Murray followed his heart to choose football over baseball

When Kyler Murray joined the Heisman Trophy club in December, Charlie Ward thought about his initiation in 1993.

Back then, the Florida State quarterback was the shiny new star, ready to embark on a world full of options.

Everyone wanted to know if the promising dualsport phenom could become the next Deion Sanders, the next Bo Jackson or perhaps an even bigger celebrity. His talent was off-the- chart good, and he seemed destined to be a winner wherever he went.

A few weeks later, Ward sealed his fate by working harder on basketball than preparing for the NFL draft.

The former NBA player never regretted that decision and doesn’t believe Murray should either after choosing football over baseball.

“It was calculated and a risk, but it’s what I wanted to do,” Ward told The Associated Press earlier this week. “It’s the same thing I shared with Kyler at the Heisman dinner — when you make your decision, take your time and know there are consequences. I knew I wasn’t probably going to end up getting drafted (by the NFL) because I wasn’t 100 percent committed.”

Murray insisted again Friday at the NFL’s annual scouting combine that he’s all-in on football, assur- ing Ward he’ll still be the last Heisman Trophy winner to never play a down in the NFL.

If everything goes right this week in Indianapolis, at Oklahoma’s pro day in mid-March and during the first day of the April draft, Murray will have one of the rarest resume lines in sports: First-round draft pick by the NFL and Major League Baseball.

Not even Ward can’t boast about being a twotime first round pick — though he did start for the 1998-99 NBA runner-up New York Knicks.

For Murray, it was an easy call.

“Yes, it’s my final decision,” he told a throng of reporters on March 1. “I’m here. I’m ready to go. There’s no turning back.”

For others, the choice wasn’t so simple.

Ward, now a high school basketball coach in Tallahassee, Florida, made up his mind when NFL scouts knocked him for his size and projected him as a midround pick. Murray heard similar questions before measuring in at 5-foot-10 1/8 in Indy.

Sanders and Jackson, of course, balanced two-sport careers until essentially being forced to choose one.

Tim Tebow, the 2007 Heisman winner, bounced around the NFL for several years then began pursuing a baseball career.

Some, such as San Francisco Giants pitcher Jeff Samardzija, even have second thoughts.