1975 Profile: Al Ward

General Manager
"'First class, astute, blue chip, efficient, quality person'- those are some of the words used to describe the New York Jets' new general manager, Al Ward.
The quiet, soft-spoken Ward comes to the Jets from the Dallas Cowboys where he was, in effect, the assistant general manager for nine years. He was named Vice-President of Administration in 1972 and the right hand man to the highly knowledgeable Tex Schramm.
'I think the Jets job is among the best in football,' said Ward. 'It's not easy to leave an organization like the Cowboys, but this is very exciting. It takes money, hard work and intelligence to produce a winner. I don't think the Jets have a shortage of any of those.'
'In our search for a general manager, Al presented the background and experience that we were looking for,' said Jets President Phil Iselin. 'Al comes to us from an excellent organization that had a tradition of winning. He has the highest of recommendations from the most respected people in football. We feel very fortunate in having a man of Al's capabilities join our organization.'
Ward, who was named to the GM post on February 13, has signed a three-year contract that calls for him to primarily negotiate player contracts, work on booking preseason games, handle radio and preseason TV contracts, administer the front office and work together with head coach Charley Winner on trades and player development.
'We're very happy to have a man of Al's caliber with us,' said Winner. 'He's a man from a winning organization who can give us some new ideas which will help us in the future. I'm very impressed with his administrative knowledge of the NFL. He will be a strong asset to our entire organization and I look forward to working with him.'
Tex Schramm, the president and general manager of the Cowboys said of Ward: 'Al is one of those individuals who has been responsible for our success. His loss is going to be tough, but we are all delighted for him and for this opportunity in New York. I feel certain Al will make a great contribution to the Jets. He is a quality person and will be an asset to their organization.'
'He's first class, a blue chip type of person,' said Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach. 'He's easy going; but he's also business. He has what I call the hard-soft look. You know you can't take advantage of him. But while he's firm and hard, he's also likable. He'll do a heck of a job.'
Ward joined the Cowboys in 1965 as director of public relations and became assistant general manager to Tex Schramm in 1966 and has been, in effect, since then. He was named a vice-president in 1972. It has been his main function to sign veteran players.
Prior to joining the Cowboys, Ward was director of public relations for the American Football League when it was based in Dallas, from 1960 through 1962. When the league moved its offices to New York, Ward became director of public relations for the Southwest Conference and the Cotton Bowl until rejoining the AFL in 1965 in New York as director of promotions. He is a native of Brownsville, Texas."

-The New York Jets Official 1975 Yearbook