Carl Ward
Encyclopedia
Carl Davis Ward is a former American football
player. He played college football as a halfback for the University of Michigan
from 1964 to 1966 and professional football in the National Football League
for the Cleveland Browns
and New Orleans Saints
from 1967 to 1969.
.
to their first Big Ten Conference
championship since 1950, breaking the longest championship drought in school history. The 1964 Wolverines
outscored their opponents 235–83, finished the regular season 8–1, and narrowly missed an undefeated season with a 21–20 loss to a Purdue Boilermakers
team led by sophomore Bob Griese
.
The Wolverines (ranked No. 4) advanced to the Rose Bowl where they defeated Tommy Prothro
's Oregon State Beavers
, 34–7, on New Year's Day. Ward gained 88 rushing yards on 10 carries in the 1965 Rose Bowl
, including a 43-yard touchdown run.
Ward continued as one of the Wolverines' leading yard gainers for three consecutive years from 1964 to 1966. He was the team's leading rusher in 1965 with 639 net rushing yards and the leading kickoff returner with 193 yards on 10 kickoff returns. In a September 1966 game that matched Michigan against its 1965 Rose Bowl opponent, Ward scored to touchdowns in a 31–0 victory over Oregon State.
From 1964 to 1966, Ward totaled 2,266 all-purpose yards
for Michigan, including 1,673 rushing yards, 396 yards on kickoff returns, and 188 receiving yards. His biggest single-game performances for Michigan were as follows:
in the 4th round (83rd overall pick) of the 1967 NFL Draft
and signed with the Browns in July 1967. In the Browns' final pre-season game, Ward returned a kickoff 85 yards against the Minnesota Vikings
. During the 1967 regular season, he returned 22 kickoffs for 546 yards and 6 punts for 62 yards, ranking 8th in the NFL in punt and kickoff return yardage. The highlight of Ward's rookie season came on November 26, 1967 when he returned a kickoff 104 yards for a touchdown against the Washington Redskins
. His 104-yard return was the longest in Cleveland Browns franchise history and remains tied for the 15th longest in NFL history.
During the 1968 season, Ward returned 13 kickoffs for 236 yards.
In September 1969, the New Orleans Saints
acquired Ward off waivers from the Browns. Ward appeared in only two games for the Saints during the 1969 season, returning 3 kickoffs for 58 yards.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player. He played college football as a halfback for the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
from 1964 to 1966 and professional football in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
for the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
from 1967 to 1969.
Early years
Ward was born in Hartsond, Alabama, in 1944. He attended Taft High School in Cincinnati, OhioCincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
.
Michigan
In 1964, Ward helped lead the Wolverines football team1964 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1964 Michigan Wolverines football team, coached by Bump Elliott, won the Big Ten Conference championship with a final record of 9–1 after defeating Oregon State in the Rose Bowl, 34–7. The team had two first-team All-Americans in quarterback Bob Timberlake and defensive tackle Bill...
to their first Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
championship since 1950, breaking the longest championship drought in school history. The 1964 Wolverines
1964 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1964 Michigan Wolverines football team, coached by Bump Elliott, won the Big Ten Conference championship with a final record of 9–1 after defeating Oregon State in the Rose Bowl, 34–7. The team had two first-team All-Americans in quarterback Bob Timberlake and defensive tackle Bill...
outscored their opponents 235–83, finished the regular season 8–1, and narrowly missed an undefeated season with a 21–20 loss to a Purdue Boilermakers
Purdue Boilermakers
Boilermakers is the official nickname for the intercollegiate athletic teams of Purdue University. As is common with athletic nicknames, it is also used as colloquial designation of Purdue's students and alumni at large....
team led by sophomore Bob Griese
Bob Griese
Robert Allen "Bob" Griese is a former American collegiate and Professional Football quarterback who earned All-American honors with the Purdue Boilermakers before being drafted in 1967 by the American Football League's Miami Dolphins...
.
The Wolverines (ranked No. 4) advanced to the Rose Bowl where they defeated Tommy Prothro
Tommy Prothro
James Thompson "Tommy" Prothro, Jr. was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Oregon State University from 1955 to 1964 and at the University of California, Los Angeles from 1965 to 1970, compiling a career college football record of 104–55–5...
's Oregon State Beavers
Oregon State Beavers
The Oregon State Beavers is a name shared by all sports teams at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon. The Beavers are part of the Pacific-12 Conference . Oregon State's mascot is Benny the Beaver...
, 34–7, on New Year's Day. Ward gained 88 rushing yards on 10 carries in the 1965 Rose Bowl
1965 Rose Bowl
The 1965 Rose Bowl, played on January 1, 1965 was the 51st Rose Bowl Game. The Michigan Wolverines defeated the Oregon State Beavers by a score of 34–7...
, including a 43-yard touchdown run.
Ward continued as one of the Wolverines' leading yard gainers for three consecutive years from 1964 to 1966. He was the team's leading rusher in 1965 with 639 net rushing yards and the leading kickoff returner with 193 yards on 10 kickoff returns. In a September 1966 game that matched Michigan against its 1965 Rose Bowl opponent, Ward scored to touchdowns in a 31–0 victory over Oregon State.
From 1964 to 1966, Ward totaled 2,266 all-purpose yards
All-purpose yardage
All-purpose yards or All-purpose yardage is an American football and Canadian football statistical measure. It is virtually the same as the statistic that some football leagues refer to as combined net yards. In the game of football, progress is measured by advancing the football towards the...
for Michigan, including 1,673 rushing yards, 396 yards on kickoff returns, and 188 receiving yards. His biggest single-game performances for Michigan were as follows:
| Date | Opponent | Rushing yards | Receiving yards | Kickoff return yards | All-purpose yards |
| November 6, 1965 | Illinois | 139 | 6 | 27 | 165 |
| November 5, 1966 | Illinois | 131 | 4 | 21 | 156 |
| November 20, 1965 | Ohio State | 104 | 0 | 8 | 112 |
| January 1, 1965 | Oregon State | 88 | 0 | 20 | 108 |
| October 24, 1964 | Minnesota | 108 | 0 | 0 | 108 |
Professional football
Ward was drafted by the Cleveland BrownsCleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the 4th round (83rd overall pick) of the 1967 NFL Draft
1967 NFL Draft
The 1967 National Football League Draft was part of the Common Draft in the first year in which the NFL and AFL held a joint draft of college players on March 14–15.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:...
and signed with the Browns in July 1967. In the Browns' final pre-season game, Ward returned a kickoff 85 yards against the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
. During the 1967 regular season, he returned 22 kickoffs for 546 yards and 6 punts for 62 yards, ranking 8th in the NFL in punt and kickoff return yardage. The highlight of Ward's rookie season came on November 26, 1967 when he returned a kickoff 104 yards for a touchdown against the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
. His 104-yard return was the longest in Cleveland Browns franchise history and remains tied for the 15th longest in NFL history.
During the 1968 season, Ward returned 13 kickoffs for 236 yards.
In September 1969, the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
acquired Ward off waivers from the Browns. Ward appeared in only two games for the Saints during the 1969 season, returning 3 kickoffs for 58 yards.