Andre Ware facts for kids
Ware with the Houston Cougars
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| No. 11, 10, 1 | |||||||||||||||
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| Position: | Quarterback | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born: | July 31, 1968 Galveston, Texas, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 205 lb (93 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school: | Dickinson (TX) | ||||||||||||||
| College: | Houston (1987–1989) | ||||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1990 / Round: 1 / Pick: 7 | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||||
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College Football Hall of Fame
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Andre Trevor Ware (born July 31, 1968) is an American sports analyst and commentator. He is also 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. In 1989, he won the Heisman Trophy and the Davey O'Brien Award. He was the first black quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy. In the 1990 NFL draft, the Detroit Lions picked Ware in the first round. He was the seventh player chosen overall. In 2004, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
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College Football Success
Andre Ware grew up in Galveston, Texas. He hoped to play football for the University of Texas. However, they told him they would move him to defense. So, he chose to play for the University of Houston instead.
Winning the Heisman Trophy
In 1989, during his junior year, Ware won the Heisman Trophy. This award goes to the most outstanding college football player. He also won the Davey O'Brien Award, given to the best college quarterback. That season, he set 27 NCAA records in just 11 games. He threw for 4,699 yards and 46 touchdowns. He often sat out the fourth quarter because his team was winning by so much.
The Run-and-Shoot Offense
Many of Ware's records were thanks to a special playing style called the run and shoot offense. This offense helped his team score a lot of points. For example, in one game in 1989, he threw for 340 yards and 5 touchdowns in just the first quarter! The 1989 Houston Cougars team was the first college team to have a 4,000-yard passer, a 1,000-yard rusher, and a 1,000-yard receiver in the same season. They finished the season with a 9–2 record.
Playing While on Probation
The Houston Cougars team was on probation in 1989. This meant they faced some penalties. Because of this, Andre Ware is the only quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy while playing for a team on probation. After his amazing junior year, he decided to enter the NFL Draft early.
Professional Football Career
In the 1990 NFL draft, the Detroit Lions chose Andre Ware as their top pick. He joined the Lions for the 1990 NFL season. He played alongside Barry Sanders, another Heisman Trophy winner. Ware spent four years with Detroit. He played in 14 games and started six of them.
Challenges in the NFL
Some people debate why Ware did not have a longer NFL career. Some say his coaches did not give him enough chances to play and grow. Others believe he struggled to play in different offensive systems. He was used to the run-and-shoot offense from college.
Playing in Other Leagues
After his time with the Lions, Ware played for other teams. In 1994, he signed with the Minnesota Vikings and later the Los Angeles Raiders, but he did not play in any games for them. In 1995, he joined the Jacksonville Jaguars, a new NFL team. He was cut from the team before the season started.
Ware also played in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played for the Ottawa Rough Riders, the BC Lions, and the Toronto Argonauts. He even played for the Berlin Thunder, a German team in NFL Europe.
Life After Playing Football
After his playing career, Andre Ware became a sports analyst and commentator.
Radio and TV Broadcasting
Since 2002, Ware has been part of the radio broadcast team for the Houston Texans. He works with Marc Vandermeer. Since 2003, he has also been a college football analyst for ESPN. He has called games for ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN on ABC. From 2009 to 2013, he was a color commentator for Southeastern Conference Football. In 2014, he joined the ESPN SEC Network. Since 2020, he has been part of the ESPN College Football Friday Primetime team.
Honors and Awards
Andre Ware has received several honors for his football career.
- In 2004, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
- On February 29, 2012, he was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame. Other famous athletes and coaches were also part of his induction class.
See also
- List of NCAA major college football yearly passing leaders
- List of NCAA major college football yearly total offense leaders
- Racial issues faced by black quarterbacks
- List of black quarterbacks
