Former Florida State two-way sports star Charlie Ward is expected to become the new head coach at FAMU.
As ESPN's Pete Thamel first reported on Wednesday morning, the HBCU located in Tallahassee, Fla., is finalizing a deal to hire the basketball and football star as its next head men's basketball coach.
Ward, who won college football's Heisman Trophy in 1993 for the Noles, where he also played college basketball, will lead an FAMU program desperate for a turnaround. The Rattlers haven't had a season above .500 since 2006-07.
Let's take a look at FAMU's hire of Ward, his basketball history and more.
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Why is Charlie Ward going to FAMU?
FAMU is hoping that the former college football, basketball and NBA star will turn around the program. Ward continues the recent trend of HBCU schools hiring prominent former black players, such as DeSean Jackson to Delaware State, and Michael Vick landing at Norfolk State.
Ward has spent several years in basketball coaching. He coached on the Houston Rockets from 2005-2007 as an assistant under Jeff Van Gundy. He has also been a high school basketball coach at Florida High in Tallahassee.
He helped lead his team to a state title in 2022. He was also appointed by a trustee at Tallahassee State College, so he has a ton of familiarity with the Tallahassee area.
Ward was drafted by the New York Knicks in the first round of the 1994 NBA Draft, going No. 26 overall. He spent 10 years with the Knicks before ending his career with the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets.
Charlie Ward NBA Stats
Ward enjoyed an 11-year NBA career, where he played point guard for the Knicks, Rockets and Spurs.
| Season | Team | Pos | FTA | TRB | AST | PTS |
| 1994-95 | NYK | PG | 1 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 1.6 |
| 1995-96 | NYK | PG | 0.9 | 1.6 | 2.1 | 3.9 |
| 1996-97 | NYK | PG | 1.6 | 2.8 | 4.1 | 5.2 |
| 1997-98 | NYK | PG | 1.4 | 3.3 | 5.7 | 7.8 |
| 1998-99 | NYK | PG | 1.6 | 3.4 | 5.4 | 7.6 |
| 1999-00 | NYK | PG | 0.8 | 3.2 | 4.2 | 7.3 |
| 2000-01 | NYK | PG | 1.1 | 2.6 | 4.5 | 7.1 |
| 2001-02 | NYK | PG | 0.9 | 2 | 3.2 | 5.2 |
| 2002-03 | NYK | PG | 0.8 | 2.7 | 4.6 | 7.2 |
| 2003-04 | 2TM | PG | 0.4 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| 2003-04 | NYK | PG | 0.6 | 2.7 | 4.9 | 8.7 |
| 2003-04 | SAS | PG | 0.2 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 3.3 |
| 2004-05 | HOU | PG | 0.9 | 2.8 | 3.1 | 5.4 |
Charlie Ward Net Worth
According to one source, Ward has a net worth of $12 million.
This is a breaking news story that will be updated.