Hines Ward

Hines Ward

Hines Ward during the 2006 NFL season.
No. 86     Pittsburgh Steelers
Wide receiver
Personal information
Date of birth: March 8, 1976 (1976-03-08)
Place of birth: Seoul, South Korea
Height: 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	Weight: 205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
College: Georgia
NFL Draft: 1998 / Round: 3 / Pick: 92
Debuted in 1998 for the Pittsburgh Steelers
Career history
Pittsburgh Steelers (1998–present)
Career highlights and awards
4× Pro Bowl selection (2001, 2002, 2003, 2004) 3× 2nd Team All-Pro selection (2002, 2003, 2004) 2× Super Bowl Champion (XL, XLIII) Super Bowl MVP (XL) 3× Steelers MVP (2002, 2003, 2005) 3× AFC Champion (2005, 2008, 2010) Steelers Career Records for Receptions, Receiving Yards, & Receiving TDs
Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2011
Receptions	1,000
Receiving Yards	12,083
Receiving TDs	85
Stats at NFL.com

Hines E. Ward, Jr. (born March 8, 1976) is an American football player who plays the wide receiver position for the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers. He is the longest-tenured player on the team. He was voted MVP of Super Bowl XL. He played college football at the University of Georgia. Born in Seoul, South Korea to a Korean mother and an African American father, Ward grew up in the Atlanta area. He has become an advocate for the social acceptance of foreigners in Korea, especially mixed-race youth.

Early life

Ward was born in Seoul, South Korea, to an African American father, Hines Ward Sr., and Korean mother, Kim Young He (김영희). His family moved to Atlanta and East Point, Georgia when Hines Jr. was one, and Hines Sr. went to Germany to serve a tour of duty. The next year Ward's parents divorced leaving Ward to live with his mother and then with his paternal grandmother after Hines Sr. convinced a family court that Kim could not raise Hines Jr. independently, because she did not speak English. Ward would later be reunited with his mother at the age of 7. During this time, Hines Ward Sr. did not support Ward with child support or visit Ward regularly with Ward stating that he talks with his father about once every two years. Ward has stated that he has never reconciled with his father who abandoned him when he was 2 years old. Under the guidance of coach Mike Parris at Forest Park High School in Forest Park, Georgia, Ward showcased his athletic skills as a quarterback, and was two-time Clayton County Offensive Player of the Year.

College career

As a wide receiver for the University of Georgia Bulldogs (1994–1997), Ward's 149 career receptions for 1,965 yards placed him second in team history. He also played tailback and totaled 3,870 all-purpose yards, second only to Herschel Walker in Bulldogs history. In 1996, Hines had 52 receptions for 900 yards, and also ran 26 times for 170 yards. In 1997, Hines hauled in 55 passes and scored six TDs, getting All-SEC honors in the process. Ward played some quarterback his sophomore year, and holds Georgia bowl records for pass attempts, pass completions, and passing yards in the 1995 Peach Bowl in which he completed 31 of 59 passes for 413 yards.

When he came out of college it was discovered that Ward was missing an ACL in his left knee, which he lost during a bicycle accident during childhood. According to a Yahoo! Sports article, Ward broke his kneecap in the fourth grade and the doctors never accounted for the ligament. This may have 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 makes a tough catch against the Baltimore Ravens in 2006.

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 considered to be one of the best wideouts in the game because of his great hands and his willingness to block. He is also a four-time NFL Pro Bowl selection (2001–2004). He also had a streak of 4 consecutive 1,000 yard seasons, which likely could have continued in the 2005 NFL season if he had not missed a game 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. While he is considered one of the best blocking receivers in the NFL, he has also been criticized for habitually hitting defenders on their blind-side. Ward has twice been named the NFL's dirtiest player, as determined by a Sports Illustrated poll of NFL players; the most recent was in 2009.

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 worth $25.83 million with Ward.

On November 13, 2005, Ward became the Steelers all-time leading receiver with his 538th catch against the Browns on ESPN Sunday Night Football surpassing John Stallworth's record. The Steelers won 34-21. Ward is also renowned as a terrific post-season receiver, accumulating 76 receptions, 1,064 yards, and 8 receiving touchdowns in 14 post-season appearances. On February 5, 2006, Ward was named MVP in Super Bowl XL as the Pittsburgh Steelers won 21-10. Ward became the second foreign born player to earn the accolade. 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, 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.

On December 2, 2007, Ward became the Steelers all-time touchdown receptions leader with his 64th touchdown reception against the Bengals on Sunday Night Football. Then on December 20, 2007, Ward became the Steelers all-time receiving yardage leader in a game against the St. Louis Rams.

A physical player, Ward was criticized for his block on rookie Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Keith Rivers during a game on October 19, 2008. The impact of the block left Rivers with a broken jaw. Ward was not penalized for his hard block and it was later deemed to be within the rules and he was not fined by the league, though the league would pass a rule banning such hits for the 2009 NFL season.

According to Terrell Suggs of the Baltimore Ravens when the Ravens played the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football that season, the Ravens players placed a bounty on Ward and rookie running back Rashard Mendenhall. Mendenhall left the game with a broken shoulder which ended his season. Ward talked about Suggs' comments in an interview on Pardon the Interruption. Although he held up an NFL policy banning bounties, he thought it was also humorous that they would do it to him.

Ward attempts to break Sammy Knight's tackle during a game against the Kansas City Chiefs in 2006.

On December 28, 2008, Ward caught his 800th NFL reception, extending his record for receptions by a Steeler receiver. Also in this game, Ward achieved his first 1000 yard season since 2004, finishing with 81 receptions for 1043 yards and 7 touchdowns on the year. In the 2008 Playoffs, Ward recorded 9 receptions for 168 yards. In the 27-23 win over Arizona Cardinals at the Super Bowl XLIII, Ward played a supporting role, catching two passes for 43 yards. He played the game with a sprained right MCL. Two weeks after the Super Bowl, he underwent a minor surgical procedure on his shoulder and further operation will not be necessary.

Ward was signed to a four-year, $22 million extension by the Steelers on April 25, 2009, which will likely keep him with the Steelers for the remainder of his career.

On September 28, 2009, during the 2009 Season game against Cincinnati, Ward’s four catches for 82 yards vaulted him past 10,000 career receiving yards and made him the first wide receiver in Steelers’ history to achieve that plateau. On third-and-two Ben Roethlisberger hit Ward for a 14-yard gain, giving Ward 10,001 career receiving yards. Ward finished the 2009 season with 95 receptions for 1,167 yards and 6 touchdowns.

In a September 12, 2010, home game against the Atlanta Falcons, Ward became the first player in Steeler history to surpass 11,000 receiving yards. He caught 108 yards worth of passes in that game to pass Hall of Fame Steeler receiver John Stallworth for most 100-yard receiving games all time for the Steelers with his 26th. His 6 catches against the Falcons gave him 901 for his career, making him only the 12th NFL player of all time to surpass 900 career receptions.

Ward's streak of 186 consecutive games with at least one reception came to an end in a 39-26 loss against the New England Patriots in Week 10 of the 2010 season. A short catch by Ward was knocked loose when he was tackled by safeties, Patrick Chung and James Sanders, and was knocked out of the rest of the game; the Patriots challenged the call, and the pass was ruled incomplete on review, ending the streak.

On December 4, 2011, in a 35-7 home victory against the Cincinnati Bengals, Ward became just the 19th player in NFL history to reach 12,000 receiving yards.

On January 1, 2012, in a game against the Cleveland Browns, Ward caught his 1000th reception, becoming the eighth player in NFL history to do so.

Personal

Ward prior to a game in 2008.

On the cover of KoreAm, July 2011

Hines Ward resides in Sandy Springs, Georgia, and has a son named Jaden whom he had with his ex-wife Simone Ward. On his upper right arm he has a tattoo of Mighty Mouse in the Heisman pose, just below a tattoo of his name in Korean.

Business and media enterprises

Ward co-owned a bar in Pittsburgh's South Side called The Locker Room. The bar sustained serious water damage in February 2007, due to flooding from a malfunctioning boiler, and it was closed for repairs until June of that year. The bar received an insurance settlement of $500,000, which subsequently became an issue during a legal dispute between the bar's owners.

On September 11, 2007, co-owner Nicholas Lettieri withdrew the entirety of the bar's funds, approximately $19,000, from a corporate account, causing it to miss a large number of scheduled payments. The company filed suit for the return of the money, and Lettieri subsequently justified his actions by claiming that the money was owed to him, also voicing the belief that the other co-owners, Ward and Kimberly Pitts, as well as Pitts' husband, Korry Pitts, had falsified invoices and diverted company funds to their own bank accounts. Company attorney Thomas Castello dismissed Lettieri's allegations as "baseless, ridiculous and unfounded," and the matter currently is before the court.

The Locker Room reopened under the name South Side 86 (because of Ward), and is owned entirely by Ward, who bought out his co owners.

In September 2006 Ward began hosting the Hines Ward Show on Pittsburgh CBS O&O KDKA-TV.

As a figure for social change

In 2006 Ward became the first Korean American to win the Super Bowl MVP award. This achievement threw him into the spotlight of media in South Korea.

From April 3 through 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. 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." On his final day in Korea, he donated $1 million USD 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."

In January 2007 former Steeler and Pro Football Hall of Fame member, Franco Harris, owner of R Super Foods, honored Ward for his philanthropic efforts by featuring Ward's picture and story on boxes of Super Buns. Like Ward, Harris also won a Super Bowl MVP award (in Super Bowl IX), and also is biracial, being of African American and Italian American parentage.

In September 2010, President Barack Obama, appointed Ward as a member of the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

D.U.I. arrest

On July 9, 2011, Hines Ward was arrested for driving under the influence in DeKalb County, Georgia after being witnessed by a MARTA police officer failing to maintain his lane and subsequently hitting a curb. An officer of the DeKalb County Police Department responded which led to the investigation and Ward's arrest. His manager, Andrew Ree, told the celebrity news website TMZ.com that Ward "cooperated fully with the police and truthfully answered all of their questions." Additionally he stated "from our preliminary investigation we can tell you that we are confident that the facts will show that Hines was NOT impaired by alcohol while driving." According to the police report, Ward was arrested due to the fact he exhibited "bloodshot eyes, watery eyes, a strong odor of alcohol", and failed multiple field sobriety tests, including omitting letters when asked to recite the alphabet. Officer Catalano of the DeKalb County Police Department stated he failed all eye nystagmus tests and that during a field sobriety test, swayed while balancing, used his arms for balance, improperly turned, and stepped off of the designated line. Ward was described as "defensive" and "agitated" during the incident and refused to take a breathalyzer test.

Film and TV appearances

Ward will make an appearance as a member of the fictional Gotham Rogues football team in the upcoming 2012 film The Dark Knight Rises.

Dancing with the Stars performance

On May 24, 2011, Hines and his partner Kym Johnson won season 12 of the American TV dance competition Dancing with the Stars.

Week #	Dance/Song	Judges' score			Result
		Inaba	Goodman	Tonioli
1	Cha-Cha-Cha/ "Club Can't Handle Me"	7	7	7	No Elimination
2	Quickstep/ "Part-Time Lover"	8	7	8	Safe
3	Samba/ "Fantasy"	9	8	8	Safe
4	Paso Doble/ "Explosive / Adagio for Strings"	9	8	8	Safe
5	Rumba/ "God Bless The USA"	9	9	9	Safe
6	Viennese Waltz/ "End of the Road"	9	9	9	Safe
7	Team Cha-Cha-Cha/ "We R Who We R" Tango/ "Tango Misterioso"	7*/7 9*/9	8 8	8 10	Safe
8	Foxtrot/"This Will Be" Jive/ "Chantilly Lace"	9 9	9 9	10 8	Safe
9	Argentine Tango/ "Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps" Salsa/"Hello" Winner Take All Cha-Cha-Cha/ "Just Dance"	10 10 Awarded	10 10 0	10 10 points	Safe
10	Quickstep/"Puttin' On The Ritz" Freestyle/"Dancing Machine" and "I Want You Back" Samba/"Fantasy"	10 10 10	9 10 10	10 10 10	WON

* In week 7, Donnie Burns was the guest judge and scored the dances as well (first score listed is Burns').

External links

• Hines Ward Official Website
• Hines Ward on Twitter
• 2006 "Hines Ward - Trip Of A Lifetime", Associated Press, January 31, 2006
• "Living the Dream: Hines Ward's return to Korea", Malcolm Beith, Newsweek (International Edition), March 27, 2006
• "Ward spins biracial roots into blessing", Paul Wiseman, USA Today, April 9, 2006
• Hines Ward page at:
  • NFL Players' Union
  • Pro Football Reference
  • Database Football
  • Steelers Player Bio

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Deion Branch	NFL Super Bowl MVPs Super Bowl XL, 2006	Succeeded by Peyton Manning
Preceded by John Stallworth (537)	Pittsburgh Steelers Career Receptions November 27, 2005 - present, (1,000)	Succeeded by Current Record Holder
Preceded by Jennifer Grey & Derek Hough	Dancing with the Stars (US) winner Season 12 (Spring 2011 with Kym Johnson)	Succeeded by J.R. Martinez & Karina Smirnoff
Sporting positions
Preceded by Eric Zeier	Georgia Bulldogs Starting Quarterbacks 1994	Succeeded by Mike Bobo