Cam Ward gives thanks to dad, who drove him all over Texas to help him reach his dreams

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The grin connected Cameron Ward's look said it each erstwhile asked what helium wanted to get his dad, Calvin, for Father's Day.

"Shopping for Father's Day, that's the hardest buying to do," Ward told ESPN. "I mean what bash you get for idiosyncratic who already has everything? I don't cognize what I'm going to get him, due to the fact that helium ain't truly inquire for s---."

Having already paid to person his parents' location built past twelvemonth erstwhile helium was successful assemblage astatine Miami, Ward struggled to travel up with a carnal acquisition for his dad. He laughed arsenic helium recalled gifting his dada an ATV for Christmas years ago, erstwhile his mom, Patrice, had gotten him a mini NASCAR contention track.

Then the cleanable thought came to mind.

"I conscionable truly privation to walk clip with him," Ward said.

Time. That's the champion acquisition helium could give.

The Tennessee Titans made Ward the No. 1 prime successful April, hoping helium could go the reply astatine backmost that they had been searching for. He attributes his travel to his parents, with sports being a staple successful their household.

"I conscionable ever had sports astir me," Ward said. "I travel from a sports inheritance with my dada and my mom. I conscionable ever wanted to play nonrecreational sports. I deliberation that was conscionable my calling."

The Ward family, a close-knit radical of five, has bonded connected galore trips -- loading up the SUV and hitting the roadworthy to be assorted sports camps. They started by going to camps astatine IMG Academy successful Bradenton, Florida, erstwhile Cameron was successful 4th grade. He tagged on with his 2 older sisters, Aaliyah and Chantel, who were hoops players.

Calvin supported his lad arsenic helium played assorted sports specified arsenic basketball, football, shot and adjacent golf, but having been a erstwhile walk-on assemblage backmost astatine Houston, Calvin taught his lad the athletics helium knew champion erstwhile Cameron was 8 years aged -- mounting up nets successful the backyard to propulsion into.

"Cameron fell successful emotion with the workouts," Calvin said. "From a young property helium was ever like, 'I privation to beryllium a nonrecreational jock successful something.' My doctrine was ever to play arsenic galore sports arsenic you want. The roadworthy would yet constrictive connected its own."

THE PROCESS OF getting noticed by colleges wasn't easy, but Cameron leaned connected his dada passim his playing days astatine West Columbia High School, which is astir an hr extracurricular of Houston.

Playing successful a run-heavy Wing T discourtesy constricted his passing opportunities, arsenic helium attempted 267 passes for 2,261 yards successful 3 years. To enactment that into perspective, Hudson Card -- the No. 1-ranked backmost successful the authorities for the 2020 people according to the ESPN 300 (No. 40 overall) -- attempted 216 passes successful 9 games during his elder year, according to Max Preps, and 369 passes successful 15 games arsenic a junior.

Calvin emailed assemblage coaches during his son's inferior twelvemonth successful hopes of getting the zero-star enlistee his archetypal offer. He sought retired different parents whose kids went to the NFL for proposal connected however to get much exposure.

He did not privation to beryllium a genitor who felt his lad was amended than everyone else, truthful helium focused connected getting feedback to marque his lad better.

"I trusted the parents that I talked to that mightiness person had kids that been done [this]," Calvin said, "[telling them], 'I request you to beryllium realistic astir my son. He wants to play connected a higher level. I don't request you to sugarcoat thing with me.'"

Some of the feedback was to enactment connected his footwork by incorporating leap ropes into his drills. They besides worked connected agility.

"It wasn't truthful overmuch astir chasing a assistance per se, it was conscionable chasing improvement," Calvin said.

They besides took roadworthy trips to shot camps successful hopes of getting Cameron connected the radar of colleges. One of those trips called for a 3 a.m. wake-up to permission by 5 a.m. for a six-hour thrust to East Texas Baptist University, lone to instrumentality location the aforesaid day.

"That's awesome dedication to helping his son," Titans manager Brian Callahan said of Calvin chauffeuring his lad crossed Texas conscionable to springiness him a accidental to beryllium noticed.

During those roadworthy trips, they talked astir much than conscionable life. Even though they didn't similar the aforesaid euphony genres, they recovered communal crushed by listening to section vigor stations. The trips provided opportunities for Cameron to inquire astir his grandparents and what beingness was similar increasing up for his dad, truthful Calvin shared his insight.

"My parents was like, 'Hey, we don't attraction astir football, hoops oregon whatever. You amended get them grades,'" Calvin said.

"These are things I privation to enactment successful your beingness due to the fact that these are things I wanted to bash arsenic a kid that I didn't get to do."

That's 1 crushed wherefore it was important for Calvin to marque definite his lad got to be arsenic galore camps arsenic possible.

"I'm going to sound connected each door, and you know, yet 1 of these doors going to open," Calvin said.

An eye-opening play came erstwhile they drove conscionable implicit 2 hours to College Station for Texas A&M's camp. A&M was Cameron's preferred school, truthful his dada made definite to get him there.

He got to vie with respective high-profile quarterbacks -- including four-star imaginable Haynes King from Longview High School successful Texas, who was ranked No. 46 successful the ESPN 300 for the 2020 class. He would spell connected to perpetrate to the Aggies.

"Everyone knew that Cameron out-threw each of those guys," Calvin said. "But King won authorities title his inferior twelvemonth and past you had Cameron Ward that don't cipher knew of and you got 1 scholarship. So who bash you deliberation a scholarship's going to spell to?"

The travel continued the adjacent time erstwhile they drove to San Antonio for Incarnate Word's outer camp. According to Calvin, the campy started astatine 1 p.m. but the coaching unit "shut it down astatine 2 p.m." due to the fact that the school's violative coordinator, Mack Leftwich, wanted to fell his aboriginal backmost from different schools that had entree to the camp.

"I'm like, 'What the heck is going on?'" Calvin recalled. "It took america 3 and a fractional hours to thrust there. They didn't privation nary different schools to spot Cameron due to the fact that they picked up however his limb endowment was different."

The last straw came erstwhile Cameron drove a walk from the other hash marks to a receiver moving a comeback way toward the sideline. Leftwich told the Ward household they ended the campy due to the fact that they were tense that helium "wouldn't beryllium available" aft different schools saw him throw.

"Cameron looked astatine maine and was like, 'What is helium talking about? We're not proceeding from anyone,'" Calvin said with a laugh.

The travel was worthy it. Cameron got an connection from Incarnate Word caput manager Eric Morris, and helium would extremity up determination for the 2020 play to statesman his assemblage career.

CAMERON SHOWED PROMISE aboriginal astatine Incarnate Word, wherever helium won the Jerry Rice Award fixed to the astir outstanding freshman successful the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision. He followed that up with 4,648 passing yards, 47 touchdowns and 10 interceptions arsenic a sophomore and was named the Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Year.

Now schools that ignored him coming retired of precocious schoolhouse were showing interest.

"OK, dude, we person options we ain't had before," Calvin told his son. "Let's beryllium diligent and cheque immoderate of these out."

But they remained loyal, and Cameron followed Morris to Washington State for his inferior twelvemonth successful 2022 earlier yet ending up astatine Miami for his last season.

It was a large determination fixed that Incarnate Word was wrong driving region from the Ward family's home.

Now, Calvin had to thrust a small implicit an hr to Houston Hobby Airport earlier adjacent hopping connected a level to spot his lad play, but Cameron's parents ne'er missed seeing him play.

"All 57 games," Calvin said erstwhile asked however galore of Cameron's games they attended, which included 25 with Washington State and 13 much with Miami.

Calvin feels 1 of Cameron's biggest tests came earlier the 2023 play erstwhile Morris near Washington State to instrumentality implicit arsenic the caput manager astatine North Texas.

"That was the twelvemonth that made him," Calvin said. "Because the full communicative was that helium was a merchandise of Eric Morris' system."

Without Morris, Cameron wanted to beryllium helium was a premier backmost careless of what discourtesy helium was playing in.

"OK, conjecture what? Morris is gone now," Calvin said. "Your strategy is gone now. Now it's Cameron Ward."

The aboriginal No. 1 prime completed 66% of his passes for 3,736 yards, 25 touchdowns and 7 interceptions, which acceptable up different large decision: state for the NFL draught oregon play different play of assemblage football?

WITNESSING NFL COMMISSIONER Roger Goodell calling his son's sanction connected draught time was easy Calvin's proudest moment.

"Cameron going No. 1, that's inactive surreal to me, knowing however helium got there," Calvin said. "It was similar a imagination knowing your lad is the No. 1 quarterback."

It besides sets up what Cameron said is the champion proposal helium has gotten from his dada who told him this is his 1 accidental to play successful the NFL and "not to f--- it up."

"[My dad] wouldn't fto maine instrumentality nary for an answer," Cameron said. "That's what kept maine dependable passim the full process knowing that I'll yet get an offer, but helium conscionable perpetually motivated me. He perpetually told maine the travel is ne'er going to beryllium easy."

When Cameron contemplated going pro aft his 4th twelvemonth successful college, helium leaned connected his dada -- who advised him to not prosecute an cause truthful determination was nary disorder concerning his eligibility.

"My parents truly fto maine marque my ain decisions," Cameron said. "But they springiness maine antithetic angles to look astatine it. They spot it from their constituent of presumption past they besides got to spot it from the different person's constituent of presumption arsenic well."

He decided to forego the draught to amended his banal for 2025 earlier transferring to Miami.

He made a large connection successful his debut with the Hurricanes, throwing for 385 yards and 3 touchdowns successful a 41-17 triumph implicit 1 of their biggest rivals, and Calvin loved each spot of it.

"That Florida game," Calvin said, "all the speech -- 'Oh, helium hasn't played successful this size of a stadium' -- they didn't cognize what was [about] to deed them due to the fact that they didn't cognize him. He doesn't attraction astir each of that. Cameron conscionable wants to spell play football."

Cameron passed for 4,313 yards and 39 touchdowns past play -- some Miami single-season records. He besides won the Davey O'Brien Award, fixed to the nation's apical quarterback, and finished 4th successful voting for the Heisman Trophy. He acceptable the vocation combined FCS (71) and FBS (87) grounds with 158 touchdown passes. The show helped cement him arsenic the apical backmost successful the draft.

"His travel I deliberation is truly unsocial and cool," Callahan said. "A batch of it comes from however helium was raised. All the things you spot from his parents trying to determination into him and springiness him each the opportunities to win I deliberation is admirable, and I deliberation it paid disconnected for him."

Fast-forward, and the archetypal content the rookie has made with the Titans is simply a bully one. Whether it's having the rookie walk catchers conscionable with him for movie survey astatine 5 a.m. oregon pulling a seasoned speech aft a missed rep, Cameron has already started to person an impact.

If Cameron's vocation for the Titans is arsenic palmy arsenic his assemblage vocation was, Tennessee's quest to find its franchise backmost volition beryllium fulfilled.

Armed with a newly signed declaration worthy $48.7 million, Cameron tin springiness his dada immoderate helium wants for Father's Day. But supra each else, Cameron conscionable wants to springiness him thanks.

"Thank you for each the clip you enactment successful for maine and my siblings," helium said erstwhile asked astir his Father's Day message. "The wealth that you enactment successful and each the behind-the-scenes worldly from the emailing coaches to enactment my look retired determination and get maine a accidental to beryllium who I americium today. Just cognize that I'm trying to bash my portion and make a bequest for our past name."