Steelers Now
No other wide receiver in NFL history epitomized toughness like Pittsburgh Steelers legend Hines Ward, and he demonstrated his toughness every time that he took the field, and doing so with a big smile on his face, but where did that toughness come from? Ward opened up on just that in a new documentary.
Ward is a beloved player and fan favorite of Steelers fans, due in part to his toughness and ever present smile, just as he was feared and loathed by his opponents and their fans because of the way he approached the game, which was always to hit first. That mentality, and what drove him was forged early on in childhood, and fans can get a glimpse of what makes him tick when “SEC Storied: Becoming Hines Ward” premieres Tuesday, July 28 at 7 p.m. ET.
After being born in Seoul, South Korea, Ward grew up in Georgia as a mixed race kid, with his mother being Korean, and his father being African-American. And the adversity that he went through as a mixed race kid in the South, being raised by a single mother who barely spoke English, would prepare him not only for his future football career, but also how to carry himself forward through the rest of his life.
“Here I am having had everything I ever wanted out of football; fame, notoriety, money, and yet it rubbed people the wrong way because I was a mixed-race kid’, said Ward.
Ward began his football career as a quarterback at Forest Park High School in Forest Park, Georgia, and he was also a talented baseball player, and was selected by the Florida Marlins in the 73rd round (1,646th overall) of the 1994 MLB Draft.
After high school, Ward attended the Georgia, primarily as a wide receiver from 1994 to 1997, where his 149 career receptions for 1,965 yards placed him second in team history. He also played running back, and had a total of 3,870 all purpose yards, second to only Herschel Walker in Bulldogs history. In his sophomore year in 1995, he also played at quarterback, and in the process he set Georgia bowl game records in the 1995 Peach Bowl, completing 31 of 59 passes for 413 yards.
“He’s the best football player that I’ve ever seen on the football field at doing everything,” former teammate, and current coach of the Bulldogs, Kirby Smart said of Ward.
In his final two years at college, Ward went back to playing wide receiver. In 1996, he had 52 receptions for 900 yards, while also running 26 times for 170 yards, and in 1997 he caught 55 passes for 715 yards while scoring six touchdowns, getting All-SEC honors in the process.
Coming out of college, Ward was regarded as one of the top five wide receivers in the 1998 NFL Draft, projecting to be selected at...
