Ward Deserved Better

Question: what do former Florida State quarterback, Charlie Ward and Pete Dawkins have in common?

Who's Pete Dawkins, you say?

Come, come. Surely you remember Pete Dawkins, Army's triple threat in 1959? How about Pete Dawkins, the Rhodes scholar; or Pete Dawkins, Captain of the Cadet Corps?

No? Shame on you.

Answers: Both were Heisman Trophy winners the NFL never drafted. (And both have homes in Georgia).

Dawkins went on to a distinguished career as a historical footnote.

He ran for the United States Senate from New Jersey in 1988 and lost. Now he runs an insurance company in Atlanta.

And what will become of Charlie Ward?

Good question. Maybe he'll sign as a free agent with the Minnesota Vikings; maybe the NBA will take him; maybe he'll join the Canadian Football League. No one--least of all Ward--expected this predicament.

I remain perplexed: is Charlie Ward not good enough for a single pro football team? Is the NFL dumb and unimaginative? Or simply unimaginative and dumb?

It was pretty clear why Dawkins wasn't drafted back in 1959. He had a four-year army tour of duty ahead of him, wasn't very fast and, truth be told, didn't dominate any one facet of the game.

He was just an all-around good player--like Holy Cross's Gordie Lockbaum. Ward, on the other hand, is fast, possesses the potential to dominate a postion--if not qurterback, then defensive back--and most importantly, has not sold himself to the military establishment.

Here is the rap on Ward, however: 1) Height. Contrary to the FSU depth chart, Ward is not 6'1", but rather 5'11 and 3/4 inches. Three-quarters may seem trivial, but not to NFL scouts. General consensus says he's too shot to scan the field.

2) Style. "Can't fit into a pro-style offense," pundits say.

Ward is not a drop-back passer. He rolls out like Doug Flutie, and that riles coaches. Prevailing wisdom asserts that he won't fare well against the pass rush. (Never mind that Fran Tarkenton made a career out of rolling out--I met Fran Tarkenton once. I digress).

3) Desire. Ward hasn't given any hearty indication that he wants to play in the National Football League. He's a projected second-or third-round choice in the NBA , and rumor has it wants to play basketball. Another rumor has him going to the Canadian Football League, whose style of play may better suit him.

4) Race. Deion Sanders thinks this a key reason--and I believe him. Despite the accomplishments of Doug Williams, Randall Cunningham and Warren Moon, a racist myth prevails: blacks aren't smart enough to be quarterbacks. They lack the "necessities," as Dodger executive Al Campaigns once put it, referring go black managers.

In addition to the aforementioned, Andre Ware and Rodney Peete bring the grand total to four black quarterbacks in the NFL.

People don't like talk about these things, but I will: If Charlie Ward were white, would he have been drafted?

Yes.

It's too bad pro-football hasn't seen fit to find a place for a gifted athlete like Ward.

He's a true game-breaker--and he'd make a fine quarterback, Defensive back, or wide-receiver. (Notre Dame Coach Lou Holtz has got to be experiencing some serious schadenfreude).

So Charlie, go and make your way. Try your 5'11 3/4-inch body at point guard for some NBA franchise.

Have a long, injury-free career.

And may your name be remembered better than Pete Dawkins'.