Ward attended the University of Michigan from 1931 to 1935, where he became one of the most successful track athletes in the school's history.
As a freshman in 1932, Ward's specialty was the high jump.
Ward won the NCAA high jump championship in June 1932 with a jump of 6–7 1/3.
  He jumped as high as 6-7-1/2 in his freshman year.
 Ward's best jump in 1932 was two inches above the mark that won the gold medal at the 1932 Summer Olympics (Canada's Duncan McNaughton won the gold with a jump of 6 feet, 5½ inches), but Ward did not qualify for the team.

Ward's accomplishments were not limited to the high jump.
An Associated Press article in 1932 noted: "His specialty is the high jump for which he has a mark of 6 feet 7½ inches.
He can run the high hurdles and the low hurdles.
He has broad jumped 22 feet without training in that event.
He put the 16-pound shot over 43 feet without prior experience, and it believed he might be developed into a world champion weight man.
He unquestionably could be trained to do the springs.
He is only 19.
Ward has an ideal build for a track man, six feet, one inch tall, 185 pounds of well-distributed weight, good legs, natural co-ordination.
He is quiet and unassuming, and popular with coaches and fellow members of the squad."

When Ward decided to try out for the football team as a sophomore, Michigan track fans worried that Ward would be injured.
The Associated Press reported: "University of Michigan track fans do a lot of worrying these days because a Negro boy from Detroit insists on playing football.
Willis Ward, they believe, will be the greatest track man ever to compete for the Maize and Blue—if he doesn't get hurt.
 … Ward is a good football player and loves the game.
 . . .
Well wishers even have told him about the advantages of competing only in track and staying away from the gridiron, but he is determined to play on the eleven, and he is good enough to make the grade."
 Michigan's track coach, Chuck Hoyt, noted that "Ward is his own boss and football is his recreation."
Ward attended the University of Michigan from 1931 to 1935, where he became one of the most successful track athletes in the school's history. As a freshman in 1932, Ward's specialty was the high jump. Ward won the NCAA high jump championship in June 1932 with a jump of 6–7 1/3.   He jumped as high as 6-7-1/2 in his freshman year.  Ward's best jump in 1932 was two inches above the mark that won the gold medal at the 1932 Summer Olympics (Canada's Duncan McNaughton won the gold with a jump of 6 feet, 5½ inches), but Ward did not qualify for the team.
Ward's accomplishments were not limited to the high jump. An Associated Press article in 1932 noted: "His specialty is the high jump for which he has a mark of 6 feet 7½ inches. He can run the high hurdles and the low hurdles. He has broad jumped 22 feet without training in that event. He put the 16-pound shot over 43 feet without prior experience, and it believed he might be developed into a world champion weight man. He unquestionably could be trained to do the springs. He is only 19. Ward has an ideal build for a track man, six feet, one inch tall, 185 pounds of well-distributed weight, good legs, natural co-ordination. He is quiet and unassuming, and popular with coaches and fellow members of the squad."
When Ward decided to try out for the football team as a sophomore, Michigan track fans worried that Ward would be injured. The Associated Press reported: "University of Michigan track fans do a lot of worrying these days because a Negro boy from Detroit insists on playing football. Willis Ward, they believe, will be the greatest track man ever to compete for the Maize and Blue—if he doesn't get hurt.  … Ward is a good football player and loves the game.  . . . Well wishers even have told him about the advantages of competing only in track and staying away from the gridiron, but he is determined to play on the eleven, and he is good enough to make the grade."  Michigan's track coach, Chuck Hoyt, noted that "Ward is his own boss and football is his recreation."
Willis Ward