DeMarcus Ware

A formidable figure in the National Football League (NFL) for more than a dozen seasons, DeMarcus Ware led the Dallas Cowboys in quarterback sacks before joining the Denver Broncos, with whom he earned a Super Bowl ring against the Carolina Panthers in 2015. Born DeMarcus Omar Ware on July 31, 1982 in Auburn, Alabama, he was steeped in sports throughout his pre-college years, performing at the highest level in both football and track and field. After completing his senior season at Auburn High School with seven sacks and 55 total tackles, Ware accepted a scholarship from Troy University, and debuted as a starter at defensive end in his sophomore year. Within three years' time, he had netted a record-setting 27.5 sacks, 201 tackles, 74 quarterback hurries and one interception, which earned him the Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year award. After completed his college career, Ware was selected by the Dallas Cowboys as the 11th overall pick in the 2005 draft, signing a five-year, $13 million contract with $10 million guaranteed. He quickly justified that sizable sum with three tackles in his NFL debut against the San Diego Chargers and his first sack on San Francisco's Tim Rattay just three weeks later. Named NFL Defensive Rookie on several occasions throughout 2005, Ware went to finish his freshman outing with 58 tackles, and joined Jimmie Jones as the only rookies to ever lead or tie for the Cowboys' team lead in sacks. The following year saw Ware score his first NFL touchdown on a 41-yard interception against the Atlanta Falcons, which generated the first of seven Pro Bowl invitations in his career and the team record for sacks by a Cowboys lineback with 11.5 sacks. Ware would top that number in 2007 with 14 sacks, minting him as the leading NFL linebacker for sacks and tied the Denver Broncos' Simon Fletcher for recording sacks in ten consecutive games the following year. He would sign a six-year, $78-million contract with the Cowboys in 2009, and would again surpass expectations by not only overcoming a sprained neck but also recording two-sack fumbles in a crucial game that upended the New Orleans Saints' chance for an undefeated season. He would help bring the Cowboys to the playoffs in 2010, where he twice sacked Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, and would record his 100th sack in just 113 games by 2012. Two more earned the following year earned him the franchise record for sacks and the end of his tenure with the Cowboys, who released him from his contract in 2014. His free agent status lasted exactly one day, when he signed a three-year, $30 million deal (including $20 million in guaranteed money) with the Broncos. Again, his 2014 play was nothing if stellar, with 41 tackles and 10 sacks in his first season with Denver, and unleashed three punishing sacks against 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick that same year. It would be the last such feat of his career, with his final career interception coming that same year. After a decade in service to the NFL, Ware enjoyed a exceptional 2015 season, ending the regular season with 25 sacks before advancing to the Championship games, where he helped batter Tom Brady and the New England Patriots into yielding the AFC Championship. Super Bowl 50 saw the Broncos face off against the Carolina Panthers, but Ware remained at the top of his game, netting three tackles and two sacks to help Denver clinch the Lombardi Trophy. The 2016 season opened on a disappointing note, with a fractured elbow in the second week of regular play and a month of recovery; Ware would play just 10 more games before undergoing back surgery that took him off the field for the remainder of the season. Though he initially intended to play in 2017, Ware reversed his decision and announced his retirement on March 13, 2017. He would sign a one-day contract with the Cowboys to retire as a member of the organization; soon after, Ware joined MMA star Ronda Rousey as a coach on ABC's revival of its campy "Battle of the Network Stars" (ABC 2017- ) reality competition series.