Dr. Bob Ward was born on the Fourth of July, the son of a World War I veteran and was partly raised in an orphanage. Ward became a self-made man and one of the most important players in the evolution of professional sports. A former small college athlete, Ward learned by doing. He played. He coached. He trained.

Ward believed in the analytics of sports long before it became a part of sports vernacular. What strength and performance coaches--and the athletes themselves--do today to prepare for a game can be traced to Dr. Bob Ward.