August 11, 2025
There is just something so poetic about Charlie Ward returning to the sidelines—not as the dual-sport phenomenon who once made Tallahassee roar, but as the new head coach of the Florida A&M men’s basketball team. A Heisman winner turned NBA veteran, Ward brings gravitas and vision to a program with history, pride and a thirst for resurgence.
“Many of you may know me as a Seminole,” Ward said in his introductory press conference back in April, “but I was born a Rattler.”
Indeed, his hiring isn’t just a win for the Rattlers. It’s the latest in a growing wave of former pros stepping into HBCU coaching roles, a trend that’s gaining serious momentum, particularly on the football side, à la Deion Sanders, Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson. Now Ward, with a résumé that includes leading Florida State to its first-ever national football championship before spending 11 years in the NBA, joins that movement on the hardwood.
Ward knows what winning looks like. He also knows how representation can spark belief—especially for Black student-athletes who rarely see legends like themselves at the helm. That kind of name recognition matters. So does mentorship from someone who’s been on every stage imaginable.
In Ward, FAMU is getting much more than just a coach. (He served as head coach at neighboring Florida High School in Tallahassee for the past seven years.). They’re getting a culture shift, a blueprint and a voice that still resonates broadly.
“Our team will be defined by our ‘PACE,’” Ward emphasized. “We will be Prepared. We will be Accountable. We will Compete in all things—and we will be committed. And we will give great Effort in all things—and we will have to execute.”
__Photos via Getty Images_._