When the Pittsburgh Steelers spent a third-round draft pick in 1998 on an "undersized" wide receiver out of the University of Georgia, few could have guessed that he would go on to have a storied NFL career, multiple Super Bowl wins and franchise records for the historic franchise. From 1998 to 2012, Hines Ward cemented himself as one of the Steelers' greats, but when his playing career ended, Ward wasn't ready for his story to end.
USA Today / Joe Robbins
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver and Super Bowl MVP Hines Ward holds up the Vince Lombardi Trophy while celebrating with his young son Jaden.
Steelers End Up Launching Ward's Second Career
July of 2022 marked the height of Ward's very different kind of football journey when he was officially introduced as the Head Coach for the XFL franchise, San Antonio Brahmas. He took a hiatus from the game in general following his retirement in 2012, but in 2017 Ward returned to the Pittsburgh fold as a wide receivers coach in the interim with the Steelers.
Going from the Steelers to the New York Jets, then the Florida Atlantic University Owls, Ward followed his hunger to San Antonio where he found a welcoming, familiar feel that truly spoke to him. Once the XFL made the head coaching position official, it didn't take Ward very long to begin endearing himself to the fanbase and city.
It’s about time, San Antonio. I’m proud to announce that I’m the head coach of your first XFL team. It’s an honor to represent this city and we’re going to play with an edge and resilience you’d expect from the home of the Alamo. pic.twitter.com/5I5VYkZ5s1
— Hines Ward (@mvp86hinesward) July 31, 2022
NYJets.com
Former Steelers great, Hines Ward, seen here during his time in New York, is trying to leverage his XFL opportunity to get back to the NFL. Credit: NewYorkJets.com
Ward Finds Steelers Vibe In San Antonio
He had spent 14 years in the NFL building a reputation as the hardest working player, but not always the one people would have chosen on paper. The experience of going from that situation to a fresh start in the coaching world meant that Ward would need to go back to beginning and re-earn his place. While Ward is no stranger to earning a spot on a roster, it required some adjustment on his part, but finding a sense of home in his new city gave him some perspective on how lucky he was.
Following the announcement of his hire, Ward spoke with the AP Football Podcast about the similarities he found between Pittsburgh and San Antonio, which helped him create the kind of identity he wanted for the team that had been placed in his hands.
“It’s definitely been a humbling experience for me. I see a lot of similarity in the city of San Antonio as I do with Pittsburgh — passionate fan base, small market, as far as not being a big city. I know they’re passionate for football and they’re super excited to have a professional team come to their city.”
It seemed as though, despite the near-1,500 mile distance between the two cities, Pittsburgh was never far from Ward as he began preparing for the 2022 season. Even the color scheme of the Bahamas seemed to almost go out of its way to bring some Pittsburgh nostalgia into the mind of any Steelers' fan watching Ward's team.
Some more Admin favorites 📸 for your timeline 🤘#ToroSiempre | #HornsForward pic.twitter.com/CiFMhaOw2Y
— San Antonio Brahmas (@XFLBrahmas) May 5, 2023
Despite Steelers' Influence, Ward Had To Adjust
The XFL wasn't the first option on Ward's list, and despite his pride in his new position, Ward had put his name into contention for the head coaching job with the Houston Texans during the 2021 offseason. While the position went to longtime NFL coach, Lovie Smith, Ward wasn't knocked down for long as the XFL came calling soon after.
The adjustment was an odd one for Ward, but he had gone through more than one of those during this second career in coaching. When he was with the Jets from 2019 to 2020, the feel of anything but Pittsburgh colors was something he never fully got used to, as Ward continued to say to the AP Football Podcast.
“It was kind of like The Twilight Zone. You wake up and in a weird room or something. For me, I just never donned any other color than the black and gold. It was a great learning experience for me to be a part of another organization to see how they did things and I learned a lot."
Steelers Media
Steelers former offensive coach Hines Ward speaking with Juju on sidelines
Ward Brings Steelers Lessons To San Antonio
Color schemes aside, what Ward had learned from having head coaches like Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin meant that he had been alongside two of the great NFL men for years and Ward took in every lesson he could from them. He wanted this new venture of his to represent the kind of traditions and energy that made the Pittsburgh Steelers into the storied franchise that it is.
Chris Vannini of The Athletic recently caught up with Ward as the XFL season was winding down and he spoke quite a bit about the kind of driving force his Steelers days are in his current situation.
"The thing about Pittsburgh, whatever your role was, you had an impact on that organization. [Owner Art Rooney] was always there shaking people's hands after every game. It was a blessing to come to work. That permeated throughout our whole building, from the secretaries to the cooks. The cooks were fired up. That's what I want to create."
While Ward's first year coaching in the XFL didn't go the way he had hoped with the Brahmas finishing at 3-7 and out of the XFL playoffs, don't expect anything about his approach or his expectations, for himself or the team, to change anytime soon. That Steelers grit has never left Ward, as he continued to tell The Athletic exactly how he plans to move forward.
"My whole career was people telling me what I can't do. I've been fighting like hell to prove all those naysayers wrong."
Knowing Ward as we all do in SteelerNation, we should all take that bet!
