ABAC brings sports star Charlie Ward to Bainbridge campus

Published 4:26 pm Wednesday, October 30, 2024

BAINBRIDGE – The Carter Arts and Lecture Series at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Bainbridge is proud to present an evening with Charlie Ward at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 7.

The event, which is part of the annual ABAC Arts and Culture season, will take place at the Charles H. Kirbo Center on the Bainbridge Campus.
Ward is listed among the most outstanding college athletes in modern history. He played quarterback in football and point guard in basketball at Florida State University. During his senior year, he won over 30 awards, including the Heisman Trophy, and set 19 school and seven Atlantic Coast Conference records, subsequently leading the Seminoles to their first National Championship under legendary Coach Bobby Bowden.

After graduating from FSU with a Bachelor of Arts degree, he was a first-round draft pick of the New York Knicks. He went on to play for the Knicks, helping the team reach the playoffs six consecutive years from 1996 to 2001. He played 11 seasons as a point guard in the NBA with New York, the San Antonio Spurs, and the Houston Rockets, and served as an assistant coach with the Rockets for two years.

Ward has also coached and mentored students, serving as a full-time basketball coach at Florida State University High School in Tallahassee. Ward won the 2021 and 2022 All-Big Bend Coach of the Year award. In October 2022, he was inducted as a member of the inaugural class for the Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame.

He is the subject of the biography “The Athlete: Greatness, Grace and the Unprecedented Life of Charlie Ward,” by Jon Finkel, as well as ESPN’s ACC Network documentary, “Twice As Nice – The Legend of Charlie Ward,” which chronicles his two-sport career as a student-athlete at FSU.

Aside from coaching, he is in demand as a motivational speaker with his “Chalk Talk” keynote addresses and workshops, which he has presented around the world to teams, churches, organizations, conferences and businesses.

This event is free and open to the public with no ticket required. The Carter Arts & Lecture Series is committed to enhancing the educational experience by bringing compelling speakers, distinguished authors, and performing arts to the ABAC Bainbridge campus. These events are designed to bring the campus and wider public together to educate, inspire and spark imagination.

For more information, please visit the ABAC Arts and Culture page at www.artsatabac.com.