Former Florida State dual-sport star and 1993 Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward is set to become the new men’s basketball coach at Florida A&M University. The official announcement of Ward's hiring was postponed due to a nationwide Zoom outage, but a five-year, $975,000 contract has been agreed upon, pending board approval. The contract includes an annual raise of $10,000 and runs through June 2030.
Ward, 54, a former NBA player and College Football Hall of Fame inductee, previously coached high school basketball in Houston before returning to Florida. He takes over from Patrick Crarey, leading a Florida A&M team that last had a winning season in 2006-07. Ward's appointment reflects a trend of former professional athletes transitioning to college coaching roles in the current name, image, and likeness landscape.