Hines Edward Ward Jr. (born March 8, 1976) is an American football coach and former player who is the wide receivers coach and associate head coach for Arizona State. He played as a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) after being selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 1998 NFL draft. He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs.
Ward played his entire professional career for the Steelers and he became the team's all-time leader in receptions, receiving yardage and touchdown receptions. Ward was voted MVP of Super Bowl XL and upon retirement was one of eleven NFL players to have at least 1,000 career receptions. Ward is often regarded as one of the best wide receivers of the 2000s, as well as one of key figures for the Steelers' success during the 2000s. Aside from his career in the NFL, Ward has appeared in various forms of film and television media, including the reality TV series Dancing with the Stars and brief cameos in the 2012 film The Dark Knight Rises and in the television series The Walking Dead. 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. In 2019, Ward began his coaching career as an offensive assistant for the New York Jets, working with wide receivers coach Shawn Jefferson. In 2021, Ward was hired by Florida Atlantic as special assistant to the head coach.
Born in Seoul, South Korea to a Korean mother and African-American father, Ward grew up in the Atlanta area. He has become an advocate for the social acceptance of foreigners in Korea, especially blended or mixed race youth.
Contents
Early life
Ward was born in Seoul, South Korea to a Korean mother, Kim Young-hee (Korean: 김영희) and African-American father, Hines Ward on March 8, 1976. His family moved to Atlanta and East Point, Georgia, when Hines Jr. was one year old and Hines Sr. went to West Germany to serve a tour of duty. The next year, Ward's parents divorced, with Ward living with his mother and then with his paternal grandmother after Hines Sr. pleaded in family court that Kim could not easily raise Hines Jr. independently, as she did not speak English sufficiently. At the age of 7, Ward was reunited with his mother. For reasons not disclosed to the public, during this time, Ward Sr. did not support Ward with child support or visit him regularly. In 2006, Ward stated that he talked with his father about once every two years. That same year Ward stated that he had yet to reconcile with his father who left Hines Jr. when he was two years old. Ward Sr. died in 2024.
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. He also excelled in baseball and was selected by the Florida Marlins in the 73rd round (1,646th overall) of the 1994 MLB draft.
Playing career
College
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. 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. In 1997, he hauled in 55 passes for 715 yards and scored six touchdowns while, and also ran 30 times for 223 yards, getting All-SEC honors in the process.
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! Sports article, Ward broke his kneecap in the fourth grade and the doctors never accounted for the ligament.
National Football League
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. After it was discovered Ward did not have an ACL in one of his legs, his value dropped. The Buccaneers chose to draft Jacquez Green (34th overall) and the Colts chose Jerome Pathon (32nd overall) instead, both wide receivers.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Ward was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round (92nd overall) of the 1998 NFL Draft.
On July 20, 1998, the Steelers signed him to a three-year, $885,000 contract. Ward contributed in a wide receiver group that included Courtney Hawkins, Charles Johnson, and Will Blackwell. 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 two passes for a season-high 56 yards. Although he appeared in every game during his first season, he finished with only 15 receptions for 246 receiving yards.
In 1999, Ward 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 three catches for 51 yards in the 43–0. On October 10, 1999, he had 6 receptions for 67 receiving yards, and caught a touchdown from Kordell Stewart against the Buffalo Bills in Week 5. In Week 12, he accounted for a season-high seven 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. Ward finished his second season with 61 catches, 638 receiving yards, and seven touchdowns in 16 games and 14 starts.
In a Week 7 15–0 win over Cincinnati, Ward accumulated a season-high 91 receiving yards on two catches, while scoring a 77-yard touchdown, his first of the season. In his last season under offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride, Ward finished with a total of 48 receptions for 672 yards and four touchdowns.
On September 8, 2001, Ward was signed to a four-year, $9.5 million contract extension.
In his first year under new offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey, Ward had his best season of his career to that point. Against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 10, Ward came away with nine 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 ten catches for 124 receiving yards in the 18–7 win. The 2001 season 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 four touchdown catches. Along with Jerome Bettis, Kordell Stewart, Alan Faneca, Jason Gildon, and Kendrell Bell, he was voted to the 2001 Pro Bowl, making it the first of his career. He played in his first playoff game of his career in 2001, making three receptions for 37 yards in a 27–10 divisional win over the Ravens. The next week, as the Steelers played the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship, he caught six passes for 64 receiving yards in a 17–24 loss to the eventual Super Bowl XXXVI Champions.
Legacy
Ward's versatility, hands, and willingness to block served him well as a professional wide receiver. Since being drafted by the Steelers in the third round of the 1998 NFL draft, he earned three team Most Valuable Player (MVP) selections. He was also a four-time NFL Pro Bowl selection (2001–2004). Ward also had a streak of 4 consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. The streak was broken in the 2005 NFL season during which he missed a game due to injury. In 2002, he set a Steelers franchise record for receptions (112) and touchdowns (12) (both since broken by Antonio Brown) and was named to his first of two consecutive All-NFL teams.
Although he was considered one of the best blocking receivers in the NFL, Ward often faced criticism for his style of blocking, particularly for his propensity to hit defenders on their blind side. During a game on October 19, 2008, Ward put a vicious downfield blindside block on rookie Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Keith Rivers. The impact of the block left Rivers with a broken jaw, and caused him to miss the remainder of the 2008 season. Ward was not penalized for this block, nor was he fined by the league as the hit was deemed legal. The league, however, later passed a new rule banning such hits. The so-called "Hines Ward Rule" made a blindside block illegal if the block came from the blocker's helmet, forearm or shoulder and lands to the head or neck area of a defender. In a Sports Illustrated poll of NFL players in 2009, he was voted the "dirtiest player in the NFL."
NFL career statistics
Coaching career
Pittsburgh Steelers
In August 2017, Ward served as an offensive intern with the Pittsburgh Steelers, working with their wide receivers.
New York Jets
In September 2019, Ward began his coaching career and was hired by the New York Jets as a full-time offensive assistant.
Florida Atlantic Owls
In 2021, the Florida Atlantic University Owls hired Ward as special assistant to the head coach. He also worked alongside wide receivers coach Joey Thomas. He was later promoted to the position of wide receivers coach.
San Antonio Brahmas
In June 2021, Ward was announced as one of the eight XFL head coaches. He was announced as head coach of the San Antonio Brahmas in July 2022 when team locations were revealed. On December 28, 2023, Ward resigned from the Brahmas after finishing with a 3–7 record in 2023, in response to a change in contract structure.
Arizona State Sun Devils
In April 2024, Ward became the wide receivers coach for the Arizona State Sun Devils, under second-year head coach Kenny Dillingham. After the season, Ward was promoted to associate head coach.
Head coaching record
Personal life
Ward resides in Sandy Springs, Georgia, with his wife Lindsey Georgalas-Ward. They have one daughter. Ward also has three additional children, a son and two daughters. On his upper right arm he has a tattoo of Mickey Mouse in the Heisman pose, just below a tattoo of his name in Korean.
Business and media enterprises
Ward co-owned a bar in Pittsburgh's South Side called The Locker Room. The bar sustained serious water damage in February 2007, due to flooding from a malfunctioning boiler, and it was closed for repairs until June of that year. The bar received an insurance settlement of $500,000, which subsequently became an issue during a legal dispute between the bar's owners.
On September 11, 2007, co-owner Nicholas Lettieri withdrew the entirety of the bar's funds, approximately $19,000, from a corporate account, causing it to miss a large number of scheduled payments. The company filed suit for the return of the money, and Lettieri subsequently justified his actions by claiming that the money was owed to him, also voicing the belief that the other co-owners, Ward and Kimberly Pitts, as well as Pitts' husband, Korry Pitts, had falsified invoices and diverted company funds to their own bank accounts. Company attorney Thomas Castello dismissed Lettieri's allegations as "baseless, ridiculous and unfounded", and the matter currently is before the court. The Locker Room reopened under the name South Side 86 (because of Ward's jersey number), and is owned entirely by Ward, who bought out his co-owners.
Ward hosted the Hines Ward Show on Pittsburgh CBS O&O KDKA-TV from 2006 to 2012. In 2012, shortly after announcing his retirement, it was announced that Ward had signed on with NBC Sports to be a football analyst, highlighted by his role on the Sunday Night Football pregame show Football Night in America.
He opened a restaurant called Table 86 and a wine bar named Vines in Seven Fields with Howard A Shiller from Fort Lauderdale in August 2015. The restaurant closed in March 2019 due to a lawsuit surrounding the partnership dispute for the businesses.
Ward joined CNN and HLN in May 2016. He is a current CNN studio analyst.
In 2018, he joined the Alliance of American Football as the Player Relations Executive.
As a figure for social change
In 2006, Ward became the first Korean American to win the Super Bowl MVP award. This achievement threw him into the spotlight of media in South Korea.
From April 3 through May 30, 2006, Ward returned to his birthplace of Seoul for the first time since his parents moved to the United States when he was one year old. Ward used his celebrity status to arrange "hope-sharing" meetings with multiracial Korean children and to encourage social and political reform. At one hope-sharing meeting, he told a group of children, "If the country can accept me for who I am and accept me for being a Korean, I'm pretty sure that this country can change and accept you for who you are." On his final day in Korea, he donated US$1 million to create the Hines Ward Helping Hands Foundation, which the AP called "a foundation to help mixed-race children like himself in South Korea, where they have suffered discrimination." He was awarded honorary citizenship by the Seoul Metropolitan Government for his efforts to minimize discrimination in Korea against half-Koreans.
In September 2010, President Barack Obama appointed Ward as a member of the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
DUI arrest
On July 9, 2011, Ward was arrested for driving under the influence in DeKalb County, Georgia, after being witnessed by a MARTA police officer failing to maintain his lane and subsequently hitting a curb. An officer of the DeKalb County Police Department responded which led to the investigation and Ward's arrest. On February 22, 2012, the DUI charge was dropped as part of a plea agreement. Ward agreed to plead guilty to reckless driving and received a sentence of one year of probation, 80 hours of community service and a $2,000 fine.
Film and TV appearances
Ward made an appearance as a member of the fictional Gotham Rogues football team in the 2012 film The Dark Knight Rises, and was one of the members of "Team Rachael" in the second season of Food Network's Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off. He appeared in the ninth episode of the third season of The Walking Dead, appearing as a walker. He also appeared on Celebrity Wife Swap.
Other sporting appearances
Dancing with the Stars performance
On May 24, 2011, Ward and his partner Kym Johnson won the twelfth season of the American TV dance competition Dancing with the Stars.
* In week 7, Donnie Burns was the guest judge and scored the dances as well (first score listed is Burns').
Triathlon
In 2012, Ward began training for the 2013 Ironman World Championships, enlisting the help of triathlon legend Paula Newby-Fraser. On June 9, 2013, he competed in the Ironman Kansas 70.3. His finish time was 5:53:18, which earned him the overall rank of 623. On October 12, 2013, Ward completed the Ironman World Championships. He finished with a time of 13:08:15. Upon completion, he told Mike Florio at NBC that he will "never" compete in another triathlon and that he was "one and done".
2018 Winter Olympics Honorary Ambassador
Ward was named an honorary ambassador for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.