About The Ward Family Foundation

The Charlie & Tonja Ward Family Foundation

Charlie Ward, Jr. is a man whose greatness and grace know no bounds. He and wife Tonja (a Strategic Marketing & Community Engagement Consultant and NY Licensed attorney) have been married for over 25 years and have three children, Caleb, Hope and Joshua. Charlie and Tonja are deeply respected in the sports community and far beyond for their solid character and unending commitment to serve others.

During Charlie’s NBA and coaching days (1994 – 2008), Charlie & Tonja produced and underwrote youth development sports camps and church programs throughout the country, including a Christian music and sports youth event at five NBA All-Star Weekends. Established in 2015, the Charlie & Tonja Ward Family Foundation continues the Ward family’s legacy of giving back. The Charlie & Tonja Ward Family Foundation remains committed to supporting community initiatives and philanthropic causes specifically related to youth character development through sports and arts programs, and supporting disaster relief efforts. The foundation also continues to produce impact events for young people and their families that offer hope, create opportunities for defining life moments, and unite communities for conversations across lines of division.

The Charlie and Tonja Ward Family Foundation does not have an open application process. The Foundation will invite proposals from a small group of organizations on an annual basis.

About Charlie

Charlie Ward, Jr. is a husband, father, mentor and coach who embodies the principles of integrity, hard work and faith in God. He is so grateful to serve as head basketball coach of Florida State University Schools, the reigning Florida High School Three A Basketball State Champions.

Charlie inspires adults and youth alike with his character and how he shows up in the world. Described as a once-in-a-lifetime athlete and human being, Charlie’s commitment to serve others is deeply respected in the sports community and far beyond. His calm demeanor and powerful leadership message of preparation, perseverance and patience set strong examples for business leaders, organizations, students and families. He continues to be highly sought after for his motivating and inspiring “Chalk Talk” keynote addresses and workshops, which he has presented around the world to teams, churches, organizations, conferences and businesses.

Listed among the most outstanding college athletes in modern history, Charlie, a two-sport athlete, was a stellar quarterback in football and an equally impressive point guard in basketball at Florida State University (FSU). During his senior year, he won over 30 awards, including the Heisman Trophy, and set 19 school and seven Atlantic Coast Conference records, subsequently leading the FSU Seminoles to their first-ever National Championship under legendary Coach Bobby Bowden. After graduating from FSU with a Bachelor of Arts degree, Charlie was drafted twice by Major League Baseball and was a first-round draft pick of the New York Knicks. He went on to play for the Knicks, helping the team consistently reach the playoffs six consecutive years from 1996 to 2001. He played eleven seasons as a leading point guard in the NBA in New York, San Antonio, and Houston, and served as an assistant coach with the Houston Rockets for two years. Throughout his professional athletic career, Charlie coached and mentored students, and is now using this experience as a full-time high school basketball coach at Florida State University High School in Tallahassee, Florida. The team’s 2020–2021 season ended with an astonishing 19-2 record, and Coach Ward won the 2021 All-Big Bend Coach of the Year award. In March 2022, Coach Ward was named the All-Big Bend Coach of the Year for a second consecutive year after leading his team to win the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 3A Championship — earning Florida High its first state Boys Basketball title since 1963. In October 2022, Charlie was inducted as a member of the inaugural class for the Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame.

Charlie Ward is a man whose greatness and grace know no bounds. He and his wife Tonja have been married for over 25 years, and they have three children, Caleb, Hope and Joshua. The Wards underwrote and produced youth development sports camps throughout the country from 1996–2006, co-produced youth music & sports events with Christian Athletes United for Spiritual Empowerment (CAUSE) at four NBA All-Star Weekends 2001–2004 and continued to quietly donate funds to churches and schools. In 2015, they established a charitable foundation, now the Charlie and Tonja Ward Family Foundation, to leave a legacy of giving back by supporting youth development programs and organizations, providing disaster relief support, supporting student-athletes and sharing Charlie’s inspirational message of embracing the process that leads to success.

Follow Charlie on Twitter @RealCharlieWard, Facebook @CharlieWardOfficial and Instagram @CharlieWardOfficial.

About The Athlete by Jon finkel

“Charlie Ward is not only a once-in-a-lifetime athlete, he’s a once-in-a-lifetime person. THE ATHLETE is the remarkable, page-turning biography his story deserves.” – Tony Dungy

It takes a once-in-a-generation athlete to win a national championship as a quarterback for Florida State, reach the Sweet Sixteen three times as a point guard for his school, and then go on to become a starting guard for the New York Knicks in an NBA Finals. Yes, Charlie Ward’s athletic accomplishments truly know no peer. Combine an eleven-year NBA career with a College Football Hall of Fame career and the portrait of a humble, magnanimous leader takes shape.

Jon Finkel's THE ATHLETE is the first complete, ultimate biography of Heisman Trophy winner, Florida State national champion and New York Knicks point guard Charlie Ward

Culled from hundreds of articles, clippings, books and original interviews with those who know Charlie best, this story begins with a foundation of college athletic excellence laid down by his father. From there, Jon Finkel traces Ward’s background from small-town Thomasville, Georgia to football-crazed Tallahassee to basketball Mecca Madison Square Garden in New York City. Ward’s remarkable journey includes staggering setbacks—from a near career-ending leg injury in high school, to academic obstacles prior to attending Florida State, to not being drafted by an NFL team after winning the Heisman Trophy. Through it all, Charlie’s calm demeanor, high character and unshakeable faith buoyed his belief that be it basketball or football, grades or career, he was going to succeed and set a strong example along the way.

As electrifying as Charlie Ward’s highlight reel, The Athlete is a towering sports biography, epic in scope and triumphant in its portrayal of one of the greatest modern athletes the world has ever seen.

Praise for Charlie Ward

“I can’t imagine if you’re a high school parent and your son is being coached by a man with the combination of athletic success, personal character and competitive spirit that Charlie has. I still don’t think people properly grasp what this guy has done.” – Jeff Van Gundy, ex-NBA Coach, NBA Analyst

“His leadership transcended offense, defense and special teams. It transcended the basketball court. The way he goes about his life with such integrity. The way he’s remained grounded after all he’s accomplished. I’ve learned as much from him as he ever did from me.”- Mark Richt, University of Miami Head Coach

“I lived with Charlie during the height of his college football popularity and I have so much respect for how he carried himself. He was the biggest star in college and he was so humble. His teammates respected him. His leadership was so unique. He had such a quiet strength and he treated people so well. You can achieve all of your dreams and goals and treat people with the utmost respect.!” – Warrick Dunn, National Champion, 3x NFL Pro Bowler