Andre Ware

Infobox NFLretired


position=Quarterback
number=11
birthdate=birth date and age|1968|7|31
Dickinson, Texas
deathdate=
debutyear=1990
finalyear=1993
draftyear=1990
draftround=1
draftpick=7
college=Houston
teams=
* Detroit Lions (1990-1993)
* Los Angeles Raiders (1994) *
* Ottawa Rough Riders (1995)
* British Columbia Lions (1996)
* Toronto Argonauts (1997)
* Berlin Thunder (1999):*Inactive and/or practice squad member only
stat1label=TD-INT
stat1value=5-8
stat2label=Yards
stat2value=1,112
stat3label=QB Rating
stat3value=63.5
nfl=WAR327855
highlights=
* 1989 Heisman Trophy
* 1989 Davey O'Brien Award
* 1997 Grey Cup champion
CollegeHOF=90079

Andre Ware (born July 31, 1968 in Dickinson, Texas) won the Heisman Trophy as a quarterback for the University of Houston and was later drafted #7 in the first round of the 1990 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions.

College career

Upon leaving Dickinson High School, Andre Ware played at the University of Houston, where he was the first black quarterback to win 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 year, his junior year, he threw for 4,699 yards, 44 touchdowns, and set 26 NCAA records. Many of the records were thanks to the innovative use of the Run & Shoot offense, which his successor at quarterback, David Klingler also used to great effect. The Cougars ended the season ranked the #14 team in the nation by the Associated Press. He then declared for the NFL Draft, foregoing his senior year.

Pro Football career

Ware joined the Lions for the 1990 season, teaming with the previous Heisman Trophy winner from 1988, Barry Sanders. However, Ware was unable to win any significant playing time with Rodney Peete starting and Erik Kramer coming off the bench as the primary backup. Ware spent four years with Detroit, playing 14 games and starting six. His best stretch came late in the 1992 season when the Lions were out of the playoffs, and he won two of three games. The loss came on "Monday Night Football" when he almost led an upset of the San Francisco 49ers. He began 1994 on the roster of the Los Angeles Raiders, but was cut after several games.

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

In the spring of 2008, Sports Illustrated found Ware to be one of the "top draft busts of the [NFL's] modern era," further commenting that he "has the unique distinction of also being a major flop" in the Canadian Football League. [http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/gallery/featured/GAL1130644/5/21/index.htm]

After Pro Football

Along with Marc Vandermeer, Ware is now part of the Houston Texans' radio broadcast team. He also hosts the morning show on Sports Radio 610 AM in Houston with Vandermeer. He teams up with Gary Thorne and Dave Pasch for college football games on ESPN and ESPN on ABC. He also appears as a player in All-Pro Football 2K8.

In 2004 he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.