EARLY RETIREMENT

QB Charlie Ward was so good at football that FSU didn’t wait until graduation to retire his No. 17. Just four days after he won the program’s first Heisman Trophy, the Seminoles retired Ward’s jersey on December 15, 1993. Ward had won every individual award he was eligible for that campaign, and he guided FSU to an 11-1 regular season record along with 3,032 passing yards and a then-program record 27 touchdowns. “I can’t think of anyone who deserved something like this more than Charlie Ward,” said coach Bobby Bowden. Ward wore his No. 17 one final time in the 1994 Orange Bowl victory, leading the Noles to the first National Championship in program history.