Charlie Ward signed autographs, took pictures with fans and held a silent auction at a local law office in an effort to generate funds for the football scholarship program and ministry at the Westbury Christian School in Houston where he is the head football coach.
Warchant.com caught up with Ward prior to the event and spoke to him about a variety of topics, including his thoughts on his former teammate Derrick Brooks getting his Florida State jersey retired this season, coach Jimbo Fisher taking over the program and the new Heisman campaign for Seminoles quarterback Christian Ponder.
If you'd like to donate money and learn more info you can visit the school's website (www.westburychristian.org) or stop by the Pittman Law group located at 1028 East Park Avenue, Tallahassee, FL, 32301. All contributions are tax deductible. Ward is hoping to generate enough to award scholarships to five families.
What's it like to be back in Tallahassee? It has to bring back some great memories?
I wish it wasn't a rainy day like this, but it's always good to come back home. I drove over to my hometown in Thomasville (Ga.) to see my parents and then back to Tallahassee. They'll be there forever. They won't be moving anytime soon. I don't get home as often as I would like, or as much as my parents would like or as much as the people here would like, but I'm very busy in Houston with my family (he and his wife Tonja have two children), work and other things that we have going on there. Nevertheless, it always feels good to back home." How did you get involved in coaching high school football and what's the experience been like so far?
"It's been very good experience. I'm grateful that I was able to do it. Coach (Jeff) Van Gundy gave me an opportunity to coach at the NBA level (as an assistant for the Houston Rockets). I was blessed to meet someone at the high school level and he gave me an opportunity to be a coach and get some hands on experience. It's been a bit of a learning curve just like anything else when you start something new. I'm learning at a rapid pace. Just like when (former Florida State) coach (Bobby) Bowden, (former FSU offensive coordinator and current Georgia) coach (Mark) Richt and (FSU) coach (Jimbo) Fisher started out I'm learning on the go too. I've had some kids go on to college, but more importantly I've been able to dig into kids' lives and help them see who God is through the way you live our life. It's a great experience and I'm grateful that God has chosen me to be a coach."
Are you running a similar offense to the one you played in at Florida State where you're in the shotgun a lot? Are the plays similar "Yes, 100 percent. I'm just trying to replicate that because in college we were very simple and at high school you have to be simple as well. We don't have that much time to do that many things. We are running a similar offense but we are doing some up-to-date things as well. I've been out of it for a minute, but still got my football mind."
"I'm always grateful, because I'm working with these kids on a daily basis. It's great when people are willing to help support the effort of those who are less fortunate and give them an opportunity to experience football I'm always grateful to people who want to help because that's what my parents always taught me."
Your former FSU teammate Derrick Brooks is going to have his college jersey retired this season, an honor you also received. What was your reaction when you heard the news?
"I'm very happy for him. A lot of times people want to say it's long overdue, but it's all part of God's timing. I'm very grateful that they thought that highly of him and the things he's done for Florida State to be able to retire his jersey. It's special when you can have anything retired because it means you are leaving a legacy and you've done some good things that people recognize. I'm grateful that I got the opportunity to play with him for four years and that he's my friend." Derrick mentioned having some mixed emotions on the coaching switch from coach Bowden to coach Fisher. What are your thoughts on the switch? (Ward and Bowden were inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame together in 2006)
"Anytime you have change for anything there's always going to be mixed emotions, especially if you've been tied to one guy for a long time. Things happen and now we've got an opportunity to move forward in a different direction with coach Fisher. He's brought some hype into the program and I hear recruiting is up, the fan base is coming back and players are working harder than ever. All those things are good things and now it's a matter of going out on the field and executing and putting it all together."
What do you think of Florida State's current quarterback Christian Ponder and the school launching a Heisman campaign for him? What kind of impressions has he made on you?
"Well, I know Christian. He came out to Houston last year to help out with our quarterback camp. I actually knew him before that. I'm grateful that he has an opportunity to be mentioned for the Heisman. That means that he's put himself in a great position to win it, but I'm sure his main goal is to win a national championship. I know he will see this as an opportunity to lead his team. He's very smart, of course, and I'm sure he's helping out a lot of guys because he's a great role model. He's a big kid, bigger than I realized. More importantly, he's a guy that exudes a quiet kind of leadership and the kind of guy that gets other players' going. He's also very efficient. And there are some things off the field that he's displayed that have an effect. Even if he doesn't say a word guys have to respect him. His lifestyle in general says volumes about his leadership." 
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