Andre Ware

Last updated

Andre Ware
Andre Ware at Houston.jpg
Ware with the Houston Cougars
No. 11, 10, 1
Position: Quarterback
Personal information
Born: (1968-07-31) July 31, 1968 (age 55)
Galveston, Texas, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High school: Dickinson (Dickinson, Texas)
College: Houston (1987–1989)
NFL draft: 1990  / Round: 1 / Pick: 7
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Passing attempts:161
Passing completions:83
Completion percentage:51.6%
TD–INT:5–8
Passing yards:1,112
Passer rating:63.5
Rushing yards:217
Career CFL statistics
Passing attempts:249
Passing completions:134
Completion percentage:58.8%
TD–INT:10–10
Passing yards:1,542
Player stats at NFL.com  ·  PFR

Andre Trevor Ware (born July 31, 1968) is an American sports analyst and commentator, and a former football quarterback. He played in the National Football League (NFL), the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the NFL Europe. Ware played college football for the Houston Cougars, winning the Heisman Trophy and Davey O'Brien Award in 1989. He was the first black quarterback to receive the Heisman. [1] In the 1990 NFL Draft, Ware was selected in the first round by the Detroit Lions with the seventh overall pick. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2004.

Contents

College career

Ware grew up in the Galveston, Texas region, hoping to play football at the University of Texas. He said "I was going to Texas. All they had to do was lie to me and tell me I was going to play quarterback once I got there. Thank goodness they told me the truth [that] they were going to move me to defense". [2] After graduating from Dickinson High School, Ware instead played at the University of Houston, where he won the Heisman Trophy in 1989, along with the Davey O'Brien Award, the latter award given to the most outstanding college quarterback of the year. That season - his junior year - averaging 52 passes per contest (365-of-578, 63.1%), he threw for 4,699 yards (427.18 yds/g or 127 yds/quarter), 46 touchdowns, [3] and set 27 NCAA records over the span of 11 games, seven of which he sat during the fourth quarter. Many of the records (including the notable 340 yards/5 TDs in the first quarter and 517 yards/6 TDs thrown in one half, set on October 21, 1989 in a 95-21 rout against the SMU Mustangs [4] [5] ) were thanks to the innovative use of the run and shoot offense, which his successor, David Klingler, also used to great effect. The 1989 Cougars were the first FBS team to have a 4,000-yard passer, 1,000-yard rusher, and 1,000-yard receiver in the same season, [6] where they ended the season 9-2 after averaging 624.9 y/g and ranked the #14 team in the nation by the Associated Press, but were on probation, making Ware the only quarterback to win the Heisman while playing for a team on probation. [7] He then declared for the NFL Draft, foregoing his senior year.

Professional football career

Ware became the top draft pick of the Detroit Lions in the 1990 NFL Draft. [8] Head coach Wayne Fontes overrode the advice of the team's scouting director, who resigned the next day. Ware joined the Lions for the 1990 season, teaming with the previous Heisman Trophy winner from 1988, Barry Sanders. Ware spent four years with Detroit, playing 14 games and starting six: Coach Fontes insisted on starting the oft-injured Rodney Peete, and usually replacing Peete with Erik Kramer when Peete was hurt or played poorly. Fontes generally only played Ware when the Lions were out of the playoffs or already losing a game by a wide margin. Ware's best stretch came late in the 1992 season when the Lions were out of the playoffs: he won two of three games. He began 1994 on the roster of the Los Angeles Raiders, but was released after several games. In 1995, he was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars, one of the NFL's two expansion teams that year. As a former Heisman Trophy winner, Ware's presence gathered much local excitement in Jacksonville, [9] but ultimately, Ware was cut from the team the week before the regular season began.

It is debated why Ware failed in the NFL despite a prolific college career. While some have argued that Ware's coaches never gave him a fair chance to develop, others have noticed that he was unable to adapt to an offensive system other than the run-and-shoot offense at Houston. [1]

Ware also played in the Canadian Football League with the Ottawa Rough Riders, the BC Lions and the Toronto Argonauts (where he backed up fellow Heisman winner Doug Flutie). He spent five games with the Berlin Thunder, a German NFL Europe team.

Broadcaster

Since 2002, Ware has been a part of the Houston Texans' radio broadcast team with Marc Vandermeer.

Since 2003, Ware has been a college football analyst for ESPN. From 2003 until 2008, he called games on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN on ABC. In July 2009, ESPN announced that Ware would team up with long-time SEC broadcaster Dave Neal in the fall of 2009 as color commentator for ESPN Regional Television's coverage of Southeastern Conference Football. Ware continued in this role until 2013. From 2014 through 2019, he called games for ESPN's SEC Network, then joined the ESPN College Football Friday Primetime team in 2020. [10]

Honors

In 2004, Ware was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. On February 29, 2012, he was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame. Other members of his class include Texas A&M University Women's basketball Coach Gary Blair, Shawn Andaya, University of Texas Football Coach Mack Brown, Fred Couples, Coach Lovie Smith, G. A. Moore, Bubba Smith, Dave Parks, and Tobin Rote.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eddie George</span> American football player and coach (born 1973)

Edward Nathan George Jr. is an American football coach and former player who is the current head football coach at Tennessee State University. He played as a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons, primarily for the Houston / Tennessee Oilers / Titans franchise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Pardee</span> American football player and coach (1936–2013)

John Perry Pardee was an American professional football player and head coach. He played as a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). As a coach, he is the only head coach to helm a team in college football, the NFL, the United States Football League (USFL), the World Football League (WFL), and the Canadian Football League (CFL). Pardee was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ty Detmer</span> American football player and coach (born 1967)

Ty Hubert Detmer is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL). He won the Heisman Trophy in 1990 while playing college football for the BYU Cougars. Detmer broke numerous NCAA records with BYU, and was twice recognized as a consensus All-American. A late-round pick in the 1992 NFL Draft, Detmer played for six NFL teams over 14 seasons, mostly in a backup role. He is currently the head Athletic Director American Leadership–Gilbert North Eagles.

Eric Eugene Crouch is an American former college football player who was a quarterback for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. He won the Heisman Trophy, Walter Camp Award, and Davey O'Brien Award in 2001. Running Nebraska's option offense that year, he completed 105 of 189 passes for 1,510 yards and seven touchdowns, while also rushing for 1,115 yards and 18 touchdowns. He had brief stints playing professionally in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and United Football League (UFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Leinart</span> American football player (born 1983)

Matthew Stephen Leinart is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football for the USC Trojans, where he won the Heisman Trophy and led his team to an undefeated season as a junior. Selected tenth overall by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2006 NFL Draft, Leinart primarily served as Kurt Warner's backup for four seasons. He spent his final three seasons in a backup role for the Houston Texans and the Oakland Raiders. Leinart was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy Sims</span> American football player (born 1955)

Billy Ray Sims is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for five seasons from 1980 to 1984. Sims played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners, where he was a two-time consensus All-American, and won the Heisman Trophy in 1978. He was the first overall pick in the 1980 NFL Draft, selected by the Detroit Lions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gino Torretta</span> American football player (born 1970)

Gino Louis Torretta is an American former football player who was a quarterback for five seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes, where he won the Heisman Trophy in 1992 and was a member of the national championship teams of 1989 and 1991. He was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the seventh round of the 1993 NFL Draft and was a member of several NFL teams, but never became a regular starter as a pro. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chuck Long</span> American football player and coach (born 1963)

Charles Franklin Long Jr. is an American football coach and former player who is the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Arlington Renegades of the United Football League (UFL). He played as a quarterback in college for the Iowa Hawkeyes under coach Hayden Fry and professionally with the Detroit Lions and the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999. After his professional career, Long was an assistant coach at Iowa and Oklahoma before serving as the head football coach for the San Diego State Aztecs. Long also held a position as the offensive coordinator for the Kansas Jayhawks under head coach Turner Gill. Long is the CEO and executive director of the Iowa Sports Foundation, the organization that runs the Iowa Games, the Senior Games, Adaptive Sports Iowa, Iowa Corporate Games and the Live Healthy Iowa challenge, as well as an analyst for the Big Ten Network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rodney Peete</span> American football player (born 1966)

Rodney Peete is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the USC Trojans, earning first-team All-American honors in 1988. Peete was selected in the sixth round of the 1989 NFL Draft. He played in the NFL for the Detroit Lions, Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, Oakland Raiders, and Carolina Panthers

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Troy Smith</span> American gridiron football player (born 1984)

Troy James Smith is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, earning unanimous All-American honors and winning the Heisman Trophy in 2006. He was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft, and also played for the San Francisco 49ers, the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League (UFL), and the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kliff Kingsbury</span> American football player and coach (born 1979)

Kliff Timothy Kingsbury is an American football coach and former quarterback who is the offensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas Tech, finishing in the top three in several school passing records before being selected in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL draft by the New England Patriots. He later played for other teams before entering coaching in 2008.

John Jenkins is an American football coach and former player. He served as the head football coach the University of Houston from 1990 to 1992, compiling a record of 18–15. A proponent of the run and shoot offense, Jenkins also coached professional football in the United States Football League (USFL), the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the Fall Experimental Football League (FXFL). He served as the head coach of the CFL's Ottawa Renegades in 2006, the FXFL's Blacktips in 2014 and the Hudson Valley Fort for part of 2015. During his career as a coach, Jenkins has mentored a number of notable quarterbacks such as Andre Ware, David Klingler, Jim Kelly, Eric Crouch, Kliff Kingsbury, Anthony Calvillo and Doug Flutie.

John David Roberts was an American college and professional football coach. He was the head coach of the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL) from the middle of the 1970 season until his dismissal after four preseason games in 1973. He played college ball for the Oklahoma Sooners.

The Oil Bowl is a high school football all-star game in Wichita Falls, Texas. The game began in 1938, originally between East and West Texas high school football all-stars. In 1945, the game began pitting teams from Oklahoma and Texas, and continued in that format until 2012. In 2013, a dispute concerning the disposition of Oklahoma's share of the game's charitable proceeds led the Oklahoma Coaches Association to withdraw from the game, and the 2013 game matched two Texas teams. For the years in which Texas and Oklahoma teams played, the overall record was 46–19–1 in favor of Texas.

Jerry Byron Rhome is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Browns, Houston Oilers and Los Angeles Rams. He closed out his professional career with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at the University of Tulsa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill O'Brien (American football)</span> American football coach (born 1969)

William James O'Brien, nicknamed "the Teapot", is an American football coach who is currently the head coach at Boston College. Previously, he was the head coach of the Houston Texans from 2014 to 2020, and at Penn State from 2012 to 2013. Prior to Boston College, O'Brien was the offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots. After the Patriots parted ways with longtime head coach Bill Belichick at the end of the 2023 season, O’Brien was not retained by the Patriots.

Kevin Murray is a former American football quarterback at Texas A&M University and is currently a high school football coach. Murray's younger brother is former Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder Calvin Murray. His son, Kyler, won the Heisman Trophy and was selected first overall in the 2019 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Case Keenum</span> American football player (born 1988)

Casey Austin Keenum is an American football quarterback for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Houston Cougars, where he became the NCAA's all-time leader in total passing yards, touchdowns, and completions. In the 2008 college football season, Keenum ranked first nationally in total offense and second in total passing yards.

The 1989 Houston Cougars football team, also known as the Houston Cougars, Houston, or UH, represented the University of Houston in the 1989 NCAA Division I-A football season. It was the 44th year of season play for Houston. The team was coached by third-year head coach Jack Pardee. Serving as offensive coordinator was John Jenkins, who succeeded Pardee as head coach following the season. The team played its games off-campus at the Astrodome, which had recently received upgrades to seat 62,439 spectators. These Cougars boasted the first squad to have a 4,000-yard passer, 1,000-yard rusher, and 1,000-yard receiver in FBS history, finishing the season ranked as No. 14 by the AP Poll. Junior quarterback Andre Ware won the Heisman Trophy and Davey O'Brien Award following the conclusion of the season. Under probation by the NCAA from rules violated in prior seasons, Houston was ineligible for participation in a bowl game and could not be listed in the Coaches Poll. The Cougars were also barred from live television.

A system quarterback is an American football quarterback who flourishes under a particular offensive system, specifically one that focuses on passing. The term is often seen as a pejorative, for it implicitly downplays a quarterback's talent or skill by implying that a successful offense is due to a particular scheme or that a quarterback is successful due to his employment under specific circumstances. Russ Lande of Sporting News traced the term's etymology, or at least currency, to the early 1990s, when two University of Houston quarterbacks failed to carry college success into their professional careers. First, Andre Ware, in head coach Jack Pardee and offensive coordinator John Jenkins's run and shoot offense, had a record-setting 1989 season that culminated in a Heisman Trophy. He was the seventh overall pick in the 1990 NFL Draft, but did not have success in either the National Football League or the Canadian Football League. David Klingler took over for Ware at UH and was the sixth overall pick in the 1992 NFL Draft. He too, failed to find exceptional success in the NFL.

References

  1. 1 2 Bembry, Jerry (November 23, 2017). "Andre Ware isn't just an analyst, he's the first black quarterback to win the Heisman". Andscape . Retrieved March 20, 2019.
  2. ↑ Weissman, Steve (host); Ware, Andre; Schad, Joe (April 21, 2014). College Football Live. ESPN.
  3. ↑ "Andre Ware".
  4. ↑ "Ten unbreakable college football records". NFL.com .
  5. ↑ "QB Andre Ware led the revolution at Houston". reviewjournal.com. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  6. ↑ https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/page/theseason0807ware/houston-andre-ware-changed-game-25-years-ago
  7. ↑ "Andre Ware".
  8. ↑ "1990 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Ocala Star-Banner - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com.
  10. ↑ "Andre Ware".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.