'Hines E. Ward, Jr.' (Korean: 하인스 워드) (born
March 8,
1976 in
Seoul,
South Korea) is a multiethnic
football player who currently plays
wide receiver for the
NFL's
Pittsburgh Steelers. He was voted MVP of
Super Bowl XL. Born to a
Korean mother and an
African American father, he has become an advocate for ethnic minorities in
South Korea.
High school years
At
Forest Park High School in
Forest Park,
Georgia, Ward showcased his athletic skills as a quarterback and was a two-time
Clayton County Offensive Player of the Year. He earned
All-American honors from ''Super Prep'', ''Blue Chip Illustrated'' & ''
USA Today'', as well as All-State & Super Southern Top 100 honors. Ward was also an excellent student and graduated with a 3.81 GPA
[1]
College career
As a wide receiver for the
University of Georgia Bulldogs (1995–1998), Ward's 144 career receptions for 1,965 yards placed him second in team history. He also played
tailback and
quarterback, and totaled 3,870 all-purpose yards, second only to
Herschel Walker in Bulldogs history.
When he came out of college it was discovered that Ward was missing an
ACL in his right knee.
[2] This may well have affected his position in the NFL draft. He received his
bachelor's degree in consumer economics from UGA, where he became a member of
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity.
Professional career
Ward's versatility has served him well as a professional wide receiver. Since being drafted by the
Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the
1998 NFL Draft, he has earned three team
Most Valuable Player (MVP) selections. He is also a four-time consecutive NFL
Pro Bowl selection (2001–2004). He also had a streak of 4 consecutive 1,000 yard seasons, which would have likely been extended in the 2005 NFL season if he had played in the one game he missed for the Steelers due to injury. In 2002, he set a Steelers franchise record for receptions (112), and touchdowns (12), and was named to his first of two consecutive All-NFL teams. He is widely considered the best blocking receiver in the NFL.
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 by the Steelers that they could work out an extension during the year. Ward eventually showed up on August 15, 2005 and was on the sidelines for Pittsburgh's first preseason game against the
Philadelphia Eagles that night, though he did not play in that game. On
September 5,
2005, the Steelers announced that they had reached an agreement on a four-year contract extension with Ward.
On
November 27,
2005, Ward became the Steelers all-time leading receiver with his 538th catch against the
Browns on
Sunday Night Football. The Steelers won 34-21.
Ward is also renowned as a terrific post-season receiver, accumulating 57 receptions, 761 yards, and 8 receiving touchdowns in 10 post-season appearances (including his
Super Bowl XL appearance, in which he was named the MVP).
On
February 5,
2006, Ward was named
MVP in
Super Bowl XL as the Pittsburgh Steelers won 21-10. Ward scored a 43 yard touchdown in the 4th quarter, thrown by fellow wide receiver
Antwaan Randle El. Overall, Ward had five receptions for 123 yards and one TD and one rush for 18 yards.
Immediately following
Super Bowl XL, Ward was videotaped for the latest "I'm Going to Disney World!" TV commercial, adding "...and I'm taking The Bus!" Ward and Steelers teammate
Jerome "The Bus" Bettis appeared in a victory parade at the
Magic Kingdom theme park on February 6 along with
Emmitt Smith.
Personal
Ward resides in
Atlanta, Georgia with his wife Simone and his son Jaden. On his right arm is a tattoo of his name in
Hangul, the Korean alphabet, and below that a
tattoo of
Mickey Mouse carrying a football.
[3] Ward is well known for flashing a nearly constant
smile.
[4][5]
Business and media enterprises
Ward co-owns a bar in Pittsburgh's South Side called "The Locker Room".
[6]
In September 2006, Ward began hosting the "Hines Ward Show" on Pittsburgh CBS affiliate KDKA
[7]
As a figure for social change
Ward's mother (Kim Young-hee 김영희) is
Korean and his father (Hines Ward, Sr.) is
African-American. In 2006, Ward became the first Korean-American to win the Super Bowl MVP award. This achievement threw him into the media spotlight in
South Korea, where racially-mixed people often face discrimination.
[1]
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. Ward cried when describing the discrimination he faced. 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."
[1] On his final day in Korea, he donated $1 million
USD 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."
[3]
References
1. "Hines Ward scores big for social change", Chuck Finder, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Sunday, April 09, 2006.
2. "Hines Ward scores big for social change", Chuck Finder, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Sunday, April 09, 2006.
3. "Ward kicks off his new charity", Associated Press, May 30, 2006
External links
★
Official Website of Hines Ward
★
2006 "Hines Ward - Trip Of A Lifetime",
Associated Press,
January 31 2006
★
"NFL Body Art",
Sports Illustrated,
January 10,
2006 (with photo of Mickey Mouse tattoo)
★
"Living the Dream: Hines Ward's return to Korea", Malcolm Beith, ''
Newsweek'' (International Edition),
March 27,
2006
★
"Ward spins biracial roots into blessing", Paul Wiseman,
USA Today,
April 9 2006
★ Hines Ward page at:
★
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NFL Players' Union
★
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Pro Football Reference
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Database Football
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