Troy Legend DeMarcus Ware Inducted into Pro Football Hall of Fame

Once in a lifetime, a perfect storm appears out of nowhere. One such storm began swirling in 2001… when DeMarcus Ware arrived in the Wiregrass. 

It’s hard to believe there was ever a time that Ware, arguably the greatest player in Troy history and one of the greatest football players to ever come from the state of Alabama, was unheralded, but such as it was in 2001. Ware received exactly zero scholarship offers coming out of Auburn High School, not even from the hometown university (I’m sure they regret that now.)

It took fellow Auburn High School alumni Osi Umenyiora talking to Coach Larry Blakeney on his behalf before the Trojans offered Ware a scholarship. While Coach Blakeney might not have been able to foresee the player he would become, he definitely saw potential when he checked out the senior.

The 6’5”, 230-lb defensive end had 40 tackles with 15 assisted tackles and 7 sacks for the Junior Tigers his senior season. He was named the Most Valuable Receiver AND Most Valuable Linebacker for Auburn High School.

That was enough for Troy State to offer him his only scholarship.

At Troy, #94 would backup the man who got him to Troy at right end. In 2001, Ware would see action sparingly in only 8 games.

He made the most of his opportunities though, wrapping up 5 solo tackles and another 9 assisted.

He had three tackles for loss for a total of 15 yards lost. He also had 2 sacks and 2 quarterback hurries.

In 2002, he became a starter at defensive end opposite Osi. You could tell the reason why in his stat line for the year.

He had 72 total tackles (47 solo and 25 assisted), 19.5 TFLs and 9 sacks. Adding to this, he also accounted for 13 QB hurries and 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery.

As a junior in 2003, Ware earned his first honors as a Trojan, locking up a spot on the NCAA All-Independent Team. He achieved this by making 62 tackles (43 solo and 19 assisted), 16 TFLs, 6 sacks.

He also had 1 pass defended, 1 pass breakup, a whopping 32 QB hurries, as well as, 5 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries, and a blocked kick.

Ware continued his dominance of the competition in 2004, his senior season. He finished the year with 48 tackles (22 solo and 26 assisted), 18.5 TFLs for 101 yards lost, and 2 sacks.

Ware also accounted for another pass defended and a pass broken up, 8 QB hurries, and 2 forced fumbles.

He was named Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year and was an All-Sun Belt selection. He was invited to the Senior Bowl and was also a finalist for the Hendricks Award, which goes to the best defensive end in the country.

Ware was the first first-round NFL Draft selection in Troy and Sun Belt history. His 11th pick by the Dallas Cowboys would remain the highest in Troy and Sun Belt history until Leodis McKelvin tied it in 2008.

Ware spent the first 9 seasons (141 games) of his NFL career in Dallas where he established himself as one of the best defensive players in the league. During his time with Jerry Jones’ organization, he had 576 tackles (445 solo and 131 assisted), 145 TFLs, 185 QB hits, 117 sacks, 32 forced fumbles, 7 fumble recoveries and 2 fumble recovery touchdowns.

He also defended 23 passes, with 2 interceptions and 1 interception returned for a touchdown.

The Dallas part of Ware’s career saw him invited to 7 Pro Bowls. He was selected to the All-Pro First Team four times and the All-Pro Second Team three times.

He finished second (2008) and fifth (2007) in the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Selection. He finished fourth in the 2004 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year voting as well. He is the Cowboys all-time leader in sacks (117), forced fumbles (32), tackles for loss (145), and QB hits (185).

In 2014, the Cowboys released Ware after he didn’t want to take a pay cut. The Cowboys’ loss was the Broncos gain. Denver signed him to a 3 year, $30 million contract. No. 94 added more to his statistics in his three years in Denver.

He picked up 81 tackles (60 solo and 21 assisted), 26 TFLs, 44 QB hits, and 21.5 sacks. He also added another interception, three pass defenses, and a fumble recovery.

In 2014 and 2015, Ware was selected to his eighth and ninth Pro Bowls. Most importantly, 2015 would be the season in which DeMarcus Ware finally got the accolade he was missing: a Super Bowl ring.

Unfortunately, 2016 would be Ware’s last season playing in the NFL, as injuries weighed heavily on his performance. He would retire during the following off-season. 

Ware’s achievements did not stop with his NFL career. He was named to the Sun Belt All-Decade Team in 2010 (Not bad for only playing one season in the Sun Belt.). He was also included on the NFL’s 2000s All-Decade Team.

In 2012, he was inducted into the Troy Athletics Hall of Fame. 2014 saw him inducted into the Senior Bowl Hall of Fame. Ware was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2021.

He led the NFL in sacks for a season twice and won the Butkus Award twice as well. He was also an 11-time Captain during his time in the NFL. 

With his inclusion in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, DeMarcus Ware continues his trailblazing ways as a Troy Trojan, becoming the first Trojan ever to be inducted into that legendary fraternity. DeMarcus Ware was already a Troy legend three or four times over.

This only solidifies his place as one of, if not the, greatest football player in Troy history.