HEISMAN VOTES ALREADY MAY BE DRIBBLING IN FOR WARD

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, January 8, 1993                   TAG: 9301080039
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE                                LENGTH: Medium
HEISMAN VOTES ALREADY MAY BE DRIBBLING IN FOR WARD
Charlie Ward's bid for the Heisman Trophy began here. No, it wasn't at Scott Stadium, where the Florida State quarterback had plenty of tricks and treats against Virginia on Halloween.
Rather, Ward's first game as the Heisman favorite was at University Hall on Wednesday night, when he played a rather inauspicious 21 minutes with three points and two turnovers in UVa's impressive 80-76 basketball victory over the Seminoles.
What is important for Ward is that he played. Five days after the ACC player of the year finished FSU's 12-1 football season as the Orange Bowl MVP against Nebraska, Ward, a redshirt junior, rejoined a once-Top 10 basketball team that is 8-5 and obviously in need of his quiet leadership and talent.
Including this early season, the Seminoles are 20-14 without the football-occupied Ward in the starting lineup. The past two years, FSU is 29-12 with him starting at point guard.
"I told them I'd get back as soon as possible," Ward said. "I felt good enough to start this game."
His basketball presence will be a tremendous advantage in the Heisman hype. While other hopefuls like Marshall Faulk of San Diego State and Michigan's Tyrone Wheatley are lifting weights, Ward will be in the papers, on the highlights clips on ESPN and CNN, and in the NCAA Tournament for a third straight year.
He finished sixth in the '92 Heisman race.
"Name recognition is the most important thing if you're trying to get involved with the Heisman," said FSU sports publicist Rob Wilson, who helped provide the Heisman hoopla surrounding Ward's predecessor under center, Casey Weldon. "Charlie already has that. Basketball can only help."
When Ward walked up to the U-Hall scorer's table in the first half to check in for his first hoops this season, the scorer - before Ward could say a word - asked, "Who are you going in for, Charlie?" When Wilson and FSU's radio crew took a taxi from the airport to their hotel Tuesday, the cabbie asked, "Did you all bring Charlie with you?"
Predictably, the Thomasville, Ga., native remains unflappable about the Heisman, probably because he's not really impressed with his two-sport stardom. His demeanor and personality couldn't be more different than the flash and dash he displays on the field and the floor. His teammates aptly call him "Choirboy." He also is the vice president of the FSU student body.
"I don't know whether playing two sports is special or not," said Ward, 22. "I'm just thankful I'm blessed with the ability to play both. I do it for one reason: It's fun. If one wasn't fun, I wouldn't play. I don't consider myself a football player first or basketball player first. I'm a player, period."
And what was Ward's biggest difficulty in making the five-day transition from the Orange Bowl to the orange ball?
"Blisters," he said.
In two basketball seasons, Ward has made all-tournament teams in two conferences. His 30-foot 3-pointer with 22 seconds left pushed FSU to the 1991 Metro championship at the Roanoke Civic Center. Last March, he made the ACC's all-tournament team after leading the league in steals. In 1989, as a freshman, Ward was FSU's regular punter.
"The toughest thing about the Heisman is putting a guy in a position to win it," Wilson said. "Charlie's already part way there. I think we're going to start doing something [a campaign] during basketball season. In football, we had `the fast-break offense' this past season, so the basketball tie is already there."
If Ward gains Heisman attention in dribbles, it can only help. FSU is a potential preseason No. 1 pick in football, although the Seminoles have the kind of TV-attractive schedule that can make or break a team and Heisman hopes. Besides eight ACC games, Bobby Bowden's team plays Miami, Notre Dame and Florida, the latter two on the road late in the season.
"I'm not going to try and win the Heisman Trophy in basketball season," Ward said.
He doesn't have to try. His presence this winter at Cameron Indoor Stadium and in the Dean Dome may provide as much momentum toward the Heisman as autumn afternoons at Doak Campbell Stadium and under the Golden Dome.

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB