Florida A&M University’s Head Basketball Coach Charlie Ward, who led the Florida State basketball team to three NCAA Tournaments and who is still
the only player in history to win the Heisman Trophy and be selected in the first
round of the NBA Draft, will have his basketball jersey retired and hung in the rafters
at the Donald L. Tucker Center.
The ceremony will take place prior to Florida A&M’s exhibition game versus Florida
State on Sunday, Oct. 26 at 4:00 p.m.
Tickets to the FAMU exhibition on sale here: https://seminoles.evenue.net/events/MBSINGLE.
Student tickets are free to students from both schools – all they will need to do
is show their I.D. upon entering.
Ward will be the first student-athlete in Florida State history to have his number
retired in both football (No. 17) and basketball (No. 12).
“I enjoyed every moment of my college experience,” said Ward. “I’m grateful for the
honor of having both of my jerseys retired. It’s truly a blessing from my Heavenly
Father to be acknowledged in this way and see the work I put in as a student-athlete
was recognized by others. Grateful for all of my family, coaches, administrators,
professors, and teammates for assisting in my success.”
Ward, the most decorated player in the history of college football, is also one of
the top basketball players in Florida State history. After leading the Seminoles to
the 1991 Metro Conference Championship, he helped usher the Seminoles into the ACC
in 1992. Ward then led the Seminoles to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances,
advancing to the Elite 8 in 1993 and the Sweet 16 in 1992.
Ward’s career as a Seminole basketball player spanned 91 games. He averaged 8.1 points,
3.1 rebounds, and a program-record 2.6 steals per game. He is the Seminoles all-time
leader in steals with 238 – more than 30 years after his career at Florida State concluded.
Ward’s nine steals against South Carolina on March 2, 1991, also still ranks tied
for the second-highest single-game steals total in school history. He totaled six
or more steals in seven different games during his career.
Ward’s career spanned four seasons and two incredibly successful runs in two different
conferences. He helped the Seminoles win the 1991 Metro Conference Championship. In
that win over Louisville, Ward led Florida State to the conference championship clinching
victory after the Seminoles had trailed by 20 points (56-36) with under 16 minutes
remaining in the game.