On Father’s Day, Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward expressed his immense gratitude for the impact that his father, Calvin, has made on his life and career.

But on the day set aside to celebrate dads, Ward struggled to find a proper gift for his father.

"Shopping for Father's Day, that's the hardest shopping to do," Ward told ESPN. "I mean, what do you get for someone who already has everything? I don't know what I'm going to get him, because he ain't really ask for s---."

Last year, Ward built his parents a new home while a student at the University of Miami. Eventually, he came up with the perfect gift for his father this year.

"I just really want to spend time with him," Ward said.

At a young age, Calvin recognized that his son had the potential to become a professional athlete.  As a former walk-on college quarterback at Houston, Calvin began teaching Cam football techniques at the age of 8.

"Cameron fell in love with the workouts," Calvin recalled. "From a young age, he was always like, 'I want to be a professional athlete in something.' My philosophy was always to play as many sports as you want. The road would eventually narrow on its own." 

Believing in his son’s ability, Calvin traveled across the state of Texas to attend various camps and gleaned wisdom from other parents whose kids were successful athletes. 

"I trusted the parents that I talked to that might have had kids that been through [this]," Calvin said, "[telling them], 'I need you to be realistic about my son. He wants to play on a higher level. I don't need you to sugarcoat anything with me."

"It wasn't so much about chasing a scholarship per se, it was just chasing improvement," Calvin said.

To get Cam on the radar of colleges, the father and son once woke up at 3 am to leave by 5 am for a six-hour ride to East Texas Baptist University. After the workout, they returned home the same day. 

Calvin’s dedication to Cam’s development paid off as he received an offer from the University of the Incarnate Word. He then transferred to Washington State University before ending his stellar collegiate career at Miami. Last year, Cam won the Davey O'Brien Award given to the nation's top quarterback, the Manning Award, and was named a Consensus All-American.

At the 2025 NFL Draft, Carm was selected by the Tennessee Titans with the number one pick.

More than any tangible gift, Cam wanted his father to know how much he appreciated all that his father had sacrificed for him.

"Thank you for all the time you put in for me and my siblings," Cam said in his Father’s Day message. "The money that you put in and all the behind-the-scenes stuff from the emailing coaches to put my face out there and get me a chance to be who I am today. Just know that I'm trying to do my part and create a legacy for our last name."