Who Was Hines Ward's First Wife? Inside the Private Marriage Before the Fame
By Sophia Al-Mansoor
Long before Heinz Field chanted his name, Hines Ward was an electric, versatile weapon for the University of Georgia. Between 1994 and 1997, Ward played wide receiver, tailback, and quarterback for the Bulldogs, racking up 3,831 all-purpose yards. During this formative collegiate era in Athens, he met Simone.
Friends from that era remember Simone as a grounding presence while campus fever swirled around the young athlete. College football in the Southeastern Conference carries immense local pressure. Having an unpretentious companion outside the locker room gave Ward an emotional sanctuary. Simone preferred staying away from the tailgate rallies and media scrums, establishing a boundary she would fiercely protect throughout their years together.
When the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Ward in the third round of the 1998 NFL Draft, the young couple relocated north. Simone made the transition alongside him, swapping humid Georgia autumns for Western Pennsylvania steel towns just as Ward was earning his reputation as one of the most physical wideouts in modern NFL history.
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