Player Info: LB Demarcus Ware Bios
Monday, October 08, 2007 at 05:47:34 pm

PICTURES

DeMarcus Ware #94
Linebacker
6'4" 257 7/31/82
Troy D-1a for '05 (11th overall)
NFL: 3rd Year Cowboys: 3rd Year

PRO: When the Cowboys chose Ware with the 11th overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, they were looking for an explosive playmaker on defense. Two seasons, 19.5 sacks, and a starting spot in the Pro Bowl later, it's safe to say Ware has provided just that, blossoming into one of the NFL's top young defenders. After a promising rookie season, Ware led the Cowboys with 11.5 sacks in 2006, becoming the first Cowboy to record 10 or more sacks in a season since Tony Tolbert, who had 12.0 in 1996. Ware also became the first Cowboy to score two defensive touchdowns in a season since Roy Williams in 1996. Ware finished fifth on the Cowboys with 82 tackles and third on the team with 61 solo tackles. He tied for the team lead with five tackles for a loss and led the team with five forced fumbles. He earned a starting spot in the Pro Bowl at outside linebacker. He also was a second-team All-Pro pick by The Associated Press and a first-team All-NFC pick by the Pro Football Writers Association. Best known for as a pass rusher, he displayed his other defensive skills in his two defensive touchdowns in 2006. He showed off his speed by outrunning Eagles tight end L.J. Smith on a fumble recovery, which he returned 69 yards for a touchdown in a road loss in October. He also made one of the NFL's top defensive plays of the season in Atlanta, snagging a Michael Vick pass and then outrunning him for a 41-yard touchdown. As a rookie, Ware tied Greg Ellis for the team lead with eight sacks, becoming just the second rookie in club history to lead or tie for the team lead in sacks since Jimmie Jones in 1990. Among rookies, Ware's eight sacks ranked second in the NFL in 2005 and third in Cowboys history, behind Willie Townes (1966) and Harvey Martin (1973), who had 9.0 sacks.

2006: Ware finished his second season with 11.5 sacks, the most ever by a Cowboys linebacker, breaking Anthony Dickerson's record of 10.5 in 1983. He became the first Cowboy to have 10 or more sacks in a season since defensive end Tony Tolbert had 12.0 in 1996. After tying for the team lead with eight sacks in 2005, he became the only player in Cowboys history to have or tie for the team lead in sacks in each of his first two pro seasons. Ware also became the first Cowboy since Roy Williams in 2002 and the first linebacker since Dexter Coakley in 2001 to score two defensive touchdowns in a season. Ware was fifth on the team with 82 tackles, and he led the team with five tackles for a loss and five forced fumbles. He was fourth on the team with four quarterback pressures. In the season opener in Jacksonville (9/10), Ware tied for second on the team with seven tackles and had two tackles for a loss and a quarterback pressure. He made his first sack of the season in the Cowboys' win over Washington (9/17), dropping Mark Brunell for an 11-yard loss in the second quarter. Ware also had four tackles, and the Cowboys held the Redskins to just three points. Against Tennessee (10/1), Ware had four tackles, and the defense limited the Titans to 229 yards, including 78 rushing yards. At Philadelphia (10/8), Ware made his first career fumble recovery, catching a Donovan McNabb fumble following a Greg Ellis sack and returning it 69 yards for his first NFL touchdown. The 69-yard return was the seventh-longest in club history. It was also the team's longest defensive touchdown return by a non-defensive back since 1999, when Ellis returned a fumble 98 yards for a touchdown against Arizona. Ware also made three tackles and a sack. He made four tackles in a home win over Houston (10/15), which was held to 34 rushing yards on 17 carries. Against the Giants (10/23), he made a season-high eight tackles and his third sack of the season. He also forced a fumble by Tiki Barber just before halftime, and it was recovered by Bradie James. At Carolina (10/29), he made three sacks, three forced fumbles, and finished third on the team with five tackles. He also helped shut out the Panthers in the final three quarters after they had scored 14 points in the first. In a loss to Washington (11/5), he tied for the team lead with six tackles, all solo. He also made his first career pass breakup and his fourth sack of the season. Ware got his fifth sack in Arizona (11/12), forcing his second fumble of the season on the play. He finished the game with three sacks. Ware got his sixth sack of the year against Indianapolis (11/19) and also forced a fumble as the Colts suffered their first loss of the season and were held to a season-low 14 points. Ware had three tackles, including one for a loss, against Tampa Bay (11/23), and the Bucs were limited to 211 yards. Against the Giants (12/3), Ware had seven tackles, including one for a loss on fourth-and-1 in the second quarter. He had seven more tackles in a loss to New Orleans (12/10) and posted the team's only sack of the game. He made one of the top plays of the year in Atlanta (12/16), picking off Michael Vick's pass and outrunning him for a touchdown, his second of the season. The interception was the first of Ware's career. He also had six tackles, forced a fumble, and split a sack with Bobby Carpenter. In a Christmas Day loss to Philadelphia (12/25), Ware had six tackles and a sack. He tied a career high with three sacks in the season finale against Detroit (12/31) and finished the game with eight tackles. In his playoff debut in Seattle (1/6), Ware had one tackle for a loss and helped limit Shaun Alexander to 69 yards on 24 carries. He was named a starter on the NFC Pro Bowl team and was also named second-team All-Pro by The Associated Press and first-team All-NFC by The Pro Football Writers Association.

2005: Ware tied Greg Ellis with a team-high eight sacks. He became the third rookie in club history to lead or tie for the team lead in sacks, joining Chuck Howley in 1961 and Jimmie Jones in 1990. Ware's eight sacks also ranked second in the NFL among rookies. He also had 65 tackles, which ranked fifth on the team and first among club rookies. He led the team with 11 tackles for a loss, was second on the team with 19 quarterback pressures, and tied for the team lead with three forced fumbles. Over the final eight games of the season, he had 41 tackles, four sacks, seven tackles for a loss, three forced fumbles, and 10 quarterback pressures. In the season opener at San Diego (9/11), he started at weakside linebacker and made three tackles, a tackle for a loss, and a quarterback pressure. Against Washington (9/19), he made four tackles and a tackle for a loss, helping limit Clinton Portis to 52 yards on 17 carries. Ware made his first career sack at San Francisco (9/25) when he took down Tim Rattay. At Oakland (10/2), he made three tackles, a tackle for a loss, and a sack, which came on third down at the Dallas 12-yard line and forced the Raiders to kick a field goal. Against Philadelphia (10/9), he sacked Donovan McNabb on the Eagles' first play from scrimmage. That set the tone for a game in which the Eagles were held to 129 total yards, including 19 rushing yards, the fourth-lowest rushing total Dallas has ever allowed. Against the Giants (10/16), he recorded a sack for the fourth straight game, the longest streak on the team since 2004, when Greg Ellis did it from Week 2 to Week 5. Ware also tied for third on the team with four tackles. The Giants finished the game 1-of-11 on third downs. At Seattle (10/23), he made three quarterback pressures, five tackles, and a tackle for a loss. The Seahawks, who entered the game as the NFL's top-ranked offense, were limited to 289 total yards, 118 below their season average, and one touchdown. Shaun Alexander, the NFL's leading rusher, was limited to 61 yards on 21 carries (2.9 yards per carry). Against Arizona (10/30), Ware made four tackles and three quarterback pressures, including one that led to Anthony Henry's interception and 58-yard return for a touchdown. The Cowboys limited the Cardinals to 213 total yards, including just 71 rushing yards. Ware earned NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month honors in October after making 16 tackles, three sacks, and seven quarterback pressures and helping Dallas go 3-2. The Cowboys also allowed just four touchdowns in those five games. At Philadelphia (11/14), he made six tackles, a tackle for a loss, and a quarterback pressure to help limit the NFL's top-ranked passing offense to 178 net passing yards. Against Detroit (11/20), he had two tackles for a loss and three other tackles, and Kevin Jones was held to 29 rushing yards on 12 carries. The Lions ran for just 57 yards and gained 226 total yards on the day. Ware was second on the team with six tackles against Denver (11/24). At the Giants (12/4), he finished second on the team with seven tackles along with two tackles for a loss and a season-high four quarterback pressures, one of which led to an Aaron Glenn interception in the end zone. New York was limited to one offensive touchdown and 150 net passing yards on the day. Ware again led the team with three quarterback pressures and four tackles against Kansas City (12/11). He was the NFC Defensive Player of the Week and the Diet Pepsi Rookie of the Week for his play at Carolina (12/24), when he tied Randy White's rookie record with three sacks. He forced a fumble on all three sacks, becoming the first Cowboy to force three fumbles in a game since 1984, when records were first kept. He was also second on the team with a career-high eight tackles and had a tackle for a loss, and the Panthers were limited to 71 rushing yards on 24 carries. Against St. Louis (1/1/06), Ware made his eighth sack of the season, tying the team high, and the Rams were held to 253 total yards.

COLLEGE: As a senior, Ware earned third-team All-America, All-Sun Belt, and Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year honors. He made 53 tackles, 29 pressures, 19 tackles for a loss, a career-high 10.5 sacks and four forced fumbles, leading Troy to its first bowl appearance. He was also a finalist for the Ted Hendricks Award, which is given annually to the top defensive end in college football. As a junior, Ware started every game at left defensive end and made 62 tackles, a career-high 32 pressures, 16 tackles for a loss, six sacks, and a career-high five forced fumbles. He earned first-team All-Independent honors from ESPN and College Football News. Ware began his sophomore season as a reserve but moved into the starting lineup at left end the second week of the season. He finished the season with a career-high 72 tackles, a career-high 20 tackles for a loss, 13 pressures, and nine sacks. As a true freshman, Ware played in eight games as a reserve defensive end and made 14 tackles, three tackles for a loss, and two sacks.

PERSONAL: Ware played football for Auburn, Ala., High School during his junior and senior seasons. He earned all-area honors as a senior, when he made 55 tackles and seven sacks. He earned most valuable linebacker, wide receiver, and leadership honors from the team. He was also a member of the basketball, baseball, and track teams. Ware graduated from Troy with a degree in Business Information Systems, becoming the first member of his family to graduate from college. He and his wife, Taniqua, have been very active in the Dallas/Fort Worth community. He was a member of the Cowboys 2005 Rookie Club, which introduces rookies to community service in the Dallas area. The program worked with The Salvation Army, Children's Medical Center Dallas, and Meals on Wheels. He also helped with the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Dallas Cowboys/Rent-A-Center RAC Room, a teen recreational room located at the Oak Cliff Boys and Girls Club. During the 2006 off-season, Ware and teammate Marcus Spears were co-hosts for the second annual Taste of the NFL: The Ultimate Dallas Cowboys Tailgate Party at Abacus restaurant, which benefited The North Texas Food Bank. The event raised enough money to provide 330,000 meals to North Texans in need. The Wares also participated in the team's annual support of The Salvation Army Angel Tree program by providing Christmas gifts for families in need.