D. Scott "Scooter" Ward

Dr. D. Scott “Scooter” Ward of Lawrence, Kansas—loved whole-heartedly and missed by many—was born Sept. 21, 1966, in Kingman, Kansas, the youngest son of Karen May Ward and Don Ward. His mother says he immediately charmed family and friends with his smile, and the family quickly came to see him as more of a “Scott” than a “Darrin,” his given name.

Scott—for which “Scooter” is a common nickname, frequently used by family during his boyhood—was a proud Kingman Eagle, graduating high school in 1985. He relished competing in sports, especially basketball, and won numerous gold medals for the Kingman Neptunes swim team. He was involved in many school organizations, held class offices, and was active in church and community events. He loved art and kept art classes in his schedule whenever possible.

He also loved to dance, and his mom was so pleased when he asked her to dance with him at prom. His part-time jobs included working as an assistant greenskeeper at the Kingman Country Club, six summers and weekends for Maloney Farms, and a lawn mowing service that he ran with his older brothers, Mike and Alan.

Before starting his freshman year at Hutchinson Community College, Scott tore his ACL and meniscus in a state all-star basketball game. Knee surgery was followed by months of physical therapy, but on May 1, 1986, not long after being released from PT, he suffered a diving accident that broke his neck at C4-5, causing paralysis. He was airlifted to St. Francis Hospital, where doctors reported the heartbreaking news that if Scott survived the night, he would never walk again.

His parents asked for Wichita’s best neurologist—who was already taking care of Scott in the emergency room. Thankfully, Scott was in the best condition of his life, and the immediate care he received prepared him for healing. He spent months at Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colorado, gaining strength and making huge progress for someone with high spinal injury. He gained arm and hand movement, learned to make his fingers work for him, and became so independent that he learned to drive a car, take apart his chair and tuck it in the back seat, always getting where he wanted to go.

Back home, Scott briefly attended Wichita State University and realized he wanted to work with athletes. In 1988, he received an invitation from Dr. Wayne Osness, at the time chair of KU’s Department of Health, Sport & Exercise Sciences, to visit the University of Kansas, and there was no looking back.

He earned three degrees from KU—an undergraduate degree in education with an emphasis in exercise science in 1991, a master’s degree in education with an emphasis in athletic administration and sport psychology in 1993, and a doctorate in education with an emphasis in sport psychology and counseling psychology in 1996. Grad school opened his world, including forming a huddle of lifelong friends who dubbed themselves Old Friends and College Chums, a group that remains amazingly tight after 30 years.

His relationship with KU was lifelong and layered. After earning his doctorate, he joined the faculty in the School of Education & Human Sciences before moving across the Hill in 2003 to join Kansas Athletics.

He reconnected with Robin Harnden—a childhood acquaintance who grew up in nearby Attica—during two chance encounters on check-up visits at Craig Hospital, where she worked in public relations. Their relationship finally took root when Robin in 2000 moved to Lawrence for graduate school, and they married in 2005. In addition to attending sporting events, the Wards traveled the world and cherished time spent with friends and family.

Scooter became a foundational figure in student-athlete support. He worked 14 years in academic support—most notably with men’s basketball and volleyball—and in 2009 was promoted to associate athletics director for academic and career counseling. In his final role as director of peak performance and leadership, he helped guide KU Leads, focused on life skills for personal, professional and career development, and he counseled student-athletes across all 16 varsity sports on mental performance.

Under Dr. Ward’s stewardship, Kansas men’s basketball became a national model for academic achievement. During his tenure, KU produced 35 Academic All-Big 12 selections—more than any other conference school—including two first-team Academic All-Americans. In 2015, the program received the NCAA’s Public Recognition Award after nine consecutive years of ranking in the top 10% nationally in academic performance.

For more than three decades at KU, he quietly became one of the most consequential people many Jayhawks would ever meet. He was an educator and administrator, counselor and mentor, and a trusted presence who helped varsity athletes learn to believe in themselves as deeply as he believed in them.

Scooter’s daily example was all the more powerful given the physical challenges he shouldered without complaint. Along with being forced to rely on a wheelchair, he also endured significant medical crises later in life, including an aortic dissection and a subsequent aortic aneurysm. Additionally, he developed polycystic kidney disease, requiring dialysis treatments.

He never allowed those challenges to define him—or to slow his commitment to others. Those who worked alongside Scooter describe a man with a rare emotional intelligence—someone who made connection feel effortless. His office door was famously open. Conversations were unhurried. He remembered names, asked questions, and followed up. He made people feel seen—traits that colleagues say place him in a lineage of legendary Kansas Athletics figures whose influence was felt far beyond competition.

Scooter died Jan. 3, 2026, at The University of Kansas Health System, surrounded by family and close friends, after struggling to recover from major surgery in mid-December. He was 59. He is survived by his wife, Robin Ward, of Lawrence; mother, Karen Ward, of Kingman; brothers, Mike Ward and Alan Ward, both of Overland Park, Kansas.; a niece, Tori, and a nephew, Keller, both of Boulder, Colorado; many cousins; and old friends who were like family. He was preceded in death by his father, Don Ward.

A Funeral Mass will be held at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 12, at Corpus Christi Catholic Church, 6001 Bob Billings Parkway, Lawrence, and livestreamed through the Warren-McElwain website, www.warrenmcelwain.com. The Mass will be followed by a 5–7 p.m. celebration at University of Kansas Conference Center at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, 815 Fambrough Drive, also in Lawrence, with a program at 6 p.m. An additional memorial celebration will be held at The Hangar, 126 N. Main Street, Kingman, on Saturday, Feb. 28, 1–3 p.m.

A private interment is planned at Pioneer Cemetery on the KU campus.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Scooter’s name to KU Endowment, where a scholarship is planned to build on his memorable legacy. Please make checks payable to “KU Endowment” and send them to KU Endowment Memorials, P.O. Box 928, Lawrence, KS 66044. Please note “In Memory of D. Scott Ward” in the check’s memo line. To give online, visit kuendowment.org/memorials.