Charlie Ward, Florida A&M Reportedly Finalizing Contract as New Men's CBB Coach
Former Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward is adding the title of college basketball head coach to his storied resume.
Per ESPN's Pete Thamel, Ward and Florida A&M are in the process of finalizing a deal for him to take over as coach of the Rattlers.
Thamel noted Florida A&M's board of trustees have a meeting scheduled for 3 p.m. ET on Wednesday where Ward's contract will go through the approval process.
The Rattlers' job became open last week after Patrick Crarey, who was hired in April 2024, left the program to take the same role at Grambling State.
Crarey's departure came two months after the FAMU board approved a two-year, $330,000 contract extension. His deal with Grambling State was reported to be worth $1.3 million over five years, plus additional bonuses.
The 2024-25 season was a revival for Florida A&M under Crarey. He led the program to a 14-17 record, surpassing its win total from the previous two seasons combined (13).
Florida A&M is still in the process of rebuilding after the athletic department was placed on five years' probation from the NCAA in May 2019 stemming from 93 athletes in various sports being improperly certified to compete from 2010 to 2017.
Ward is returning to the city of his greatest success as an athlete. He was a superstar athlete for four years at Florida State in Tallahassee, where Florida A&M is also located.
During his tenure with the Seminoles, Ward was a two-sport athlete in football and basketball. He won the Heisman Trophy as a senior in 1993, throwing for 3,032 yards and 27 touchdowns to help Florida State win its first national title.
Ward also played in 91 games over four seasons for the Seminoles' basketball team. He helped them reach the NCAA tournament in each of his first three years, including a trip to the Elite Eight in the 1992-93 season.
Despite not having any head-coaching experience at the college level, Ward has worked as a coach in the NBA. He was an assistant on Jeff Van Gundy's staff with the Houston Rockets for two years from 2005 to 2007.
Ward has also been a head coach at the high school level, most recently at Florida High.