Hines Ward coaching history: How Steelers legend ended up coaching XFL’s Brahmas
Finding football coaches is one of the most complicated processes in the sport, so Hines Ward could get a golden opportunity at the XFL’s San Antonio Brahmas.
The legendary Steelers wide receiver has been a coach in his post-playing career after stints with the Steelers, Jets and Florida Atlantic. As head coach, he will look to the Brahmas for stability.
Ward doesn’t have any particularly notable players on his roster, but he does have a few with previous NFL experience. He’s bringing his Steelers history to the XFL.
“That standard is the standard,” Ward said at a Zoom conference, per Steelers Now. “That’s me. I mean, it’s hard not to play for a great organization for 14 years and understand what the standard is. That was sort of our mantra down here. My standards and my expectations of the way like we practice every day – walking out with a goal, a plan to get better, working on our craft. Just implementing it into our team and culture has worked wonders. It’s the only thing I really know. It resonates in With me.”
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Hines Ward coaching experience
Ward got his coaching start, perhaps unsurprisingly, with the Steelers.
Ward started as an offense intern at Pittsburgh in 2017, six years after retiring in 2011. He worked specifically with wide receivers.
From Pittsburgh, Ward joined the Jets as an offensive assistant for the 2019 and 2020 seasons before joining Florida Atlantic in 2021 as wide receivers coach.
“It was a bit like The Twilight Zone,” Ward said of coaching the Jets last September, according to the AP Pro Football podcast. “You wake up and you’re in a weird room or something. For me, I’ve just never dressed in any color other than black and gold. It was a great learning experience for me to be part of another organization to see how they do things and I learned a lot.”
The XFL announced in July 2022 that he would become the head coach of the Brahmas.
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Will Hines Ward Coach In The NFL?
If things go well with the Brahmas, Ward, 46, has a legitimate opportunity to coach in the NFL.
Though it was announced he would coach in the XFL in 2021, the Texans interviewed Ward before hiring Lovie Smith ahead of the 2022 season.
“I thought it was legit,” Ward told FanSided’s Mark Carman of his interview with the Texans last year. “I got the opportunity to apply for a job as a head coach. If someone asks you for an interview, what will you say: “No, I don’t want that?” No. It was great. A great opportunity for me to just walk through the process, I learned a lot. You asked me a lot of questions. For me I’m blessed, I’m humbled to have the opportunity to get this.”
Although he doesn’t have much coaching experience, he seems to be on the right track. If the NFL is using the XFL as a pipeline, the Brahmas’ performance this season could point to Ward’s lead.