Mutual affection
As much as Tennessee loved, John Ward, he loved Tennessee.
Asked if he understood what he had meant to Tennessee fans, Ward said, “I probably don’t, but I don’t think of it in that light. I know what they’ve meant to me.”
Ward put his money where his mouth was, making with his late wife, Barbara, a $2 million gift to Tennessee athletics.
Peyton Manning effectively articulated the feelings of the Tennessee Volunteer Nation. “John Ward was an incredible human being and lived a great life, and he was one of the great Tennessee Volunteers of all-time. Rest in peace, John Ward. We will miss you.”