Former Florida State legend Charlie Ward is set to be the latest Seminole leading a Florida A&M athletics program, as he is finalizing a deal to become the next basketball coach following the departure of Patrick Crarey II. News of mutual interest between Ward and Florida A&M was first broken by Scottay of Offscript TV on Tuesday and Liv Antinilla, also known as LivForHoops, reported on Wednesday morning that Ward was offered a five-year contract that will be presented to the Florida A&M Board of Trustees on Wednesday afternoon. ESPN's Pete Thamel confirmed that the deal was being finalized on Wednesday morning.

Ward is one of the most dynamic athletes in sports history, excelling as a two-sport athlete in football and basketball. During his career with the Florida State Seminoles, Ward threw for a whopping 5,747 yards and 49 touchdowns, completing 473 out of 759 passes with an impressive 62.3% completion rate. He also rushed for 889 yards and scored 10 rushing touchdowns. He also led Florida State to its first national championship with an 18-16 victory over Nebraska in the 1993 Orange Bowl.

But, Ward also showed a talent for basketball. Alongside future NBA standouts like Bob Sura and Sam Cassell, he led to Seminoles to immense success.  His teams reached the Sweet Sixteen in 1992 and the Southeast Regional Final in 1993. Ward holds FSU records for career steals (236), steals in a game (9), and ranks sixth in career assists (396). Despite a shortened senior season due to winning the Heisman Trophy, he averaged 10.5 points and 4.9 assists while starting 16 games as point guard.

Ward eventually decided to pursue basketball as a professional, ultimately being selected by the New York Knicks with the 26th pick in the first round of the 1994 NBA Draft.  He brings head coaching experience, having served as an assistant coach with the Rockets during the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons, as well as a high school head coach in the Tallahassee area and with USA Basketball.

The former Florida State star also has a connection to Florida A&M via his family.  His father Charlie Ward Sr. played running back for FAMU under legendary coach Jake Gaither. Ward Sr. was also a teammate of Olympian and NFL Hall-of-Famer Bob Hayes. Ward was born in Tallahassee and watched many Rattler home games as a child, traveling back to his birth city from Thomasville, Georgia.

He'll be tasked with continuing the success that Crarey achieved in his short stint with the team. Crarey's Rattlers finished with a 13-15 record and a 10-8 record in conference. The team's record was a huge improvement over the 2023-2024 season, where Florida A&M finished 6-23 and 4-14 in conference.

As Ward looks to continue to build Florida A&M basketball into a winner, he also joins Jackson State's Mo Williams as the second former NBA player to coach a Division I HBCU and is the latest former Heisman Trophy winner to coach an HBCU after Eddie George's four seasons at Tennessee State.