Bob Ward (American football, born 1927)

Ward declined a professional playing career himself, and turned down contract offers from the Baltimore Colts and a 24th-round NFL Draft selection by the Dallas Texans.

Robert Richard Ward (September 16, 1927 – April 29, 2005) was an American gridiron football coach and player.

He played college football for the Terrapins at the University of Maryland.

He is considered, alongside Randy White, as one of the greatest linemen to have ever played for Maryland.

Ward is the only player to have been named an Associated Press first-team All-American for both an offensive and defensive position.

Bob Ward was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey on September 16, 1927.

He attended Thomas Jefferson High School.

During the Second World War, Ward enlisted in the United States Army.

He completed Airborne School to become a paratrooper and was stationed at Fort Benning, Georgia.

He later served as a first lieutenant in the United States Air Force.

In 1948, Ward enrolled at the University of Maryland and played varsity football all four years as both an offensive guard and defensive lineman.

At 5 ft and 187 lb, Ward was undersized for a lineman by the standards of the day (and would be significantly undersized compared with current linemen), but was known for "consistently dominat[ing]" much larger players.

His relatively small stature earned him the nickname of the "watch-charm guard."

Ward was known for his aggressiveness and tenacity, traits he used to compensate for being out-sized by opposing linemen.

In 1950, Ward was named a first-team All-American, and the following year, he received consensus first-team honors.

In the 1950 Gator Bowl, Ward was named the game's Most Valuable Player.

Ward was named an Associated Press (AP) first-team All-American as a defensive middle guard in 1950 and as an offensive guard in 1951.

He is the only player to have ever achieved the honor for both an offensive and defensive position.

In 1950, legendary sportswriter Grantland Rice named Ward a Look magazine All-American, and every team that Maryland had played selected Ward to the Chicago Tribune All-Players All-America team.

He was also named to the 1950 All-Southern Conference team.

Ward graduated from the University of Maryland in 1951 with a bachelor's degree in business.

In 1951, Ward was a consensus All-American as selected by the Associated Press, United Press International, The Sporting News, and the International News Service.

He was also named the 1951 Southern Conference Player of the Year, the Washington D.C. Touchdown Club Lineman of the Year, and the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association Lineman of the Year.

He was again selected to the All-Southern Conference team in 1951.

Ward was voted as Maryland's Most Valuable Player all four years of his playing career and twice received the Anthony C. Nardo Memorial Trophy for the team's most outstanding lineman.

His jersey number, 28, was the first to be retired by the University of Maryland.

Maryland head coach Jim Tatum, who had previously coached eight first-team All-Americans at Oklahoma and coached six aside from Ward at Maryland, said that Ward was "the greatest football player I've seen ounce-for-ounce, and the best I've ever coached."

Quarterback Jack Scarbath considered Ward one of Maryland's best all-time linemen alongside Randy White.

Teammate and first-round NFL Draft pick Ed Modzelewski said, "I still believe he was the greatest player, pound for pound, that I have seen in either pro or college ball."

Maryland quarterback and 1952 Heisman Trophy runner-up, Jack Scarbath, later said about Ward:

"'I remember a game against Michigan State when Bobby [Ward] was at middle guard and went right over top of the center to make a tackle. Then he went right under the center to make another tackle. A little later, he went around the center to the left. Then he went around him to the right. I've never seen anybody who could dominate a game like Bobby.'"

During Ward's four years at Maryland, the Terrapins achieved a 32–7–1 record, won two bowl games, and secured a national championship.

In the 1952 Sugar Bowl, what The Washington Post called the second "game of the century", Ward was part of the third-ranked Maryland team that defeated coach Robert Neyland's first-ranked Tennessee team, 28–13.

That performance capped a perfect 10–0 season for the Terrapins.

During that final game of his career, Ward tackled Tennessee offensive back Hank Lauricella and forced a fumble, upon which Maryland capitalized with a touchdown.

In the 1952 College All-Star Game, Ward captained the college team against the reigning National Football League (NFL) champions, the Los Angeles Rams, but the professionals won, 10–7.

He served as the Maryland head football coach from 1967 to 1968, but without success.

He coached football for a total of 22 years, including assistant coaching positions at Oklahoma, Iowa State, and Army, and in the Canadian Football League.

Ward was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1980.

Ward was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1980, and into the University of Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame in 1984.