Cam Ward’s football journey has been a family affair. That will continue at Miami

At each of Cam Ward’s stops on his winding college football journey — first at FCS-level Incarnate Word, then two years at Washington State and now the University of Miami for his final season — his parents haven’t been too far behind.

Patrice and Calvin Ward have not missed a single one of Ward’s games through his first four seasons of college football, flying out from Houston every weekend to watch as their son gets closer to living out his dream of making it to the NFL.

And they make sure their support for Ward and his teammates is known.

“That’s my son out there,” Patrice Ward said. “I’m kind of sensitive at times. If people say something about my son out there, I’ll remind them that’s my boy. ... That’s what a mama’s going to do.”

“I’ll get so into the game that I completely tune out the people around us,” Calvin Ward added. “I don’t get nervous because he’s been brought up and taught that the game isn’t over until the clock hits zero, so I know regardless of if he’s having a great game or not having a great game, the team is still going to have a chance. ... He’s gonna compete until the clock hits zero.”

As much as Ward’s journey to get to this point has been a personal one, with the quarterback betting on himself and going from a zero-star recruit out of high school to one of the top players in college football heading into the 2024 season, it has also been a family affair.

There’s no doubt about it that Ward’s parents are one of his most important support systems. They keep him grounded and humble. They keep him motivated. And, like so many proud parents, they gush about what he has achieved while also knowing there’s so much more left for him to accomplish.

And they made sure to be along for the ride.

“We’re excited that he wants us to be part of it,” Calvin Ward said. “That’s our biggest excitement.”

There’s a commitment — and a lot of airplane miles — that comes with following their son’s journey in person.

The last two years in particular took a lot of planning to be in attendance.

Getting from Houston to Pullman, Washington, for Washington State home games normally required them to fly into Denver, connect from there to Spokane, Washington, and then rent a car and drive another hour and a half to get to their son’s apartment. Some road games — like USC and UCLA — were easier to get to. Others, like getting to Corvallis, Oregon, for last year’s game at Oregon State, took some planning to get done.

But so far, they are 44 for 44 — 19 games during his two seasons at Incarnate Word, 25 games during his two seasons at Washington State.

They plan to be there for every game this season as well, starting with the No. 19 Hurricanes’ season opener on Aug. 31 against the Florida Gators in Gainesville.

UM’s home opener is a week later on Sept. 7 against Florida A&M.

“Now with Miami, this is a breeze,” Patrice Ward said. “Get on the plane, two hours and 15 minutes and we’re there.”

Their long travel in a way mirrors the path their son has taken in his career.

Despite barely being recruited out of Texas’ Columbia High and not being ranked by any of the major recruiting services, Ward has forged a successful path through his college football career.

Ward enters the 2024 season having completed 63 percent of his passes for 13,871 yards and 119 touchdowns against 30 interceptions over his four seasons of college football. He has also rushed for 16 touchdowns.

This year, he enters the season with his share of early accolades and expectations.

ACC Preseason Player of the Year.

Spots on several watch lists for major end-of-year awards.

A dark horse for the Heisman Trophy.

And, perhaps most importantly, a chance to shoot up draft boards with a strong final season.

“Everything that he’s done, he’s had to earn,” Patrice Ward said. “He had to make his own name ... and his name is finally getting out there. He deserves it, but that doesn’t mean a thing to Cameron — his name being out there, Cameron couldn’t care less about any type of awards. That doesn’t mean anything to him. He just wants to play football.”

His drive to succeed and ignore outside noise had been instilled in him at an early age. Ward is the youngest of four children and all were involved in athletics. Dad played football and mom spent almost 25 years coaching high school basketball. The competitive juices were always flowing.

“We set the standard for the kids,” Patrice Ward said. “If you want to be better than somebody else, you better outwork them.”

Ward lived up to that standard, and it started from an early age.

“Even when he was playing little peewee football, he was lining the kids up where they had to be,” Patrice Ward said. “The same thing in basketball. ... If it was a close game and they needed to get the lead, he’d tell those kids on the court to spread out, he’d take the one-on-one and do his thing. He’s just always been that leader. He’s always been a hard worker. He’s always had that determination that ‘Hey, I’m gonna be the best.’”

It carried on once he got to high school, when he played both football and basketball at Columbia High. It continued from there through the first two stops and four years of his college career.

And now comes that final stop, that final year of this chapter that will take place with the Miami Hurricanes.

There are mixed emotions.

“I’m happy but I’m also a little sad because it’s his last college year,” Patrice Ward said, “but I’m excited about what his future might be. It’s been a good ride these last four years. I’ve really enjoyed it. From the FCS to the FBS, I’ve learned a lot as well. I think this is going to be a great year for him and for Miami.”

Added Calvin Ward: “The curves in the road that he’s gone through, it’s been a whirlwind.”

From start to finish, Patrice and Calvin Ward have been there for him. And they will continue to be there for him.

“Cameron always knows,” Patrice Ward said, “we’re going to be there to support him.”