Ward was voted MVP of Super Bowl XL and upon retirement was one of eleven NFL players to have at least 1,000 career receptions.

Born in Seoul, South Korea to a Korean mother and African-American father, Ward grew up in the Atlanta area.

When he came out of college, it was discovered that Ward was missing an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee, which he lost during a bicycle accident during childhood.

[16] Coming out of the University of Georgia, Ward was regarded as one of the top five receivers in the 1998 NFL draft, along with Kevin Dyson and Randy Moss.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts expressed major interest in him, visiting him multiple times to meet with him.

The next week, as the Steelers played the New England Patriots, he caught 6 passes for 64 receiving yards in a 17–24 loss to the eventual Super Bowl XXXVI Champions.

Along with Jerome Bettis, Kordell Stewart, Alan Faneca, Jason Gildon, and Kendrell Bell, he was voted to the 2001 Pro Bowl, making it the first of his career.

On November 10, 2002, Ward had his best game of the season, making a season-high 11 receptions, 139 receiving yards, and a touchdown during a 34–34 tie with the Atlanta Falcons.

After three successful years with Mike Mularkey, Ward began the season under new offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt and new wide receivers coach Bruce Arians.

Ward had considered holding out before camp in 2004, but had been persuaded after meeting with the Steelers' owner Dan Rooney and Jerome Bettis.

With a great relationship with Dan Rooney, he conceded and eventually showed up on August 15, 2005, on the sidelines for Pittsburgh's first preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

On November 13, 2005, Ward became the Steelers' all-time leading receiver with his 538th catch against the Browns on ESPN Sunday Night Football surpassing John Stallworth's record.

In the 2005 AFC Championship game at the Denver Broncos, he had 59 receiving yards on 5 receptions while also making a touchdown catch, as the Steelers won 34–17.

Ward and Steelers teammate Jerome "The Bus" Bettis appeared in a victory parade at the Magic Kingdom theme park on February 6 along with Emmitt Smith.

This also marked his first season under offensive coordinator Bruce Arians, as Ken Whisenhunt left to become the Arizona Cardinals head coach.

During a Week 16 contest at the Tennessee Titans, Ward racked up a total of 7 receptions for 109 receiving yards and scored a touchdown as the Steelers lost 14–31.

[37][38] After the Steelers drafted Mike Wallace in 2009 and Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown in 2010, Ward began to have a decline in his receptions.

[42] The next week in the AFC Championship, he had 2 catches for 14 yards as the Steelers beat the New York Jets 24–19 to advance to Super Bowl XLV.

On December 4, 2011, in a 35–7 home victory against the Cincinnati Bengals, Ward became the 19th player in NFL history to reach 12,000 receiving yards.

[50] On March 20, 2012, Ward announced his retirement from professional football stating, "Without the support over the past 14 years this game wouldn't be the same to me.

In 2002, he set a Steelers franchise record for receptions (112) and touchdowns (12) (both since broken by Antonio Brown) and was named to his first of two consecutive All-NFL teams.

During a game on October 19, 2008, Ward put a vicious downfield blindside block on rookie Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Keith Rivers.

[67] The bar sustained serious water damage in February 2007, due to flooding from a malfunctioning boiler, and it was closed for repairs until June of that year.

[68] On September 11, 2007, co-owner Nicholas Lettieri withdrew the entirety of the bar's funds, approximately $19,000, from a corporate account, causing it to miss a large number of scheduled payments.

[68] Company attorney Thomas Castello dismissed Lettieri's allegations as "baseless, ridiculous and unfounded", and the matter currently is before the court.

[70] He opened a restaurant called Table 86 and a wine bar named Vines in Seven Fields with Howard A Shiller from Fort Lauderdale in August 2015.

Ward used his celebrity status to arrange "hope-sharing" meetings with multiracial Korean children and to encourage social and political reform.

[78] On July 9, 2011, Ward was arrested for driving under the influence in DeKalb County, Georgia, after being witnessed by a MARTA police officer failing to maintain his lane and subsequently hitting a curb.

Ward agreed to plead guilty to reckless driving and received a sentence of one year of probation, 80 hours of community service and a $2,000 fine.

In 2012, Ward began training for the 2013 Ironman World Championships, enlisting the help of triathlon legend Paula Newby-Fraser.