2012: True senior ... Excelled in his third year as a starter on NU offensive line, moving to left tackle in 2012 after spending the previous two seasons at right tackle ... Named honorable mention All-Big Ten by both league media and coaches, the first such honor of his career ... One of Northwestern's top performing student-athletes in the classroom, this year becoming a Capital One Academic All-District V honoree for the third time in his career ... 2011 Capital One Academic All-American ... Named a recipient of the National Football Foundation National Scholar-Athlete Award, making him one of just 15 FBS and FCS players across the country to earn the distinction ... The award comes with an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship and renders him a finalist for the prestigious William V. Campbell Trophy, presented to the nation's top football student-athlete ... Co-recipient of NU's Carnig Minasian Citizenship Award, presented to player who has been an outstanding citizen on campus, in the community and on the field ... Named the offense's big playmaker for Boston College game and player of the game on offense against South Dakota and Nebraska ... Has helped NU post third-best rushing average in the Big Ten (230.9) ... 39 career starts ... Academic All-Big Ten.
2011: True junior ... Starting right tackle ... Named a Capital One first-team Academic All-American ... Has started 26 consecutive games at right tackle ... Named to Capital One Academic All-District first team for a second straight year ... Big Ten Distinguished Scholar ... Academic All-Big Ten honoree.
2010: Started all 13 games at right tackle ... ESPN The Magazine first-team Academic All-District selection ... Academic All-Big Ten ... Named a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar (compiled a 3.7 or better GPA for the 2010-11 academic year) ... Tabbed NU's Offensive Player of the Week for the Purdue game.
2009: One of three true freshmen to play in 2009 ... Played in 12 games ... Made his collegiate debut vs. Towson ... Played both the guard and tackle positions.
High School: Rivals.com All-Midwest Region and All-American and SuperPrep All-Midwest Region and All-American offensive tackle ... Ranked 219th nationally among all players and 17th nationally among all tackles by Rivals.com ... Ranked fifth among all players inRivals.com Illinois player ranking and second among all offensive linemen ... Ranked 28th among all players in the Midwest Region (six states) by SuperPrep and 25th nationally among all offensive tackles ... Tom Lemming Top Player and 13th-ranked offensive tackle nationally by Lemming ... Named a consensus 2008 all-state selection by IHSA Class 6A Football Coaches, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times and Champaign News-Gazette ... Herald News Gridiron Offensive Player of the Year ... Member of the Chicago Tribune'sScholar-Athlete team ... Class co-valedictorian ... Two-time all-area honoree by Herald News, Sun-Times and Southtown Star ... Two-time Chicago Catholic Blue All-Conference pick ... Helped lead the Celtics to back-to-back state tournament appearances with a berth in the Class 6A state semifinals (lost to eventual champion Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin) ... Team captain ... Also lettered in track ... Named school's co-valedictorian ... National Merit Scholar Commended Student ... AP Scholar with Distinction Award ... Sociedad Honoria Hispanica ... Presidential Youth Leadership Conference invitee ... IHSA Academic All-Stater ... Illinois Science Teachers Association Outstanding Science Achievement Award winner ... NHS member ... Coached by Mark Coglianese.
Personal: Born Patrick Michael Ward ... Son of Brian and Laurel Ward ... Father played college football at Illinois and grandfather played at Dartmouth ... Mechanical engineering major.