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To be an elite level star in one sport is a tremendous achievement, but to be it in two is quite remarkable. Charlie Ward won the Heisman Trophy in college football, before pursuing a career in the NBA rather than the NFL. He remains the only player to win college football’s highest individual award and then play in the NBA.
Ward tells the BBC’s Ed Harry and Nesta McGregor about his background as a two-sport athlete. He says he made it known that if he wasn’t drafted in the first round by the NFL, then he would pursue basketball – and that his stance didn’t go down well in the NFL. Ward went on to enjoy an 11-year career in the NBA, with the New York Knicks, San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets. He’s now the head coach for the Florida A&M Rattlers basketball team and believes it would be harder for an athlete to play multiple sports in this era, while Nesta McGregor says athletes who can excel at multiple sports are the closest thing we have to superheroes.
Every Monday to Friday, More than the Score tells stories beyond the scoreline from all over the world of sport. From Formula One to netball, MMA to figure skating, and Grand Slam tennis to Diamond League athletics. We’ve got interviews with extraordinary athletes like Winter Olympic legends Johannes Klaebo and Arianna Fontana, South African football icon Benni McCarthy and cricket superstar Smriti Mandhana, as well as the experts working behind the scenes, from football super-agents to the coaches keeping athletes in peak form. Plus, we’ve got the expertise of the BBC’s top journalists, who share their insights from decades of covering sport at all levels.
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