Hines Ward's Collegiate Career: A Bulldog Legend

Hines Ward, renowned for his illustrious NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, first made his mark as a versatile player for the University of Georgia Bulldogs. His college career, spanning from 1994 to 1997, showcased his exceptional athleticism and foreshadowed his future success.

Early Years and Versatility

Under the guidance of coach Mike Parris at Forest Park High School in Forest Park, Georgia, Ward showcased his athletic skills as a quarterback and was two-time Clayton County Offensive Player of the Year. Ward's versatility was evident early on. As a wide receiver for the University of Georgia Bulldogs (1994-1997), Ward's 149 career receptions for 1,965 yards placed him second in team history. He also played tailback and totaled 3,870 all-purpose yards, second only to Herschel Walker in Bulldogs history. In 1995, Ward played some quarterback his sophomore year.

Statistical Overview

Hines Ward played 4 seasons for Georgia. He had 144 catches for 1,965 yards and scored 19 touchdowns.

Key Statistics:

Receptions: 144
Receiving Yards: 1,965
Touchdown Receptions: 19
Games Played: 42
Yards per Reception: 13.6

1997 Season Highlights

In 1997, Ward recorded 55 receptions for 715 receiving yards and six touchdowns in 10 games. His average was 13.0 yards per reception.

Record-Breaking Performance

He holds Georgia bowl game records for pass attempts, pass completions, and passing yards in the 1995 Peach Bowl in which he completed 31 of 59 passes for 413 yards. Despite his performance at the quarterback position as a Sophomore, Ward primarily played receiver his final two years of college play only attempting a handful of passes during those seasons. In 1996, Ward had 52 receptions for 900 yards, and also ran 26 times for 170 yards.

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Draft and Initial Reactions

Coming out of the University of Georgia, Ward was regarded as one of the top five receivers in the 1998 NFL draft, along with Kevin Dyson and Randy Moss. He was projected to be selected at the end of the first round or beginning of the second. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts expressed major interest in him, visiting him multiple times to meet with him. When he came out of college, it was discovered that Ward was missing an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee, which he lost during a bicycle accident during childhood. According to a Yahoo! After it was discovered Ward did not have an ACL in one of his legs, his value dropped.

Ward's Legacy at Georgia

Ward's contributions extended beyond receiving. His ability to contribute as a receiver and tailback showcased his commitment to the team's success. Ward registered 3,031 yards from scrimmage with 16 touchdowns for Georgia.

From College to the Pros

Ward was a third-round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1998 NFL Draft, playing all 14 of his seasons there and earning four Pro Bowl trips. He won two Super Bowls with the franchise. On July 20, 1998, the Steelers signed him to a three-year, $885,000 contract.

NFL Career

Ward began his rookie season as the fourth receiver on the Steelers' depth chart. He played in his first career game on September 6, 1998, against the Baltimore Ravens, catching a 12-yard pass from Kordell Stewart. During a Week 10 contest against the Green Bay Packers, he caught a season-high 2 passes for 56 yards. In 1999, he saw more action after former starting wide receiver Charles Johnson departed for Philadelphia during the off-season. He began the season as the starting wide receiver in the season opener against the Cleveland Browns. Ward caught his first career touchdown from Mike Tomczak and finished the game with a total of 3 catches for 51 yards. On October 10, 1999, he had 6 receptions for 67 receiving yards, and caught a touchdown from Kordell Stewart. In Week 12, he accounted for a season-high 7 receptions and 89 receiving yards, and caught a 34-yard touchdown in a 20-27 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. During the first quarter of a Week 14 matchup against the Ravens, Ward caught a 21-yard touchdown pass from Jerome Bettis. He began his third season with Pittsburgh, making 2 receptions for 20 yards in the Steelers' home opener against the Baltimore Ravens. On September 17, 2000, he received his first start of the season at the Browns and had 5 receptions for 75 receiving yards. In a Week 7 win over Cincinnati, he accumulated a season-high 91 receiving yards on 2 catches, while scoring a 77-yard touchdown, his first of the season. On December 10, 2000, he caught a season-high 6 passes for 64 receiving yards in a 10-30 loss at the New York Giants. In his first year under new offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey, Ward had his best season of his career to that point. While starting in the season opener at Jacksonville, he made 7 catches for 82 receiving yards. In their second game against the Jaguars in Week 10, Ward came away with 9 receptions for 112 yards and scored a 28-yard touchdown in a 20-7 victory. This also marked his first game with over 100 receiving yards in his career. On December 9, 2001, against the New York Jets, Ward accumulated a season-high 10 catches for 124 receiving yards. He played in his first playoff game of his career in 2001, making 3 receptions for 37 yards in a 27-10 divisional win over the Ravens. The next week, as the Steelers played the New England Patriots, he caught 6 passes for 64 receiving yards in a 17-24 loss to the eventual Super Bowl XXXVI Champions. 2001 marked his first season with 16 starts and over 1,000 receiving yards, as he finished with 94 catches for 1,003 receiving yards and 4 touchdown catches. During the 2002 season opener, he had eight catches for 90 yards and a touchdown, in an AFC Championship rematch against the Patriots. The next game, he caught 7 passes for 92 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns in a 17-30 loss to the Oakland Raiders. It was his first game with more than a single touchdown in his career. During a Week 5 matchup at New Orleans, Ward made 5 receptions for 45 yards and caught his first touchdown reception from new quarterback Tommy Maddox. On November 10, 2002, Ward had his best game of the season, making a season-high 11 receptions, 139 receiving yards, and a touchdown during a 34-34 tie with the Atlanta Falcons. The following week, he caught 10 passes for a season-high 168 receiving yards and caught 2 touchdowns in a 23-31 loss to the Titans. It was his third game of the season with 2 touchdown receptions. He continued to dominate the next game against the Bengals, as he had 125 yards on 10 receptions, while also scoring a 64-yard touchdown during the 29-21 victory. This was Ward's third consecutive game with over 100 receiving yards and a touchdown. The Steelers finished the season 10-5-1 and made the playoffs for the second year in a row. On January 5, 2003, they played the Browns in the AFC Wild-card game. Ward finished the game with 11 catches, 104 receiving yards, and also caught his first career postseason touchdown in the 36-33 victory. The following week, the Steelers played at Tennessee in the divisional playoff game. Although they lost 31-34, Ward finished with 7 catches for 82 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns. Along with teammate Alan Faneca, Ward was selected to play in his second consecutive Pro Bowl. In the Pro Bowl, he caught 2 passes for 45 yards and scored a 32-yard touchdown. He finished his fifth season with 1,329 receiving yards, 112 receptions, and 12 touchdown receptions, all career-highs. After having the best season of his career, Ward returned in 2003 to make 9 catches for 91 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns in the season-opening win over the Ravens. The following game, he caught another 9 passes for 146 yards in a 20-41 loss at the Kansas City Chiefs. On November 30, 2003, Ward caught a career-high 13 passes for 149 receiving yards and a touchdown in a loss to the Bengals. In 2003, the Steelers voted him their team MVP as he caught a total of 95 receptions for 1,163 yards and 10 touchdowns for the season. After three successful years with Mike Mularkey, Ward began the season under new offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt and new wide receivers coach Bruce Arians. On September 19, 2004, he caught 6 passes for 151 receiving yards and a touchdown in a 13-30 loss at Baltimore. During the 4th quarter, starting quarterback Tommy Maddox was injured and replaced by rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. After replacing Maddox, Roethlisberger threw a touchdown pass to Ward, making it the first one of their career together. During a Week 3 contest at the Miami Dolphins, Ward caught 9 passes for 96 yards and a touchdown. After replacing Maddox, Roethlisberger led the Steelers to 14 wins in a row. On December 18, 2004, Ward made 9 catches for a season-high 134 yards as Pittsburgh beat the Giants 33-30 for their 13th consecutive victory. After finishing the season 15-1, the Steelers played the Jets for the divisional championship. During the 20-17 win, Ward racked up 10 catches for 105 receiving yards and a touchdown. On January 23, 2005, the Steelers lost 27-41 to the eventual Super Bowl XXXIX Champions, the New England Patriots. In the AFC Championship game, Ward pulled in 5 catches for 109 yards and a touchdown. For the fourth year in a row, he was voted to the Pro Bowl along with Alan Faneca. In the game, he had 63 receiving yards on 3 receptions and scored a touchdown. He finished the season having caught 80 passes for 1,004 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns. In 2005, Ward missed the first two weeks of training camp in a holdout for a contract extension that would increase his salary. Ward had considered holding out before camp in 2004, but had been persuaded after meeting with the Steelers' owner Dan Rooney and Jerome Bettis. He was told they could work out an extension during the year and he'd be paid fairly. With a great relationship with Dan Rooney, he conceded and eventually showed up on August 15, 2005, on the sidelines for Pittsburgh's first preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles. That night, though, he did not play in the game. On September 5, 2005, the Steelers announced that they had reached an agreement on a four-year contract extension worth $25.83 million with Ward. On September 18, 2005, he caught 6 passes for 84 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns in a 27-7 victory over the Texans. The next week, Ward had 4 catches for 110 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns, including an 85-yard touchdown reception, against the Patriots. Although they lost to the defending Super Bowl Champions 20-23, this marked Ward's first back-to-back games with 2 touchdown receptions. On November 13, 2005, Ward became the Steelers' all-time leading receiver with his 538th catch against the Browns on ESPN Sunday Night Football surpassing John Stallworth's record. The Steelers won 34-21. In Week 13 against the Bengals, Ward hauled in a season-high 9 receptions for 135 receiving yards and 2 touchdown receptions. After finishing the season 11-5, the Steelers played the Bengals for the AFC Wild Card on January 8, 2006. Ward finished the Steelers playoff victory over Cincinnati with only 2 catches for 10 yards, and also scored a 5-yard touchdown. The next week, he caught 3 passes for 68 receiving yards as the Steelers beat the Indianapolis Colts 21-18. In the 2005 AFC Championship game at the Denver Broncos, he had 59 receiving yards on 5 receptions while also making a touchdown catch, as the Steelers won 34-17. On February 5, 2006, Ward played in his first career Super Bowl. In Super Bowl XL, he accumulated 5 receptions, 123 receiving yards, and caught a 43-yard touchdown reception from wide receiver Antwaan Randle El to seal the Steelers' 21-10 victory over the Seattle Seahawks. He was named the MVP in Super Bowl XL. This made him the second foreign-born player to earn the accolade. After 2005, he returned to start in the Steelers' season opener against the Dolphins and caught 5 passes for 53 yards and a touchdown, as they beat Miami, 28-16. After eight years under Bill Cowher, Ward had the second coach of his career, as the Steelers organization hired Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin as their new head coach. This also marked his first season under offensive coordinator Bruce Arians, as Ken Whisenhunt left to become the Arizona Cardinals head coach. As the Steelers played the Bengals on October 28, 2007, Ward hauled in 8 passes for 88 yards and 2 touchdowns. On December 2, 2007, he caught a season-high 11 passes for 90 receiving yards and 2 touchdown receptions during the 24-10 victory over the Bengals. The 2 touchdowns against the Bengals made Ward the Steelers' all-time touchdown receptions leader with his 64th touchdown reception. Then on December 20, 2007, Ward became the Steelers' all-time receiving yardage leader in a game against the St. Ward began the 2008 NFL season with two touchdown catches in a 38-16 victory over the Houston Texans. On November 16, 2008, he caught a season-high 11 passes for 124 yards against the San Diego Chargers. During a Week 16 contest at the Tennessee Titans, Ward racked up a total of 7 receptions for 109 receiving yards and scored a touchdown as the Steelers lost 14-31. The Steelers finished the 2008 regular season with a 12-4 record and made the playoffs. During the AFC divisional game against the San Diego Chargers, Ward caught 4 passes for 70 yards. The following week in the AFC Championship, he made 3 receptions for 55 yards as they beat the Ravens 23-14 to go on to Super Bowl XLIII. On February 1, 2009, the Steelers played the Arizona Cardinals, led by the Steele…

Post-Playing Career

Ward started his coaching career with the Steelers in 2017 and he was with the Jets as an offensive assistant in 2019 and 2020. In 2019, Ward began his coaching career as an offensive assistant for the New York Jets, working with wide receivers coach Shawn Jefferson. 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. Hines Ward was inducted into the Steelers Hall of Honor as a member of the Class of 2019.

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