Hines Ward

Hines E. Ward, Jr. (born March 8, 1976 in Seoul, South Korea) is an American football player who currently plays wide receiver for the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers. He was voted MVP of Super Bowl XL. Recently, he has become a symbol of the benefits of multiculturalism in South Korea.

High school career

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.^*

College career

As a wide receiver for the University of Georgia Bulldogs (1995-1998), Ward's 144 career receptions for 1,965 yards landed him second on the school's team history. He also played tailback and quarterback, and totalled 3,870 all-purpose yards, second only to Herschel Walker in Bulldogs history. Coming out of college it was discovered that Ward was missing an ACL. Some say this negatively 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

Trivia

Ward resides in Atlanta, Georgia with his wife Simone and his son Jadon. On his right arm is a tattoo of the Korean pronunciation (Korean: 하인스 워드) of his name. Hines also has a tattoo of Mickey Mouse carrying a football.

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, a nation with a blood-based social registry that restricts the rights of those not of full Korean blood."Hines Ward scores big for social change", Chuck Finder, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Sunday, April 09, 2006.

From April 3-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.""Hines Ward scores big for social change", Chuck Finder, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Sunday, April 09, 2006. On his final day in Korea, he donated $1 million (US dollars) 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." "Ward kicks off his new charity", Associated Press, May 30, 2006

References and external links

2006 "Hines Ward - Trip Of A Lifetime", Associated Press, Jan 31 2006
"NFL Body Art", Sports Illustrated, Jan 10, 2006 (with photo of Mickey Mouse tattoo)
"Living the Dream: Hines Ward's return to Korea", Malcolm Beith, Newsweek (International Edition), Mar 27, 2006
"Ward spins biracial roots into blessing", Paul Wiseman, USA Today, Apr 9 2006
Hines Ward page at: