Charlie Ward Honored at the Legends Breakfast during Final Four Weekend

Charlie Ward, The 12-year NBA veteran, Heisman trophy winner and Major League baseball draftee was awarded the 2011 Keys to Life Award at the 15^th annual Legends of the Hardwood Breakfast before an audience of 1,100 on Saturday morning, April 2, during the Final Four weekend in Houston.

The Legends of the Hardwood Breakfast was created to honor basketball role models who exemplify outstanding leadership, character and integrity. Ward was honored for his exemplary and exceptional moral character, integrity and faith during his career as one of the best all-around athletes in the past quarter century.

In 1993, Charlie led the Florida State Seminoles to a National Title and was awarded the Heisman Trophy as the nation's top collegiate football player. In 2006, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Though Charlie didn’t play baseball in college, he was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 1993 free agent draft and by the New York Yankees in 1994. That year the New York Knicks chose him as the 26th overall pick in the 1994 NBA draft. He played for the Knicks from 1994-2004 and the Houston Rockets in 2004-2005.

Active in serving the community off the court, Charlie has served in a variety of ways from helping with a Thanksgiving Dinner at a West Harlem soup kitchen to investing in the lives of children in cities across the country.

Ward, who is currently the varsity football coach at Westbury Christian School in Houston, recently told the David Glenn show about his switch to football. “I didn’t know God’s plan for my life. I was just enjoying my day-to-day activities, whether it was football or basketball or school or whatever the case may be. God rewarded me for my commitment to my teammates.

The Keys to Life Award is named after the life principles taught by the legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden. A special tribute was given at the Legends Breakfast to Coach Wooden, who was named national coach of the year six times.

Wooden, who retired after a national championship victory in 1975, died at age 99 last year.

Past winners of The Coach Wooden Keys to Life Award include: Clark Kellogg, Bobby Jones, and Don Meyer.

Saturday’s event, also included interviews with NCAA men’s basketball Division I coaches and players, and a forum on the Phi Slama Jama with former University of Houston players Clyde Drexler, Reid Gettys, Larry Micheaux, Lynden Rose and Michael Young. Other participants in the breakfast include NBA/ABA veteran David “Bid Daddy” Lattin and Inside the NBA host Ernie Johnson.

The Legends Breakfast is hosted each year by Athletes in Action and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes as one of the premiere events of the Final Four weekend. The annual breakfast is also a time for guests to hear a powerful testimony of faith and be challenged to consider Christ, or to grow in their relationship with Him.

“I’ve attended 14 Final Four’s and this morning was the most rewarding experience I have had attending a Final Four,” commented one attendee. Another noted that the event was “very well done, great speakers and a quality organization. I will be back next year.”

The Legends of the Hardwood Breakfast is among four events AIA hosts to honor some of the most notable players and coaches throughout the year. The other events include the All-Star Breakfast, the Super Bowl Breakfast and Night of Champions.

News | General | Pro Ministry