Question: what do former Florida State quarterback, Charlie Ward and Pete Dawkins have in common?

Who's Pete Dawkins, you say?

Come, come. Surely you remember Pete Dawkins, Army's triple threat in 1959? How about Pete Dawkins, the Rhodes scholar; or Pete Dawkins, Captain of the Cadet Corps?

No? Shame on you.

Answers: Both were Heisman Trophy winners the NFL never drafted. (And both have homes in Georgia).

Dawkins went on to a distinguished career as a historical footnote.

He ran for the United States Senate from New Jersey in 1988 and lost. Now he runs an insurance company in Atlanta.

And what will become of Charlie Ward?

Good question. Maybe he'll sign as a free agent with the Minnesota Vikings; maybe the NBA will take him; maybe he'll join the Canadian Football League. No one--least of all Ward--expected this predicament.

I remain perplexed: is Charlie Ward not good enough for a single pro football team? Is the NFL dumb and unimaginative? Or simply unimaginative and dumb?

It was pretty clear why Dawkins wasn't drafted back in 1959. He had a four-year army tour of duty ahead of him, wasn't very fast and, truth be told, didn't dominate any one facet of the game.

He was just an all-around good player--like Holy Cross's Gordie Lockbaum. Ward, on the other hand, is fast, possesses the potential to dominate a postion--if not qurterback, then defensive back--and most importantly, has not sold himself to the military establishment.

Here is the rap on Ward, however: 1) Height. Contrary to the FSU depth chart, Ward is not 6'1", but rather 5'11 and 3/4 inches. Three-quarters may seem trivial, but not to NFL scouts. General consensus says he's too shot to scan the field.

2) Style. "Can't fit into a pro-style offense," pundits say.

Ward is not a drop-back passer. He rolls out like Doug Flutie, and that riles coaches. Prevailing wisdom asserts that he won't fare well against the pass rush. (Never mind that Fran Tarkenton made a career out of rolling out--I met Fran Tarkenton once. I digress).