Northern Illinois University Athletics

The first defender ever to be named a first-team All-American at NIU, Jimmie Ward was a two-time first team All-MAC selection and a semifinalist for the 2013 Jim Thorpe Award, presented to the nation's top defensive back. He became the second Huskie player ever to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft when he was chosen with the 30th pick in the first round by the San Francisco 49ers in 2014.
 
Ward made 320 tackles, defended 37 passes and intercepted 11 during an outstanding Huskie career that spanned 55 games. As a senior, he earned first team All-America honors from USA Today and SI.com and was a third team Associated Press choice after leading NIU in tackles with 95. He ranked seventh in the country and led the MAC with seven interceptions in 2013 and added 10 pass break-ups and 2.5 tackles for loss. 
 
In 2013, his fourth-quarter interception in a tie game at Iowa with 1:24 to play set up the Huskies' game-winning field goal, while his 61-yard interception return for a touchdown helped NIU to a 55-24 win at Purdue. He made a career-high 14 tackles in the 2013 Discover Orange Bowl versus Florida State as NIU became the first MAC team to ever play in a Bowl Championship Series game. Ward was a member of the winningest senior class in school history that won a pair of MAC titles, played in four consecutive MAC Championship games and posted a 46-10 record from 2010-13.
 
Ward also holds the NIU career record for blocked punts, with four, and made at least one tackle in every collegiate game he played.

A member of the San Francisco 49ers from 2014-22, Ward helped San Francisco advance to the playoffs three times during his tenure, and he became just the fourth Huskie all-time to play in the Super Bowl in 2020. Ward joined the Houston Texans in 2023.