how even he could beat him in a footrace (it was the other Steve, DeBerg who said it, who also played for the Chiefs - they've been off season golf friends for years and years!)
Charlie did talk to some NFL teams and they were telling him that he would have to play another position other than QB. That is the main reason he chose to say what he did. It was his choice. I respect that. A great person and a great player, it was his choice.
So if the Chiefs did draft Ward, they would be preparing a multi-sport athlete with crazy potential to replace an aging veteran more well-known for playing on the 49ers and take the reigns of a playoff team that currently doesn't have quite enough talent for a Lombardi? Never heard that one before.
I also remember teams saying they weren't going to draft Ward to play QB,he would have to change positions.That was another reason why he was keen on going to the NFL.He had no guarantee he was gonna play QB.
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
I remember in the 90s when he was on the Knicks people said they had the best QB in New York
The best quarterback in New York plays for the Knicks. 😄 I remember that. And they were probably right. The Giants had Dave Brown and Danny Kanell. The Jets had Neil O’Donnell. 😄
@@bjnt922 Buffalo?
@@jimbo0386 The joke referred to New York City teams only.
@@bjnt922funny since neither team you mentioned is in new York
@Charsplat SanFransisco plays in SantaClara, does that mean its not a SanFransisco team? Dallas plays in Arlington, does that mean they aren't a Dallas team? It goes on and on.
Charlie ward was my high school football coach and I was his QB. Most humble man I’ve ever met. Incredible guy and never bragged or boasted about his accomplishments
Good thing you let us know you were the QB. God forbid we thought you were a kicker or something
@@jrbehr4643 Awww c'mon he's just saying what he played... He's prob proud of being his QB too
💯 I'm glad you had dude for a coach. I always wondered about his football career
are you jewish? just curious, your name
@@jrbehr4643 I cant believe when people share interesting stories that relate to the video content! Learn to be a little bit more human instead of a negative loser.
One of the greatest athletes to ever live. He was also an amateur tennis champion.
They never want to talk about that. That man is probably one of the best college athletes ever
in what tournament?
Dang
@@bradleyengel1225 I want to say Arthur ash but I’m not sure
Glad you covered his story. Charlie Ward is quite possibly the most underrated player of all time. Certainly of the 90s. Dude played in a national championship game and the NBA Finals in the same year.
Not the same calender year and back then they kinda didn't have a national championship game. They would luck up and get the 1 and 2 teams. However they had to be named national champions. In the Orange Bowl game FSU was 3 and Nebraska was 11 and finished the season with that bowl loss 9-3 and FSU won the national championship finishing ranked number 2.
FSU should not have been in the national title game as they lost to Notre Dame however Notre Dame lost to Boston College the next week. It made absolutely no sense whatsoever. College football is still a mess in terms of determining a national champion.
No, he was drafted in 1994, after the NBA Finals. He didn't actually play in the NBA Finals until 1999.
@@scrappy93the result of the FSU bowl game was still a matter of and resulted in producing a national championship. Ur face rn:🥴
In all fairness, while he did the smart thing and took the life changing money, the fact that he didn’t do anything much as a pro anything just kind of guaranteed that will be his legacy.
It’s not like he was a Tebow or Vince Young type player in college where you can look past the professional career and base his legacy on college ball.
I met Charlie back in 1998 he was such a nice man, it’s a shame he didn’t get to play in the NFL but he still made his mark on the community via the NBA.
Spoken like someone who's sorry for the racism but feels like it's necessary😂😂😂
Yeah@@oliverthomas1288
Charlie did the right thing!!! Take that guaranteed money in the NBA before anything else!!!
lol he would make more as a star qb
@@iGaveLiaHIVno? NBA players make so much more than NFL players it's insane. Plus it's all guaranteed, and you don't get concussed every time you suit up. Bradley Beal is making 50 million dollars a year and he's barely an all star. Bench guys in the NBA can easily make 15-20mil. You have to be an elite player in the NFL to make that kind of money. It's an absolute no brainer and he made the right choice
@conehed back then no nba players were only making like 15 mil max
@@hmsfan9 okay cool Steve young and John elway were top of the NFL market at 4 million each that season. Meanwhile Magic Johnson made 15 mil to lead the NBA. It's not even close.
@conehed you got paid wag more being picked in the 1st round of the NFL Draft then NBA Draft then (I believe
I forgot to mention in the video that Charlie Ward was selected twice in the MLB draft (59th round in 1993 by brewers and 18th round in 1994 by Yankees).
Also, some of you may remember that I collabed with Mike Korzemba to make a video about Charlie Ward five years ago. Here’s a link to that ruclips.net/video/dYi5kfZR56s/видео.html
Some people know that Jim Brown was an absolute stud at football, lacrosse, and track. However, he also averaged 39ppg in basketball at his high school. His record broken by a Triple-Crown MLB HOF'er named Carl Yastrzemski (future video idea for all time great ATHLETES) 😀👍👍
KTO love your videos but he wasn’t born in Atlanta Georgia he is from Thomasville ga my home town where his Heisman is at our community library.
I went to Charlie Ward’s basketball camp as a kid and played church league basketball with him when I got older. Really great guy!
Charlie Ward was my Head Coach in @ Booker T Washington High School. Super Humble Guy. You’d never know he’s as successful as he is unless you google him. His son was Nice at WR too
I used to love watching Ward at FSU. One of the greatest athletes I have ever seen. I am a Canes fan and was blown away by his command on the field. The way he transitioned from Heisman winner to NBA starter was inspiring. Ward was a great athlete who represented that multi-sport athlete well. He did it his way because he could✊🏾
I‘m sure he’s at peace now. Nba guaranteed money. Plus with everything we know about CTE and long term health implications in football, he definitely made the right choice
He probably has CTE from all the years of playing football. But I'm sure he's better off in the long run not playing NFL
@@chumps7974 you don't know what he got.. boxing & combat sports is what people should talk about when mentioning CTE, not football
@@MalcolmLott-x8lbro wtf are you talking about😂
@@MalcolmLott-x8l you have a room temperature iq
The NFL was a much different league in the 90's than it is today. Charlie Ward became a star when Florida State switched to a wide open, no huddle, shotgun based offense back in 1992. It's pretty common in college football today but at the time a team that never huddled was unheard of. It really helped take advantage of his athleticism while also making it easier for a short QB to see the field. The NFL at the time was only interested in Tall, drop-back type quarterbacks who could play under center in a pro-style system. Ward would likely have been a first rounder in today's game but at the time teams didn't play the wide open style you see today.
Very accurate comment, sir.
Charlie war was the same height as Steve Young and Joe Montana, with a very similar athletic profile (probably less athletic, and definitely lighter, than Young). Florida State developed the Fast Break by emulating the no-huddle (or, at least, very infrequent huddle), up-tempo offenses of Cincinnati and Buffalo - which were pretty good teams at the time. The average NFL QB has been around 6' 2-1/2" for a long time.
It's almost a certainty racism played some role in his not being drafted. Other bigger factors were his stated desire to only play in the NFL if he was drafted in the first round (which is totally understandable), which was complicated by his only having one truly great season (and another excellent season; he barely played his first two years), the admission by Bowden they switched offenses because Ward was not all that great running the I-form, and skipping the combine (for good reason, but leaving a lot of unknown info in its wake).
"Tall drop back Qb"? That was NFL codespeak for "white guy"
@@craigjohnson5590 codespeak? So you mean they wanted a white guy? A dose of reality: Andre Ware, Rodney Peete, Cunningham, Doug Williams, Warren Moon, Vince Evans, james harris, joe gilliam (george taliaferro in the 50s, yes the 50s) were all given chances, some made good on it. As a Noles fan of this era, I loved Ward, but as I got older and understood game dynamics, it was more the defense and jackson/warrick dunn. Ward was the face. Probably not really a top 10 (or more) college qb. Great guy. Really. Reminds me of troy smith a bit. Didn't have Cunningham's strength to break arm grasps in the NFL. Didn't throw many tough passes and wasn't really a hardcore runner either.
@@craigjohnson5590 Warren Moon went undrafted and had to play in CFL...
Insane athlete I actually forgot he was drafted in the MLB as well, great vid KTO
Charlie Ward did not grow up in Atlanta Georgia he grew up in Thomasville Georgia when he played for the Thomas county Central yellow jackets... His father was the quarterback at Florida A&m University
^^^
Thank you. Thomasville is literally up the road from both FAMU & FSU. Don't know where he got Atlanta from
Not important he made a mistake-do you both know him?
@@mosijahi3096not everybody in georgia is from atlanta
@@Buttington_Headersonyes they are lol Atlanta is like 80% of the state in terms of everything
He’s such a good guy too, I got to go to a conference recently that he spoke at and asked him a question and really appreciated his answer and the type of guy he is.
And his legend continues to grow since he won a State Championship for Florida High. My bet is that whenever Leonard Hamilton retires as FSU Basketball coach, Charlie Ward is coming home.
Hmmm. That's actually a very good idea. He's a known quantity. Is he coaching now?
@@thequixoticangler3364 He’s still currently coaching at Florida High.
he lives in Tallahassee now
Isnt he a football coach?
@philipmeisterl no basketball at FSUS and Ambassador of Football for FSU
Another KTO banger! I was hoping you’d cover Charlie Ward! Such an interesting story!
Best football content out there just pure QUALITY
How? He got Wards hometown wrong and never mentioned the high school that got him started. Poor at best
As a Florida State diehard fan, I have always been very proud of Ward. He has always been a great representative of the university and extremely talented.
Charlie Ward was one of my favorite Knicks growing up, hearing the PA announcer yell CHARLIEEEE WAAAARRRRRRD at MSG always brings me back to those days
You also have to wonder if teams back then would have been able to use his skill set properly. There was a lot of coaches who believed that good QBs were guys who showed poise in the pocket instead of using speed and finesse to leave a collapsing pocket to make their own opportunities. This was before Michael Vick changed perceptions on what good QB play could be. There's a good chance that NFL coaches would try to force him to play a slower style of play that wouldn't accentuate his strengths.
Or he revolutionizes the game way before Vick would.
It's a fair question and I'd have been curious to see it. But this was JUST after Randall Cunningham's success as a significantly more mobile QB, so I'd like to think there was a chance he could have been utilized properly and really altered the game.
Kordell Stewart would be the closest comparison. A qb in a traditional system who can get big yardage from scrambles being the best case scenario (which was Atlanta Vick) or get his career sidetracked by being a gadget player (in modern terms, a Taysom Hill)
They weren't designing plays around qb mobility back then. Really the mobile qb revolution didn't start until the early10's with Vick's Philly stint, RG3, Tebow, Kaepernick, and Newton.
That's a great point
I don't think Ward had the arm for the NFL. He soft tossed Lolly-popped everything in college. No velocity at all on any of his passes.
There is another guy like Charlie Ward named Danny Ainge.
Danny began his career as a Toronto Blue Jay in Major League baseball. He then left the team, and joined the Boston Celtics basketball team. Then he won a few championships in the NBA as The 6th Man on that Larry Bird team.
In consideration of the professional sports pay structure of each sport at that time, Charlie made the correct decision. Basketball until very recently, was much more lucrative and NBA contracts were guaranteed money for the life of the contract, unlike NFL rookie contracts.
And NFL football at that time wasn't like it is now, with teams running more spread offense formations, something that was Charlie's forte. Teams were running much more run/play action offenses from a "pocket passing" concept seeking QB's with rocket arms, something which was NOT Carlie's forte.
I agree he made the right choice
This is correct.
This is really it. He wanted guaranteed money (who wouldn't?), so he would only *consider* the NFL if a first round pick, and his college football body of work was small, with one amazing season and one good season, only. Didn't attend the combine, didn't attend a pro day.
@@dainonjensenthat meant he was dead set on playing in the NBA. Which he played for a very long time for one organization
If I made an all-time college team he's my QB no debate Charlie was a savage. The most disrespected and forgot about Heisman trophy winner ever💯
It is crazy to think all I remember Charlie Ward as was his Heisman Trophy and National Championship in football. I forgot that he played basketball, too. And I never realized he played 11 seasons in the NBA. And I never knew he was drafted for MLB. What a stud athlete! Very well done on this video. Keep it up, KTO!
Charlie is from Thomasville, Ga (not Atlanta) which is 20+ miles from Tallahassee and FSU. A copy of his Heisman Trophy is at the Library in Thomasville for anyone to see. Too bad he didn’t play for the Dawgs, but he was a Great player nevertheless.
Back in the early 90s, no team would’ve committed to him as their QB. The no-huddle spread offense was becoming popular, but teams weren’t building their futures around it. Had he been drafted he’d have probably sat behind someone, be used in gadget plays, run an offense that didn’t utilize his skills, and be asked to change positions. Ward knew that by not using an early pick on him, teams wouldn’t commit to him
One of the most underrated stories ever. Thanks for making this 👍💯
That chiefs team that went 13-3 in 1995 was the 1 seed and was 1 and done in a playoff game in which they lost 10-7.
Two years later in 1997 they had the same record and were the 1 seed again, and were one and done in a playoff game in which they lost 14-10. You gotta wonder if Charlie would’ve been their quarterback if they could’ve gotten those extra few points to win those games
They also had a future NFL MVP qb in Rich Gannon sitting on the bench as well. Marty Shottenheimer couldn't get out of his own way.
They wouldn’t have. There mystery solved
@@fatinthehat2024 There's a whole lot of assuming in this comment section that Ward would've dropped right into the NFL and thrived...as if he were a 100% sure thing and QB's back then were never "busts". He was a 5th year redshirt senior who had one elite season at age 23/24...there were plenty of reasons for NFL teams to look at his entire College career and wonder whether his skills would translate against tougher competition.
If he ended up in the right system of course he could have thrived...the talent was clearly there. But I think this video is skewing the reality a bit...he was never going to be the original Mike Vick 😂
In 1995 at the Chefs Charlie Ward would have been 3rd string behind SB winner Steve Bono and Rich Gannon. The Chefs probably wouldn't have even wanted to draft Ward. If they had, come 1997 he'd still have been behind Gannon whether the Chefs had got Elvis Grbac or not.
Charlie was a dual sport beast but the man was Dave Winfield . He got drafted in MLB, NFL and NBA.
And ABA, so 4 different leagues
Winfield would have been a HOFer in any sport he played. Size, strength, speed and even had agility.
Imagine if an athlete like Charlie Ward was able to play in today’s NFL.
Would be incredible. He was so fun to watch back in the day. My all time favorite Nole
@@georgeallee16Mine too i was 14 and lived outside tallahassee in 93 and idolized charlie. I had the “ you must 17 to win the heisman “ shirt
No doubt he had the skills to play in the NFL. What was doubtful is whether he would've gotten a fair shot in that era of the NFL. He was smart to chose the NBA.
@@gordonallen9095fax. Ward would have been back up. Eventually go in to win a critical game from behind. Then the expectation would be he was supposed to part waters. And when that didn’t happen, they’re like “see, he’s just not a pro qb 🤡”.
@@gordonallen9095 He couldn't play from under center, wrong era for him.
Why would he choose football??? He chose the sport that paid him more and took much less physical damage and was able to play and not be buried on a depth chart!
I’m a channel just starting out and I covered Ward in my last video (along with 2 other Heisman winners to not play in the NFL) but of course, KTO presented the story way better lol. Charlie Ward is one of the most underrated 2 sport athletes of all time.
As a college journalism student I remember an article about him being such a good guy on the Knicks the other players were sick of Charlie telling them not to cheat on their wives or sleep with so many women on the road because it wasn't the Christian thing to do.
Love you KTO keep up the great work man love your stuff ❤
Loved Charlie Ward - see the football pass he made in the closing seconds of Game One of the 1999 NBA Eastern Conference Championship. He threw up a ball fake and then ran down the baseline under the basket, line a line of scrimmage in football. Ewing caught the full court pass with his back to the basket close to the free-throw line, turned, and just missed on a rim-out....
*BEING DEAD HONEST:* All i remember about him is that he went to the Knicks after college. Thats all. Again, just being honest. I regret not realizing how awesome he was.
He was a beast in college, I remember it like yesterday. I was mad when he went to the NBA instead of NFL. He was far better at football
5:52 I was at this game in the stands as it was our 1st game my freshmen year. It was a torrential downpour and Charlie Ward was spectacular as they mauled us.
My first time seeing a Heisman Trophy winner play in person and he lived up to the award.
Also had the chance see him again a few months later on the basketball court.
Remarkable athlete and seems to be just as good of a person.
He's not alone when it comes to picking a sport other than football. Kirk Gibson chose baseball over football even though most analysts said he would have been a first round pick as a WR. In fact, he was so good the Cardinals drafted him in the fifth round anyway just in case he flamed out as ballplayer. But he figured baseball players had longer careers, made more money, and didn't get their brains knocked loose on a regular basis and he did pretty good for himself, winning a couple WS championships along an ALCS and regular season MVP. Truth be told, if I would have had a kid with natural athletic skills I would have given him a glove or a golf club. But that's me.
that's one of the tough things about football - with the salary cap and physical toll the sport takes, if you're good at baseball or basketball, it's hard to choose the nfl.
One of most gifted athletes, won’t be a lot more like him
I became a Florida State fan as a seven-year-old watching this entire basketball season then football season. I really appreciate the work you put into doing this video.
The actual quote that he stated was, " If l'm not drafted and developed as a quarterback then no NFL team should draft me." Black college quarterbacks were still being converted to wide receivers at this time because those football team owners didn't want the face of the organization to be a black man. God always had a plan for this individual to be successful in life.
They didn’t want to take a chance they might end up in prison or something. Can’t blame them.
@@mshat18spoken like a true 🤡
It had nothing to do with them not wanting a black face. NFL teams didnt want qbs who ran because of injury risk, there has been alot of black qb's.
@@mikko3 Then explain why Doug Williams the first black quarterback to win a Superbowl with the Washington Redskins in 1988; Broke over a dozen records in that game, voted Superbowl MVP and never played another down of football again!! No NFL team including Washington wanted him after all he had accomplished. By the way his nickname he went by was POCKET 'cause he never strayed out of it!!!😤😤😤
@@garyrobinson1568 He played the next season and got injured. Doug was a journeyman and had a good super bowl game and then lost his job to Rypien who was playing better. You acting Doug was Warren Moon who was actually good
Could you imagine if Charlie Ward and the Seminoles won the Natty in both Football and Basketball? That would be insane. I think the Florida Gators is the only team to do that. In 06.
I know you’re just referring to college but on top of Florida winning championships in basketball and football in 06, the Miami heat won the nba championship that year too. That was a good year for Florida sports fans
Yeah also 2004
Andrew bogut
Alex smith
@@veezysmith2107 Utah didn't win championships in either sport that year but it is impressive that they had a player from football and basketball go number 1 in the draft that year. I can't think of any other teams who can say that
Lol not if you were a Noles fan! Although I was happy about the Heat@@jalencampbell718
I live in Tallahassee but I'm not an FSU fan. Guy is a legend here even 30 years after his career. Most of my FSU friends have met him some time or another and they all say he's a great man.
He is from Thomasville, Georgia, and played for Central Thomasville High School. He is not from Atlanta ,we kinda take those facts seriously in Georgia. This was still a great telling of a great athlete
Another high quality vid! Thanks Karsten!
He’s an incredible guy too, met him a couple times and he always stops to talk to fans and seems genuinely interested in conversation!
Fun video. Thank you. When Charlie came in as a junior, starter part of the typical FSU offense, there was a bunch of struggles a lot of interceptions. The offensive staff discovered in the two minute drill. He excelled and changed the whole offense into that fast break offense and that’s where it really took off. That was a really fun time in tally.
One of my favorite video essays by KTO. Charlie Ward is one of the GOATs. Go Noles!
One of the best outros on YT right now! Always gets me hyped up when the music starts!
Without a pro football team in Baltimore, Maryland was my team and I loved watching college football in the early 90s. Charlie Ward was that guy for ACC rival FSU, watching that team was an absolute joy. I loved college basketball, Charlie Ward was that guy for FSU. College baseball, I didn't pay much attention to until recently. He is one of my favorite athletes of all time.
He was an absolute beast. I am a UVA fan and loved watching him play.
I was watching a football game involving either the Jets or Giants back in the day and one of the guys that was calling the game said "It's a shame that the best QB in New York was playing point guard for the Knicks".😂
I love how a point guard hitting a 26 footer was a huge deal at one time 😂😂
It was a huge deal cause he was tall and speculated that he couldn't shoot if Ben Simmons shot a 26footer it would be a even bigger deal
Charlie is still my favorite college football player ever! He would’ve been a great NFL quarterback but the good ole boys wouldn’t allow it at the time 😢
Back then the "prototype QB" was 6'5" and weighed 220+ pounds. If you didn't fit that mold you weren't even considered. Shout out to Drew Brees and Doug Flutie for proving the so called experts wrong.
As a knicks fan, i loved watching him play basketball
KTO delivers another great one! Thank you for sharing this amazing story!
Danny Ainge did it when he pitched for the blue jays and Brian Jordan did it for both Atlanta teams
Thank you for doing this video. Charlie was the man!
One of the most gifted athletes in history.
This will always be a what-if story due to how good he was as QB. However, for himself and as a full-grown adult he made the best decision. He played 11 seasons in the NBA and was actually good. That's a full Sports Career you can't regret that. His FSU QB days will always be etched in my memories thought dude was a monster.
Terry Bradshaw made the statement that the best football player in 10 years was playing basketball. He was truly a phenomenal overall athlete. He was a dynasty level quarterback for any NFL franchise.
10:00.....Im from KC and as a Chiefs fan i can they fucked up. They worked out Charlie and deciced they he wouldn't work in their new West Coast offense bc they didnt run shot gun formation plays. FSU ran all of their plays out of Shot Gun even run plays and the Chiefs ultimately decided that Charlie couldn't learn the foot work and timing under center in the West Coast offense. Stupid decision.
Your ability to narrate these videos is spectacular, besides the great writing, and editing.
I remember that year vividly, but never knew he was drafted by MLB too. In my opinion, he would’ve made a bigger impact playing football but o figured he chose basketball because of the security (guaranteed contracts). I think a good takeaway is that you eventually have to commit to what you want.
In short: Charlie Ward wasn’t a too NFL pick because NFL scouts didn’t like that football wasn’t his only option in life!
The NFL also did this to Myron Rolle!
Charlie Ward FSU early 90s. Ward was amazing.
Those 90s FSU teams were insane. As a Clemson fan and season ticket holder, I would sit up in the upper deck and marvel at their talent. It was worth getting in early to watch them warm up. And those 90s FSU uniforms were awesome.
Be seeing him from time to time, he's very calm reserved, and humble
I loved watching Ward in the 90s, he made me a huge Seminoles fan, but it seemed clear to me his chances of being great at the next level were pretty slim. NFL QB is the hardest position to excel at in all of sports. Anything is possible but the odds weren't in his favor and he was a bit undersized. Still, it's a shame we never got to find out for sure. Great vid, it brought back nice memories
CHARLIE WAS THE GREATEST COLLAGE QB TO LIVE ! HE WAS FIRST QB TO WIN THE HEISMAN TROPHY AND NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP IN THE SAME SEASON
Much like Nate Robinson, who if he continued playing football at Washington was on a trajectory of an NFL player, Charlie Ward made the right decision. Longer career, guaranteed $$, and an NBA team who used him correctly. Charlie also had the conventional wisdom of the era working against him, if he was coming out after Vick and other mobile QBs who changed the narratives, he would've easily been a top draft pick. The biases of the day were certainly a factor, as well as the NBA thing too. He walks and talks just fine and in that era they had no concerns about concussions or protecting the quarterback. It makes a hell of a "What if" though.
This man is the greatest college athlete of all time it's not even up for debate
When I was a kid, I wrote him a letter when he was a rookie with the Knicks. I sent him 2 Classic cards that had pics of him playing basketball and football and a letter telling him i was a fan. I asked him to sign the card and told him he could keep the other if he didn't already have it. He wrote me back a short note telling me thank you for the card and for being a fan. He also autographed one of the cards and sent me a Knicks sticker. I always thought that was so cool that he took the time to make a 11 year old kids day by actually writing me back.
I watched Charlie Ward played for FSU in football and basketball. He was so cool under pressure he was so awesome to watch, it was must see TV in both basketball and football
He just took the safe route and established a quite legacy. I don’t know him but I hope he has a beautiful family and is content and is at peace with life. Seems like a solid simple dude.
Charlie Ward was the dude who got me into college sports. Doesn’t get the respect he deserves
FYI: Bob Sura made it to the NBA from that Florida State Basketball team as well! Bob is currently one of the best poker players in the world.
Really? I had no idea he was playing poker now.
@sapalot5660 yeah...I saw him playing on TV. He's pretty good too!
Let’s gooo KTO!!! Another solid video!!
Awesome story man. I feel like there isn’t any stories I haven’t heard when it comes to nfl or nba really. And somehow I didn’t know this one good stuff
I was surprised that the Raiders didn’t draft Charlie in a mid to late round. The Raiders have been known for taking chances in the draft. They drafted Bo Jackson in the 7th round of the 1987 draft even though Bo claimed at the time that he was 100% committed to baseball. Raghib Ismail was drafted in the 4th round of the 1991 draft even though he had signed with Toronto in the CFL.
Great comment. Napoleon Kauffman was another similar story
Remember QB Eric Couch? Won the Heisman and first team All-American. Got drafted by the Rams and converted to receiver. Leg injury before ever stepping foot on field. Signed with the Chiefs as a safety but was cut.
Can you do a video of Pat White’s dominant run at WVU, and then why he didn’t work out in the NFL? I think he was ahead of his time! (And a concussion doesn’t help)
One of my favorite college players ever. But he could not throw the ball anywhere close to an NFL level.
Charlie moved to Thomasville Georgia just 30 minutes north of Tallahassee where he went to Thomas County Central. He played football with my dad
What a insane athlete he played 2 sports d1 at the same time while being top level at both
Yo…I’d forgotten about Charlie Ward…what an athlete.
As a Knicks Fan, he's in my Top 5 Favorite Knicks Player of All-Time. I'm 42 & I remember all this growing up and watching it unfold. He always played hard, a great teammate and leader. There isn't a bad thing I could say about Charlie Ward. Football is my favorite Sport, but he was too ahead of his time. They didn't like these Black QB's at the time.
KTOOOOOOOOOO!! To quote Craig and Smokey, "Daaaaaaaaaammnn!!" Lol. Charlie Ward was legit ballin out in every way back in '93!
He had a much longer career in the NBA than he would have and made a lot more money. As a lifelong Seminoles fan (55 years) Charlie Ward and the "Fast Break" offense was 30 years ahead of today's football. They'll never be another Bobby Bowden. Go Noles!!
I remember playing NBA Live back in the day and I lit my boy up with Charlie Ward 😂😂 I even remember watching him and was blown away when the announcer said he won the Heisman I couldn't believe it. Dude was special, I think he made the right choice professionally and financially wise
Charlie Ward grew up in Thomasville Ga.
Did you know that Steve Bono had a LONG house call keeper against the Cardinals which was strange because he wasn’t a mobile QB?
Oh yeah! Jon Bois and his friends made an excellent video on this, and poor Steve got roasted by his best buddy (who was also a very good, but not all that mobile NFL QB himself) about how even he could beat him in a footrace (it was the other Steve, DeBerg who said it, who also played for the Chiefs - they've been off season golf friends for years and years!)
Charlie Ward is the blueprint for today's NFL quarterback.
Charlie did talk to some NFL teams and they were telling him that he would have to play another position other than QB. That is the main reason he chose to say what he did. It was his choice. I respect that. A great person and a great player, it was his choice.
Charlie ward was the one that got me into football and basketball as a child.
So if the Chiefs did draft Ward, they would be preparing a multi-sport athlete with crazy potential to replace an aging veteran more well-known for playing on the 49ers and take the reigns of a playoff team that currently doesn't have quite enough talent for a Lombardi? Never heard that one before.
Ward was a great athlete. There was also talk at the time that Ward didn't know how to read defenses. But he made the best choice.
I also remember teams saying they weren't going to draft Ward to play QB,he would have to change positions.That was another reason why he was keen on going to the NFL.He had no guarantee he was gonna play QB.