Former Central Michigan wide receiver Alec Ward, of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, born on August 13, 2001, has passed away due to injuries suffered from a car crash on Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023.
He was 22 years old.
Hustle Belt was able to independently verify the details of Ward’s passing through multiple sources.
Ward was a letter-winning athlete in multiple sports at Bloomfield Hills High School, with three letters in football and baseball and two letters in track-and-field. Ward was one of the all-time Black Hawk greats, leaving BHHS with all the relevant career and season receiving records while also earning all-league honors in both baseball and track-and-field.
Ward finished his BHHS career with 156 receptions for 2,876 yards and 34 touchdowns as a receiver, while also playing cornerback. Ward earned several distinctive honors in his senior season in 2019, with selection to the Detroit Free Press’ first team All-North, all-region and all-state Division 1 teams.
His football prowess and strong academic background was enough to pick up several offers from Ivy League colleges and the service academies, with Air Force, Columbia, Cornell and Dartmouth all listed by 247Sports. Ward opted to stay close to home and play for Central Michigan— his only public school offer at the FBS level— despite offers from in-state Division II powers Ferris State and Grand Valley State.
Ward had 11 appearances for the Chippewas over three seasons after committing to the team in 2020, mostly seeing special teams snaps. After a redshirt season, Ward appeared in seven games in 2021, logging his first and only start against the Miami RedHawks on Oct. 1, that year. Ward played in four conference games in 2022, returning three punts.
Ward left the CMU football team this past offseason, but was still enrolled at CMU. Ward was set to graduate in June 2024 in kinesiology, and had just obtained his emergency medical technician certification this summer.
Due to university policy, CMU administrators declined to comment when reached.
Ward is survived by his mother Lara, father Blake; brothers Evan and Logan; and grandparents Cathy Ward and Lee Ann Valenti.
Funeral arrangements are set for Oct. 31.