If there were any nerves in the ballroom at Doak Campbell Stadium, they had to come from the people who were charged with roasting former FSU great Charlie Ward.
The soft-spoken 1993 Heisman Trophy winner and 12-year NBA veteran a was honored by the Tallahassee Quarterback Club with a roast on Thursday night, forcing friends and former teammates to get creative to poke fun.
"It's better to get a chance to see this as opposed to at your funeral," Ward joked. "People talking about you, cracking jokes or whatever the case may be, it's always good to be able to hear the appreciation and all the different stories, things that you're a part of for so long."
Most roasters, which included former New York Knicks teammate Alan Houston, former FSU fullback William Floyd, former FSU offensive linemen Clay Shiver and Forrest Conoly along with FSU team chaplain Clint Purvis, spent time roasting each other and praising Ward.
UGA head coach Mark Richt, Ward's quarterback coach at FSU, along with former FSU head coach Bobby Bowden sent messages via video.
Warchant.com caught up with Ward before Thursday's event, and he touched on several topics including his work with current FSU quarterback EJ Manuel and his feelings on the lack of football-basketball stars at the major Division I-A level in recent years.