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See the full story · 1 sourcesIt's not often a city renames part of a street in one of the residents' honor, but that's exactly what happened when West Columbia renamed a part of 17th Street Cam Ward Way.
"It's fun to see on a street that I grew up on," Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward said. "A lot of people came out to support me; the mayor giving me this honor in my neighborhood is awesome."
The street is significant because it runs right in front of the house his grandmother lived in and raised Cam's mom, Patrice, and three sisters.
"It's just an honor for Cameron to get this street named after him," Ward's mom, Patrice, said. "Cameron has worked for it all. You know nothing came easy for him. You know, he believed in himself, he had faith and trust in God, and just went on to play. And God gave for him; he deserves every bit of it."
Ward's journey from a 0-star recruit with one college scholarship offer to the number 1 overall pick in the NFL draft a year ago is nothing short of incredible. He credits his upbringing by his parents and the small tight community of West Columbia for his success.
"I never would have imagined it," Dad, Calvin Ward, said. "The only thing I knew, when he was a little kid, he was going pro in something. Football, basketball, baseball is going to be something, but I never would have imagined a street name."
His mom added, "Cameron's not the one who wants to be recognized in such a way like this, but you know what, it's just an honor for the mayor and all the city and the community to come out and just support him like this."
"We're a big sports area, and it's a way for a lot of us youth to get out and make a name for ourselves," Cam said.
When asked if he ever thought a day like this would happen, Ward said, "Not, not a street named after me so, you know, it's kind of it's kind of surreal. It's also not a lot of people get a chance to, you know, have that, you know, accomplishment. And, you know, I'm excited; I'm one of the ones."
Cam's entering his second season as the starting quarterback for the Tennessee Titans, who start camp the last week in July. He's looking forward to year two under a new head coach and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll.
"I'm excited for us to be a better offense than what we were last year. We have a new OC in Daboll," he said. "We've got a great head coach in Coach Saleh, so you know we're going to be a well-disciplined team. We have some new pieces on offense and defense, especially to the receiver group. So I decided to give those guys the ball, make some more plays than we did last year."
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