Inducted in 2015
Upon graduation from Will Rogers, John Ward played football and wrestled at OSU, where he was named All-American in both sports. He was a first-round draft pick by the Minnesota Vikings and played in the Super Bowl twice. He later played for the Chicago Bears and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Following his retirement from professional football, John graduated from NSU and spent most of his career dedicated to public service. He was the Executive Director of the Association of County Commissioners of Oklahoma, during which time he was duly named “Mr. County Government.” For a decade before his death, John served as Executive Vice-President of the Poultry Federation of Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma, managing the Oklahoma office. He died December 4, 2012 after a brave battle with GIST, a rare form of cancer.
