John Henry Ward was a 1965 state champion for Tulsa Rogers High School and then was a rare two-sport collegiate All-American at Oklahoma State. He was a two-time Big Eight champion and placed third in the national tournament in 1969 for the Cowboys, then earned All-America honors on the gridiron that fall at defensive tackle. Ward was a first-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings in 1970 and played on two Super Bowl teams during a six-year career in the NFL. Ward spent much of his adult life dedicated to public service, including a 13-year stint as Executive Director of the Association of County Commissioners of Oklahoma. He also served 10 years as Executive Vice President of the Poultry Federation of Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Ward, a member of both the OSU Athletics Hall of Fame and the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame, died in 2012 after a battle with cancer. For his dedication to helping others throughout his life, John Henry Ward is honored as the 2018 Outstanding American by the Oklahoma Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.