Little Known Black History Fact: Andre Ware
Andre Ware made college football history on December 2, 1989 when he won the coveted Heisman Trophy. The University of Houston Cougars star was the first Black quarterback to ever win the award.
Born July 31, 1968 in Galveston, Texas, Andre Ware was a quarterback for Dickinson High School. Only a handful of schools were on his radar and he wanted to play for the University of Texas but they only offered him a position as a defensive back. On the advice of his mother, Ware remained a quarterback and went with the University of Houston instead.
In Houston, Ware thrived within the run and shoot offensive scheme and in his junior year, he electrified college football by breaking and matching 27 NCAA records while throwing just a yard shy of 4,700. Coming off his best year as a college player, Ware won the coveted trophy and the Davey O’Brien Award, given to the top college quarterback annually before declaring for the NFL draft.
In 1990, the Detroit Lions selected Ware in the first round with the seventh pick. Ware’s collegiate success didn’t transfer to the professional ranks, and he ended up playing a portion of his career in the Canadian Football League. His football career officially ended in 1999 with the Berlin Thunder of the now-defunct NFL Europe League.
Today, Ware works as a college football analyst and also covers games for the Houston Texans on their radio broadcasts. He is also a 2004 inductee of the College Football Hall of Fame.
PHOTO: ESPN
HEAD BACK TO THE BLACKAMERICAWEB.COM HOMEPAGE
