No. 11, 10, 1 | |||||||||||||||||
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Position: | Quarterback | ||||||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
Born: | Galveston, Texas, U.S. | July 31, 1968||||||||||||||||
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 | |||||||||||||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||||
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Andre Trevor Ware (born July 31, 1968) is an American sports analyst and commentator, and a former professional football quarterback. He played in the National Football League (NFL), Canadian Football League (CFL) and 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. [3] 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.
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". [4] 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. [5] 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, [6] 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 [7] [8] ) 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, [9] 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. [10] He then declared for the NFL Draft, foregoing his senior year.
Ware became the top draft pick of the Detroit Lions in the 1990 NFL draft. [11] 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. In 1994 he was signed by the Minnesota Vikings, but was released before the start of the season, and he ended up on the roster of the Los Angeles Raiders, but was released after several games without being activated. 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, [12] 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. [3]
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.
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. [13]
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.
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.
Barry Sanders is an American former professional football running back who played for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons. Sanders led the league in rushing yards four times and in rushing touchdowns once, establishing himself as one of the most elusive runners in the history of the NFL with his quickness and agility, despite being only 5 ft 8 in tall and weighing 203 lbs. Sanders played college football for the Oklahoma State Cowboys. As a junior in 1988, he compiled what is widely considered the greatest individual season by a running back in college football history, rushing for 2,628 yards and 37 touchdowns in 11 games. He won the Heisman Trophy and was unanimously recognized as an All-American.
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.
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 Athletic Director at American Leadership Academy – Gilbert North High School in Gilbert, Arizona.
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.
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. After three pro-bowl selections, his career was prematurely ended by a knee injury suffered in 1984.
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.
Rodney Peete Sr. 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.
Kliff Timothy Kingsbury is an American professional football coach and former quarterback who is the offensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas Tech Red Raiders, 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 was a member of several other NFL and CFL teams before entering coaching in 2008.
Brian Jeffrey Symons is an American former professional football quarterback. Symons played for the Houston Texans and Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL), the Frankfurt Galaxy and Berlin Thunder in NFL Europe, and the Tampa Bay Storm of the Arena Football League (AFL). He was selected by the Texans in the seventh round of the 2004 NFL draft. He played college football for Texas Tech where he was a record setting passer. Symons never played in a regular season NFL game.
David Ryan Klingler is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for six years in the National Football League (NFL) and current Associate Professor of Bible Exposition at Dallas Theological Seminary. He played college football for the Houston Cougars, earning third-team All-American honors in 1990. Klingler was selected in the first round of the 1992 NFL draft by the Cincinnati Bengals, but his career was cut short by an elbow injury.
The 2009 BCS National Championship Game was an American football game played at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on January 8, 2009. It was the national championship game for the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season, and featured the second-ranked Florida Gators against the top-ranked Oklahoma Sooners. The two participants were determined by the BCS Rankings to decide the BCS National Championship. Television coverage in the United States was provided by Fox, and radio coverage by ESPN Radio. The game was the last BCS Championship to air on Fox; starting with the 2010 game, ABC or ESPN televised the championship.
Samuel Jacob Bradford is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL).
Kevin Murray is an American former 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.
Jerrod Terrel Johnson is an American professional football coach and former player who is the quarterbacks coach for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played quarterback at Texas A&M. Johnson was Texas A&M's starting quarterback from 2008 to 2010, finishing his collegiate career ranked first in school history with 8,011 passing yards and 8,888 yards total offense. He is currently second in school history in passing yards and third in total offense. Johnson was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2011 and would play in the NFL for six seasons with the Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Bears, Baltimore Ravens and Dallas Cowboys. Johnson's coaching career began in 2017; he held various assistant coaching roles on the San Francisco 49ers, Indianapolis Colts, Minnesota Vikings and Houston Texans.
The 1990 Detroit Lions season was the franchise's 61st season in the National Football League (NFL), their 57th as the Detroit Lions, and their second under head coach Wayne Fontes. The team failed to improve upon their 7–9 record from the previous season, suffering their seventh consecutive losing season.
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.
Kellen Christopher Moore is an American professional football coach and former quarterback who is the offensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Boise State Broncos, where he set the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) record for quarterback wins. Moore spent the majority of his professional career from 2012 to 2017 as a backup, only seeing playing time with the Dallas Cowboys in 2015. After retiring as a player, Moore began a coaching career and became the Eagles' offensive coordinator in 2024.
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.
Derrick Deshaun Watson is an American professional football quarterback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Clemson Tigers, leading the team to a national championship in 2016. Watson was selected in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft by the Houston Texans.