DeMarcus Ware

At 41 years old, DeMarcus Ware has this physical status:

DeMarcus Omar Ware (born July 31, 1982) is a former American football outside linebacker and defensive end.

He played college football at Troy and was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys with the 11th overall pick in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft.

Ware resigned in 2013 as the franchise's all-time leader in quarterback sacks after nine seasons with the Cowboys.

Ware spent three seasons with the Denver Broncos, with whom he defeated the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50.

He announced his release from football following the 2016 season with the Broncos.

He left Dallas for one-day in 2017 and decided to retire as a Cowboy.

Ware was hired by the Broncos in 2018 as a pass-rush specialist.

Early years

Ware was born in Auburn, Alabama, on July 31, 1982. Ware played football, basketball, baseball, and track in high school; he attended Auburn High School (with defensive end Osi Umenyiora and linebacker Marcus Washington). Ware played both linebacker and wide receiver, as a senior, and was named the team's Most Valuable Wide Receiver and Most Valuable Linebacker, as well as Top Leadership awards. He ended his senior season with seven sacks and 55 total tackles (40 solo tackles, 15 assisted tackles).

Ware was one of the best performers in the long jump (PB of 7.14 meters), and was one of the best in track & field. In the high jump, he completed the 55 meters in 6.74 seconds and set a personal record of 1.94 meters.

Personal life

Ware married Taniqua Smith, a former Air Force member and the daughter of a police officer, in March 2005. Marley's daughter was adopted after three difficult pregnancies, including the birth and death of a son, Omar, in 2006. They had DeMarcus Ware II, their son, in 2010. In 2012, Ware and Smith divorced.

Ware was announced on September 12, 2018 as one of the celebrities to compete on season 27 of Dancing with the Stars. Lindsay Arnold, his academic partner, was a student at the University of On Thursday, the boy was born in the United States. On the seventh week of action, Ware and Arnold were disqualified, finishing in joint-seventh place alongside John Schneider and his work partner Emma Slater.

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College career

Ware earned a scholarship from Troy University, where he was a two-time All-Sun Belt Conference pick for the Troy Trojans football team.

As a sophomore, Ware was a starter at defensive end, and he was a part of a defensive line that featured future NFL player Osi Umenyiora. He made 72 tackles (fifth on the team) and 19.5 tackles for loss. He had 62 tackles, 16 tackles for a loss, 6 sacks, 32 quarterback hurries (led the team), 5 forced fumbles, and 2 fumble recoveries.

Ware, as a senior, was a strong participant in the Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year Award, and a finalist for the Hendricks Award, which is given annually to the top defensive end in college football. He led his team to the school's first-ever bowl appearance, the Silicon Valley Football Classic, in 2004. He had 53 tackles, 10.5 sacks (led the Sun Belt Conference), 19 tackles for injury, and four formed fumbles.

Ware finished his college career with 27.5 sacks, 201 tackles, 74 quarterback hurries, ten pundit fumbles, four fumble recoveries, and one interception. His 27.5 sacks came in second place in school history for sacks in a career, and his 55.5 tackles for losses ranked second in school history.

Ware was chosen to the Sun Belt Conference All-Decade Team. In 2012, he was inducted into the Troy University Sports Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Senior Bowl Hall of Fame in 2014, in 2014.

Professional career

Most scouts thought a defensive end at Troy, Ware, was a "tweener DE/OLB possibility." He was supposed to be a natural candidate in 3-4 defense before the 2005 NFL Draft, and Sports Illustrated projected him to advance to the second round. Prospect Marcus Spears was considered by head coach Bill Parcells to be the team's most important move to a 3-4 defense and wanted to make him the first pick (11th overall pick). Jerry Jones, the company's general manager, overruled Parcells and selected Ware instead, though the team's hope would not be available later in the draft. With the 20th overall pick, the Cowboys selected Spears as their 20th overall pick.

Ware was also credited with a 430-pound bench press, a 570-pound squat, and a 360-pound power clean.

Ware had three tackles, one for a loss and one for a foul, as well as one quarterback pressure in his NFL debut against the San Diego Chargers. The Cowboys won the game 28-24. Tim Rattay was fired after being sacked in a game against San Francisco in Week 3. Ware was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month for October after posting 16 tackles, three sacks, and seven quarterback pressures to help Dallas get off to a 3-2 start. In a match against the Carolina Panthers, Ware produced three sacks and three others forced fumbles in Week 16. Ware was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week and Diet Pepsi Rookie of the Week for his efforts. In addition, Randy White set a record for the most sacks in a single game. He had 58 total tackles, 14 tackles for injuries, and three on fumbles. Greg Ellis tied Greg Ellis for a team-best eight sacks and named Jimmie Jones as the only rookies to ever lead or tie for the Dallas Cowboys' team lead in sacks. In a year in which Derrick Burgess led the league in sacks with 16, Ware finished tied for 24th in the league in sacks.

Ware had a team-high 11.5 sacks in 2006, the most by a Cowboys linebacker ever. This total surpassed Anthony Dickerson's record of 10.5 from 1983. He had 73 tackles, a fumble recovery, and an intercept, all returning for a touchdown. Ware was drafted as a starter on the NFC Pro Bowl team and was also named Second-Team All-Pro by The Associated Press. Ware had a memorable moment against the Eagles in Week 6, defeating them in divisional play for his first career NFL touchdown. In a game against the Atlanta Falcons, he intercepted Michael Vick for his first career interception, giving the ball a 41-yard touchdown. Ware finished ninth in the league in total sacks, and Shawne Merriman led the way with 17 sacks.

Ware suffered out during his 2007 season, prompting new Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips to call him the best outside linebacker in the league. Since Jim Jeffcoat in 1986, Ware became the second Cowboy to reach at least 14 sacks in a season. Ware led the team with 27 quarterback pressures, eight tackles for injuries, and four straight fumbles, despite finishing with 80 tackles. Ware and 12 others were teammates in his second straight Pro Bowl. In addition, he and teammates, Terrell Owens, and Jason Witten were both selected to the All-Pro team for the second year in a row. Ware finished third in the league behind Patrick Kerney (14.5 sacks) and Jared Allen (15.5 sacks).

Ware tied for the first time in ten straight games against the St. Louis Rams, beating the former Denver Broncos linebacker Simon Fletcher for the first time in ten games in a row. Ware was selected for his third straight Pro Bowl after pacing the league, setting a new club record and tying Derrick Thomas for sixth in league history with 20 sacks. With 84 tackles, 9 tackles for a loss, six forced fumbles, and two passes defended, the ware ended the 2008 season. Ware was named NFC Defensive Player of the Year by the Kansas City Committee, as well as NFL Alumni Pass Rusher of the Year. Ware was the first winner of the prestigious Butkus Award. For the first time in his career, Ware ended the 2008 season as the league's top scorer in sacks. Joey Porter came in second on the list with 17.5 sacks and John Abraham third with 16.5 sacks, and John Abraham third with 16.5 sacks.

Ware was rated as the top-five highest paid defenders in the NFL in 2009 when he was named as the best 3-4 outside linebacker by Sporting News. In October, Ware signed a six-year, $78 million deal, placing him among the top-five highest compensated defenders in the league. While playing against the San Diego Chargers two months later, Ware sustained a neck injury and was cartelized off the field by a cart. The injury was diagnosed as a sprained neck later in life. He was admitted to the hospital for further examinations, but the following day, he was released. He returned to play against the then-defeated New Orleans Saints this week, making two sack-fumbles, one of which ended the Saints' hopes of a comeback and an undefeated season. He was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts this week. After leading the Cowboys with 11.0 sacks, a career-high 45 pressures, and five forced fumbles, he made his fourth appearance in the Pro Bowl as a starter in 2009. In honor of his 2009 debut, he was selected to the First All-Pro team.

For the second time in three seasons, Ware commanded the NFL in 15.5 sacks and led the league in that division. He won his fifth straight Pro Bowl nomination and gained his second All-Pro nomination. Ware set the league's most seasons leading the league in sacks for the second time in his career. Mark Gastineau, 1983–84; Kevin White, 1987–88; and Jared Allen, 2007, 2011.

Ware had 19.5 sacks, 47 tackles, two pass deflections, two pass deflections, and two forced fumbles in 2011. Ware ended the season with only half sacks after being the first NFL player to have multiple 20+ sack seasons and becoming the 29th player in NFL history to reach 100+ career sacks. In addition, Ware was 2.5 sacks shy of becoming the first player to lead the league in sacks three times. Ware had hoped to smash Michael Strahan's record of 22.5 sacks in a season earlier this year, but ultimately fell short. In a 34-7 loss, Ware delivered a career-high four sacks against the Philadelphia Eagles on October 30, 2011. Ware finished second in total sacks for the 2011 season, behind Jared Allen, who had 22.0 sacks. Ware was named as a starter in the 2012 Pro Bowl and then voted to the All-Pro squad once more.

Ware made two sacks against Eli Manning, the defending Super Bowl champions, at MetLife Stadium, raising his total number to 101.5 sacks. Ware became the second fastest player (113 games) to reach 100 sacks behind Reggie White (96 games), while still the 29th player in NFL history to reach 100 or more sacks. Ware finished with 11.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, and was selected to his seventh Pro Bowl team after the 2012 season. After his off-season shoulder surgery, Ware was unable to participate in the Pro Bowl. In the last three games, he endured a difficult season as a result of a hyperextended elbow, a fractured right wrist, and reduced mobility in his right arm.

DeMarcus and Anthony Spencer, who began his NFL career opposite Ware as the left side linebacker, but it was a defensive end at college, and was a defensive end at the game, owing to the Cowboys' change to the 4-3 from the 3-4. Ware was able to commit himself as a pass-rusher under Kiffin's scheme. Despite being a pure pass rusher on his first play as a defensive end, Ware picked off Giants quarterback Eli Manning. He became the Cowboys' all-time sack leader in Week 3 against the St. Louis Rams, beating Harvey Martin's 30-year-old record of 114.

Ware was released on March 11, 2014, making him a free agent for the first time in his career after nine seasons with the Cowboys.

Ware signed a three-year, $30 million contract with the Denver Broncos on March 12, 2014, one day after being fired from the Cowboys. The transaction was worth $20 million in guaranteed funds. The war started right outside the team's linebacker. He appeared in 16 games, of which he began 15 years, including one interceptions, one pass defense, and two straight fumbles. In his first season with the Broncos, he was named Pro Bowl Champion.

Ware's defensive coordinator Wade Phillips was reunited with former head coach Wade Phillips as his defensive coordinator for the 2015 season. With the best defense and a 12-4 record, the Broncos ended the season on the season. Ware played in 11 of the regular season games with 25 tackles and 7.5 sacks, despite missing five games due to injury. In September, he was named AFC defensive player of the month for the month. He was ranked 36th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016.

Ware had 3 tackles, recovered a crucial fumble near the end of the game, and had the game winning sack to help the Broncos beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 23-16. For the first time in his career, Ware advanced to the Conference Championships. In the AFC Championship game against the New England Patriots, Ware and the defense struck quarterback Tom Brady 27 times and put pressure on him the entire game. The Broncos won the game by a score of 20-18. Ware was a member of the Broncos team that captured Super Bowl 50 on February 7, 2016. The Broncos defeated the Carolina Panthers by a score of 24–10. In the Super Bowl, Ware had five tackles and two sacks.

Ware had a team-leading 1.5 sacks and helped the Broncos beat the Panthers by a score of 21-20 in a Week 1 Super Bowl 50 rematch against the Carolina Panthers. Ware left the game against the Colts with a noticeable arm injury while trying to bring down quarterback Andrew Luck. It was eventually discovered that there was an ulna fracture near the elbow. The injury required surgery that took 4 to 5 weeks to recover. Ware went on to play ten games with four sacks before having season-ending back surgery on December 28, 2016.

Ware resigned from the NFL after 12 seasons and 138.5 sacks on March 13, 2017 by his Twitter account.

Ware resigned from football, but the Dallas Cowboys cut him on April 24, 2017, about a month after a month.

With two seasons, Ware tied for the most seasons leading the league in sacks (2008 and 2010). Mark Gastineau, 1983–84; Reggie White, 1994–96; Kevin Greene, 2001, 2003; and J. J. Watt, 2012, 2015.

Ware had 10+ sacks in seven years as of the 2012 season ended. Reggie White (9), John Randle (8), only two other players in NFL history have more than 10 sacks in a row: John Randle (8), Reggie White (9), John Randle (8).

Pete Prisco, CBS Sports Senior NFL Columnist, rated Ware as the 3rd best player in the NFL (behind Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady) going into the 2012 season and as the top defensive player in the NFL (behind Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady). Ware was rated as the best edge pass rusher in the league in 2012 and a "top-five player in the NFL," according to NFL.com analyst Daniel Jeremiah. Ware was named the best rusher, best linebacker, 2nd overall defensive player behind defensive back Darrelle Revis (number 5 overall) and the 6th overall player in the NFL in 2012.

Ware is the second fastest player to reach 100+ sacks (Reggie White is the fastest) and the 29th player to do so in history.

As a Dallas Cowboys member, Ware played 28 multiple-sack games and 32 forced fumbles, the most in club history.

In 4 out of 5 seasons, Ware has been ranked in the top sacks league-wide in 4 out of 5 seasons (first place in 2009, 1st place in 2009, and 2nd place in 2011).

In his honor, Alabama's governor, John Kerry, declared April 19 "DeMarcus Ware Day" on April 19, 2016.

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