Background and career
DeMarcus Omar Ware (born July 31, 1982) is an American former professional football outside linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. He played college football for the Troy State Trojans as a defensive end, winning Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year in 2004. Ware was selected in the first round of the 2005 NFL draft by the Dallas Cowboys. During his nine seasons with the Cowboys, Ware led the league in sacks twice and received seven consecutive Pro Bowl and four first-team All-Pro selections. He also set the franchise record for sacks. Ware spent his final three seasons with the Denver Broncos, extending his Pro Bowl selections to nine and being a member of the team that won Super Bowl 50. He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2023.
Ware was born on July 31, 1982, in Auburn, Alabama. Ware played football, basketball, baseball, and ran track in high school; he attended Auburn High School (with defensive end Osi Umenyiora and linebacker Marcus Washington). In football, Ware played both linebacker and wide receiver, and as a senior, he won every game, and was named the team's Most Valuable Wide Receiver and Most Valuable Linebacker, and won Top Leadership honors. He finished his senior season with seven sacks and 55 total tackles (40 solo tackles, 15 assisted tackles). In track & field, Ware was one of the state's top performers in the long jump (PB of 7.14 meters). He ran the 55 metres in 6.74 seconds and had a personal-best jump of 1.94 meters in the high jump.
Ware accepted a scholarship from Troy University, where he was a two-time All-Sun Belt Conference selection for the Troy Trojans football team. Ware became a starter at defensive end as a sophomore, and was a part of a defensive line that included future NFL player and former high school teammate Osi Umenyiora. He posted 72 tackles (fifth on the team) and 19.5 tackles for loss. The next year, he registered 62 tackles, 16 tackles for a loss, six sacks, 32 quarterback hurries (led the team), five forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. As a senior, Ware was a dominant player, receiving the Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year, and was a finalist for the Hendricks Award, which is given annually to the top defensive end in college football. In 2004, he helped lead his team to the school's first-ever bowl appearance, the Silicon Valley Football Classic. He posted 53 tackles, 10.5 sacks (led the Sun Belt Conference), 19 tackles for loss and four forced fumbles. Ware finished his college career with 27.5 sacks, 201 tackles, 74 quarterback hurries, ten forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, and one interception. His 27.5 sacks rank second in school history for sacks in a career, and his 55.5 tackles for losses rank first in school history. Ware was named to the Sun Belt Conference All-Decade Team. In 2012, he was inducted into the Troy University Sports Hall of Fame. In 2014, he was inducted into the Senior Bowl Hall of Fame.
A defensive end at Troy, Ware was considered a "tweener DE/OLB prospect" by most scouts. He was supposed to be a perfect fit as a rush linebacker in a 3–4 defense prior to the 2005 NFL draft and was projected to go early in the second round by Sports Illustrated. Prospect Marcus Spears was considered by head coach Bill Parcells to be the key to the team's eventual move to a 3–4 defense and wanted to take him with the first selection (11th overall pick). Owner/general manager Jerry Jones overruled Parcells and selected Ware instead with the 11th overall pick in the first round. The Cowboys thought he would not be available later in the draft. Spears was selected by the Cowboys with the 20th overall pick.
Ware also was credited with a 430-pound bench press, a 570-pound squat, and a 360-pound power clean.
In his NFL debut against the San Diego Chargers, Ware posted three tackles, one for a loss, and one quarterback pressure. The Cowboys won the game 28–24. In a game against San Francisco in Week 3, he recorded his first sack bringing down Tim Rattay. Ware earned the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month award for October after recording 16 tackles, three sacks, and seven quarterback pressures to help Dallas start the season with a 3–2 record. In Week 16, Ware recorded three sacks and three forced fumbles in a match against the Carolina Panthers. For that performance, Ware was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week and the Diet Pepsi Rookie of the Week. He tied the Cowboys record for most sacks in a single game, held by Randy White. He finished with 58 total tackles, 14 tackles for losses and three forced fumbles. He tied Greg Ellis for a team-best eight sacks and joined Jimmie Jones as the only rookies to ever lead or tie for the Dallas Cowboys' team lead in sacks.
