Ward Johnson, Class of 1983

Ward was a tenacious football player who played both offensive guard and linebacker for the purple and white. In 1982, Ward was co-captain, leading the bulldogs to a Top Ten ranking in WNY, where he collected several post-season honors. Ward was named to the 2nd team All-State and 1st team All WNY as a linebacker, and was also named as a finalist for the Connolly Cup, which is awarded annually to the most outstanding football player of the year of WNY. Besides football, Ward was a catcher, playing 3 years of varsity baseball, and wrestled at 177 lbs. Ward was also an outstanding student, finishing in the Top Ten academically. Ward went on to play linebacker at Cornell, where he was honorable mention All-Ivy League in 1985, and named 1st team- All-Ivy League in 1986. Ward graduated from Cornell with a degree in Chemical Engineering, and works as a chemical services supervisor for U.S. Magnesium.