Charlie Ward's instincts were unparalleled in Florida State's history.
By BRIAN LANDMAN
Published August 28, 2003
TALLAHASSEE - More than a decade later, it's hard to recall how fine a line Florida State quarterback Charlie Ward walked between making history and fading into obscurity.
He completed 6 of 12 passes for 46 yards and threw two interceptions as his team fell behind host Georgia Tech 21-7 on Oct. 17, 1992.
Was he the guy for the Seminoles?
"You're wondering that," coach Bobby Bowden said.
As he did numerous times that season, Bowden pulled the error-prone Ward, a redshirt junior in his first season as the starter, in favor of freshman Danny Kanell.
Ward returned early in the final quarter and, out of desperation, Bowden went to his two-minute offense, the shotgun, no huddle. In that frenetic scheme Ward proved brilliant as a passer, runner and decision-maker, completing 14 of 19 passes for 137 yards and a touchdown and running for 51 yards and a score as the Seminoles rallied for a 29-24 win.
"It was that ballgame where it really stood out, in that fourth quarter, that he really has something special," Bowden said. "Charlie showed what he was capable of doing."
Thereafter the Seminoles stuck with both that offense as their base and with Ward as their leader.
Ward, a star basketball player for the Seminoles (and a future first-round pick of the New York Knicks), went on to rewrite the school record book. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1993, along with just about every other individual honor an offensive player could, and led FSU to its first national title.
"What set him apart? He was a natural," Bowden said. "He had an instinct about him. Some players have that, and some players don't. It seems like all the great ones have it. They can feel when somebody's behind them or about to hit them. Charlie had that."
During the championship season, in marked contrast to 1992, Ward consistently demonstrated his uncanny knack for knowing when and where to throw the ball. He completed 264 of 380 passes (69.5 percent) for 3,032 yards and 27 touchdowns with four interceptions. He also rushed 65 times for 339 yards and four touchdowns.
"We went on to do great things," the soft-spoken, humble Ward said, referring to the shift to the shotgun, no-huddle post-Tech Seminoles. "I thought it was a great move for our program at the time."
And beyond.
That formation remained the Seminoles' signature for two years with Danny Kanell, two years with Thad Busby and three more with Chris Weinke, though none were as mobile or as elusive as Ward. But during those seven seasons the Seminoles posted five of their Top 10 seasons for total offense.
They also won a second national title in 1999 with Weinke at quarterback and star receiver Peter Warrick, and played for the national championship in three others (1996, 1998 and 2000, the year Weinke became the second Seminole to win the Heisman).
"Charlie set a trend; there's no doubt about it," Bowden said. "And he set a trend for our offense."
And a standard of excellence.
FSU retired his number and inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 1999. Last March the Atlantic Coast Conference named him the league's No. 3 greatest male athlete behind basketball legends Michael Jordan and David Thompson.
"I wasn't trying to make history," Ward said, referring to his success in football and basketball. "It was just having fun while I was in school ... and the Lord rewarded me for just having fun."
