Athletes - Hines Ward

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	Athletes - Hines Ward

Hines E. Ward, Jr. (born March 8, 1976 in Seoul, South Korea) is an American football player who currently plays wide receiver for the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers. He was voted MVP of Super Bowl XL.

High school career

At Forest Park High School in Forest Park, Georgia, Ward showcased his athletic skills as a quarterback and was a two-time Clayton County Offensive Player of the Year. He earned All-American honors from Super Prep, Blue Chip Illustrated & USA Today, as well as All-State & Super Southern Top 100 honors. Ward was also an excellent student and graduated with a 3.81 GPA.

College career

As a wide receiver for the University of Georgia Bulldogs (1995-1998), Ward's 144 career receptions for 1,965 yards landed him second on the school's team history. He also played tailback and quarterback, and totalled 3,870 all-purpose yards, second only to Herschel Walker in Bulldogs history. Coming out of college it was discovered that Ward was missing an ACL. Some say this negatively affected his position in the NFL draft.

Professional career

Ward's versatility has served him well as a professional wide receiver. Since being drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 1998 NFL Draft, he has earned three team Most Valuable Player (MVP) selections. He is also a four-time consecutive NFL Pro Bowl selection (2001-2004)

In 2005, Ward missed the first two weeks of training camp in a holdout for a contract extension that would increase his salary. Ward had considered holding out before camp in 2004, but had been persuaded by the Steelers that they could work out an extension during the year. Ward eventually showed up on August 15, 2005 and was on the sidelines for Pittsburgh's first preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles that night, though he did not play in that game. On September 5, 2005, the Steelers announced that they had reached an agreement on a four-year contract extension with Ward.

On November 27, 2005, Ward became the Steelers all-time leading receiver with his 538th catch against the Browns on Sunday Night Football. The Steelers won 34-21.

Ward is also renowned as a terrific post-season receiver, accumulating 52 receptions for 638 yards and 7 touchdowns in his post-season career.

On February 5, 2006, Ward was named MVP in Super Bowl XL as the Pittsburgh Steelers won 21-10. Ward scored a 43 yard touchdown in the 4th quarter, thrown by fellow wide receiver Antwaan Randle El. Overall, Ward had five receptions for 123 yards and one TD and one rush for 18 yards.

Immediately following Super Bowl XL, Ward was videotaped for the latest "I'm Going to Disney World!" TV commercial, adding "...and I'm taking The Bus!" Ward and Steelers teammate Jerome "The Bus" Bettis appeared in a victory parade at the Magic Kingdom theme park on February 6 along with Emmitt Smith.

Personal

Ward's mother (Kim Young-hee) is Korean and his father (Hines Ward, Sr.) is African-American.

Ward resides in Atlanta, Georgia with his wife Simone and his son Jadon. On his right arm is a tattoo of the Korean enunciation (Korean: 하인스 워드) of his name. Hines also has a tattoo of Mickey Mouse carrying a football.

He received his bachelor's degree in consumer economics from UGA.

Ward is a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.

Ward became the first Korean-American to win the Super Bowl MVP award.

References and external links

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