As the cliche says, “With great power comes great responsibility.” In the sports world, that certainly rings true for quarterbacks. Standing under center puts the ball in your hands on (almost) every offensive play. If things come off, you’re the hero; if not, you’re probably in the spotlight for the wrong reasons.
Historically, though, Black quarterbacks faced a higher level of scrutiny. Based on stereotypes, those players were viewed as more raw athletes than field generals; even when they got a shot, they were more likely to be benched than their peers.
And while some stereotypes still linger, there has been a great deal of progress. Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson, for example, have both won multiple NFL MVP awards, and lead two of the league’s top teams. Other Black quarterbacks, like C.J. Stroud, Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels, have been handed the keys to franchises hoping for a brighter future.
It’s in that context that Evolution of the Black Quarterback landed on Prime Video. And one of those quarterbacks, Charlie Ward, who won the Heisman Trophy during his time under center at Florida State, spoke with Newsweek to share his perspectives.
Charlie Ward, then quarterback for the Florida State Seminoles on September 11, 1993, in Tallahassee, Florida. Ward has spoken to Newsweek about Black quarterbacks and more.
Scott Halleran/Allsport/Getty Images
On His Experience as a Black Quarterback
“I think, for me, I didn’t have to go through all the difficult challenges that some of the Black quarterbacks had to go through before me, before integration. There was still a time where we were thought of as a certain type of player. And some people still didn’t want to see it. That’s not everyone, but some didn’t.
“But, for me, I was kind of shielded away from some of it because of social media. There was really no access as far as people had to write letters if they were upset or wanted to say bad things about me, and some of those letters I didn’t get a chance to read or see due to people reading the mail before me. And so, I was shielded from some of that.
“But I’m sure I got called names because, I mean, I’d been performing at a high level to the expectation. But when it was all said and done, I was a part of, I was one of the many, of the whole. And I just want to do my job regardless of what my color looked like. And I think everyone saw through that part of it because I was in the community, I treated people with respect, and I think all those things sometimes can [be] overcome regardless of people [who] decide they want to be radical or whatever. I think some of that can be overcome through love.”
During his time at Florida State, Ward played both football and basketball. He ultimately went pro in the latter, spending more than a decade in the NBA.
On playing basketball and football and if he felt more able to be himself in one sport over the other:
“I was Charlie Ward playing the game no matter where I was. That was my thought process.
“Like I said, I didn’t get hurled racial slurs during the game like some of the players, quarterbacks, before me. I was just probably oblivious to some of it if it was shared or said, but I just enjoyed being who I was.
“My position, you know, I was the first Black quarterback at Florida State. I waited three years to make that happen. Yes, I did struggle coming out of the gate with interceptions, but also threw a lot of touchdowns and accounted for a lot of touchdowns. And our team was winning during that time as well. Some of that was covered over by team success, but I just enjoyed doing my job.
“And my goal was to be the first Black quarterback because it had never been done, but I didn’t consider myself a Black quarterback in the eyes of what other people thought.”
With the Seminoles, Ward won the 1993 Heisman Trophy. He was only the second Black quarterback to take home the illustrious award.
On the significance of his Heisman Trophy as a Black quarterback, both at the time and in hindsight:
“It’s a sense of being able to persevere[…]through the trial and tribulations that you may have as a player. And, yes, there are mental hurdles that I had to overcome[…]if you do something negative more times than not, it becomes who you think you are. But I was grateful that I had teammates, coaches and family members that were supporting me throughout the journey. And also my faith brought me through quite a bit.
“And there were definitely challenges I had to overcome, as I mentioned. But when it was all said and done, I had to do my job, do my part. Being on a very good football team and also basketball team, you know, it does help when you’re doing your part.
“And so being able to become a Heisman Trophy [winner], it meant a couple of things. One, I had very good teammates. And, two, my team was playing at a high level. So, I was the beneficiary of having great teammates and I represent all of them because winning the Heisman is an individual award, but being able to represent my school, my team and all those that are associated with me was probably the biggest honor that I was grateful that I was able to be a part of.”
On the stereotype that Black quarterbacks are more athletes than anything else:
“I don’t know if that’s the overriding stereotype anymore. I think it’s become, you know, ‘Who can get the job done?’
“And, I mean, we have Josh Allen in this day and age. He’s not Black, but he plays a very similar way. So there are other quarterbacks, they have to do what’s best for them to be successful.
“And so, you know, unfortunately for us as a Black quarterback, we always think that using our legs is a bad thing. To me, it helps tremendously with team success, being able to move around, use your legs to get first downs. So I’m just happy that we’ve come to a place now where that’s OK to be able to do that.
“But it’s more so ‘How can you become successful and help our team win?’ as opposed to a stereotype that you’re a Black quarterback and you’re deemed as a runner, you use your legs to run, to make plays.
“I think we’ve all overcome that stereotype hopefully to understand it’s more than just that. It’s about being successful and playing the position at a high level.”
On whether football’s changes over time ever prompt him to wish he was coming out of college in today’s game:
“I think we all, and sometimes this gets misconstrued, but Roger Staubach was a very successful quarterback. He was one of my heroes when I was growing up because he played the position with his legs, and he made plays, you know, by throwing the football on the run and doing different things to make plays for his team. And he was white. So, he got an opportunity. His opportunity may have been different than others’, but, for me, it really came down to I had options.
“I had options to play in the NBA or the NFL, and the NFL felt like I wasn’t good enough to be a first-round pick. And when I had options, I made a decision to say that if I didn’t get drafted in the first round, then I would consider my other options.
“But in this day and age, it would be tougher because they are drafting guys my size and similar [in terms of] the way we play in the first round. And so, it would be a little different than when I was coming out where if you were my size and played very similar to the way I played, you were projected to be a third or fourth-round pick. And that was regardless of what color you were; if you had that size, they just weren’t drafting guys in the first round at that position.”
On his all-time quarterback Mount Rushmore:
“Definitely gotta go with Doug Williams because he’s one of my heroes, the reason why I wore number 17. You definitely gotta go with Patrick Mahomes because I just like the way he plays the game, and he’s a guy that when he has the football last, you can just chalk it up that they’re gonna win the game.
“Of course, Tom Brady is another one that you have to put on that as well because he’s very similar. And my last guy would be Joe Montana.
“Why? Joe won championships and I model him in my game a lot because he didn’t have a strong arm, but he was accurate and he anticipated really, really well.”
