Dedric Lamar Ward (born September 29, 1974) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...

wide receiver in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ma ...

for the New York Jets,

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pl ...

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

and

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divis ...

. He also was an assistant coach in the

. He played college football at

University of Northern Iowa The University of Northern Iowa (UNI) is a public university in Cedar Falls, Iowa. UNI offers more than 90 majors across the colleges of Business Administration, Education, Humanities, Arts, and Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences and gr ...

Early years

Ward attended Washington High School, where he played as a

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. The ...

and wide receiver. He also practiced

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

. He accepted a football scholarship from Division I-AA Northern Iowa University. He became a starter at wide receiver as a sophomore. As a junior, he caught 50 receptions for 1,283 yards and 15

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Americ ...

s, leading the nation with 116.4 receiving yards per game. As a senior, he posted 70 receptions for 1,556 yards and 17 touchdowns. On

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

, he averaged 11.1 yards per punt return, with 2 touchdowns. He returned 2 kickoffs (one for 45 yards). Against

Illinois State University Illinois State University (ISU) is a public university in Normal, Illinois. Founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University, it is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teaching and is recognized as one of th ...

, he set a school record with 247 receiving yards, while also scoring 3 touchdowns. Ward finished his career as the school's and conference's All-time leading wide receiver with 176 receptions for 3,876 yards (second in Division I-AA history to

Jerry Rice Jerry Lee Rice (born October 13, 1962) is an American former professional football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons. Known primarily as a member of the San Francisco 49ers, winning three championsh ...

), 41 touchdown receptions (second in school history) and 304 career points. He was the only player in

Gateway Football Conference The Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC), formerly the Gateway Football Conference, is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I Football Championship Subdivis ...

history to produce 3 consecutive seasons of over 1,000 yards, leading the conference each year. He had a mark of 27 consecutive games with a reception and also blocked 2 punts. He was a part of the

track Track or Tracks may refer to: Routes or imprints * Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity * Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across * Desire path, a line worn by people taking the short ...

team, placing third in the

55 metres 55 metres is a sprint event in track and field. It is a relatively uncommon non-championship event for indoor track and field. The history of the event lies in the 60-yard dash, which is about 5 inches shorter than 55 metres. Since the 1960s almos ...

with a time of 6.33 seconds at the Gateway Indoor Championships his senior season. He set a school record in the

200 metres The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slightl ...

with a time of 20.86 seconds. In 2010, he was inducted into the University of Northern Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame.

Professional career

New York Jets

Ward was selected by the New York Jets in the third round (88th overall) of the

1997 NFL Draft The 1997 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 19–20, 1997, at the Paramount T ...

, because his

production reminded head coach

Bill Parcells Duane Charles "Bill" Parcells (born August 22, 1941) is an American former football coach who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 19 seasons. He rose to prominence as the head coach of the New York Giants from 1983 ...

of David Meggett. In 1998, he started 4 games, recording 25 receptions for 477 yards and 4 touchdowns, with a 19.1-yard average. He had a career-high 71-yard touchdown reception in the

AFC East The American Football Conference – Eastern Division or AFC East is one of the four divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). There are currently four teams that reside in the division: the Buf ...

division clinching win against the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division ...

. He had 5 receptions for 61 yards in the AFC Championship game against the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...

. In 1999, when

Wayne Chrebet Wayne Chrebet (born August 14, 1973) is a former American football wide receiver who played 11 seasons for the New York Jets of the National Football League from 1995 to 2005. High school and college career Chrebet grew up in Garfield, New J ...

broke a bone in his foot in preseason, he became the No. 2 receiver for the first five games of the regular season. He ended up starting 10 games as the team's deep threat, collecting 22 receptions for 325 yards and 3 touchdowns, while averaging 7.6 yards on 38 punt returns. In 2000, he became a full-time starter after

Keyshawn Johnson Joseph Keyshawn Johnson (born July 22, 1972) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for eleven seasons. He played college football for the University of Southern Cal ...

was traded to the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

. He had a breakout year, posting 16 starts, 54 receptions (fourth on the team) for 801 yards (third on the team) and 3 touchdowns. He returned 27 punts for a 7.9-yard average. Against the

, he had 8 receptions for 147 yards and one touchdown.

Miami Dolphins

On April 18, 2001, he was signed as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

by the

. In August, he suffered a left foot stress fracture and missed a month. He was a backup behind Oronde Gadsden, appearing in 13 games (one start), with 21 receptions (13 for first down conversions) and 209 yards. In 2002, he appeared in 16 games, returning 16 punts with 10.6-yard average and making 19 receptions for 172 yards. He was released in a salary-cap move on February 26, 2003.

New England Patriots (first stint)

On May 22, 2003, he was signed as a

by the

, reuniting with offensive coordinator

Charlie Weis Charles Joseph Weis Sr. (born March 30, 1956) is a former American football coach. He was the head coach for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish from 2005 to 2009 and the Kansas Jayhawks from 2012 to 2014. He also served as an offensive coordinator in ...

, who had the same role with the Jets. On August 31, he was released after being passed on the depth chart by

David Patten David Patten (August 19, 1974 – September 2, 2021) was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Albany Firebirds of the Arena Football League as a street f ...

Baltimore Ravens

On October 6, 2003, he was signed by the

as a

, to be used to return punts. He appeared in 3 games and was declared inactive in 3 contests. He was released on November 18.

New England Patriots (second stint)

On November 20, 2003, he was signed as a

by the

to add depth to the wide receiver position. He appeared in 4 games and was declared inactive in 2 contests. He played in each postseason game playing a part of the

Super Bowl XXXVIII Super Bowl XXXVIII was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Carolina Panthers and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League (NFL) c ...

winning team. He was targeted by

Tom Brady Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He spent his first 20 seasons with the New England Patriots organization, with whic ...

4 times in the three postseason games making one catch for 22 yards in the Patriots divisional round win over the Titans.

Dallas Cowboys

On June 11, 2004, he was signed by the

as a

, reuniting with

who was also his head coach with the Jets. On June 24, he suffered a right broken foot while working out in the team's facility.{{cite web, url=http://www.espn.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=pasquarelli_len&id=1828921 , title=Ward was expected to push Bryant , date=June 25, 2004 , access-date=January 7, 2018 On July 31, he returned to practice. He appeared in 8 games and was declared inactive in 7 contests. He made one reception for 5 yards, one carry for 11 rushing yards and returned 14 punts for an 8.1-yard average. He was released on December 31. Ward played in 103 regular-season games (26 starts) during his

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the maj ...

career with 167 receptions for 2,307 yards and 12

s, to go along with 123 punt returns for 1,026 yards.

Coaching career

Ward first served as wide receivers coach for

Missouri State Missouri State University (MSU or MO State), formerly Southwest Missouri State University, is a public university in Springfield, Missouri. Founded in 1905 as the Fourth District Normal School, it is the state's second largest university by e ...

in 2006. He was hired by the head coach

Ken Whisenhunt Kenneth Moore Whisenhunt (born February 28, 1962) is an American football coach and former tight end who is currently an offensive analyst for Penn State. He played college football at Georgia Tech and was drafted in the twelfth round of the 198 ...

and the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division, an ...

as offensive quality control coach on March 21, 2007. He was signed by the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The t ...

to be an offensive quality control coach for the 2009 season.

Personal life

He is currently teaching in high school. He has one son, Mason Ward, who lives with him in

Cedar Rapids, Iowa Cedar Rapids () is the second-largest city in Iowa, United States and is the county seat of Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River, north of Iowa City and northeast of Des Moines, the state's capital and largest city. ...

References

{{Reflist, 30em {{Jets1997DraftPicks {{Super Bowl XXXVIII {{DEFAULTSORT:Ward, Dedric 1974 births Living people Sportspeople from Cedar Rapids, Iowa Players of American football from Iowa American football wide receivers Northern Iowa Panthers football players New York Jets players Miami Dolphins players Baltimore Ravens players New England Patriots players Dallas Cowboys players Missouri State Bears football coaches Arizona Cardinals coaches Kansas City Chiefs coaches Northern Iowa Panthers football coaches High school football coaches in Iowa