DeMarcus Ware, Pro Football Hall of Famer

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Well, we appreciate you coming on. So, when you hear Demarcus Ware, Pro Football Hall of Famer, what comes to mind? I just think about the GOAT, you know, the greatest of all time. I mean, that's what my son told me, and that's what I'm going with. And just a legacy that's not going in vain. To me, you can have all the records you want to until you get that jacket, that Hall of Fame nod.

That's when you know that all that sacrifice and everything is going to go into a book, into life that is going to live forever. So, your son called you the GOAT. That's pretty neat. Yeah, he did.

I wouldn't think about it at all. He was like, you know, you're the GOAT. And I'm like, what? But it's really cool to, you know, now talking to my son about it and talking about football. He plays football as well. He's 12 years old.

And, you know, it's a legacy of the Ware that's left behind that he can go back and see. And I feel really good about it. His friend's got to be buzzing, right?

That's got to be just unbelievable. I'd be like a fat kid in a candy store jumping up and down if my old man made the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Yeah, you know, he's been, you know, talking about his friends and all of them play football together. And I, you know, helped him a little bit with his first year last year playing tackle football. So, I hadn't talked to him or seen him yet.

He says he's in school. So, you know, those questions are a real good answer there. So, here's the multimillion dollar question. Your son says you're the GOAT. Do you view yourself as the greatest defensive player ever?

You know what? I feel like I'm part of that group that when I played, I looked up to like the Michael Strahan's or, you know, the Lawrence Taylor's and now you're part of that group. You were mentioned with that group, but now I get to walk into that locker room with that group and say I'm part of a new team of the best guys to ever play. I know a lot of people have probably reached out since it became official and you had to keep a secret for a little bit, but what have been the messages that have really meant the most to you and the phone calls that have meant the most to you? A lot of the guys, you know, especially like the guys that I played with, the guys around the league that I didn't play with, a message that I keep hearing is, you know what, dude, you should have made it last year, but second isn't that bad, even today just being funny, but they'll congratulate me on that or congratulate me on being a great teammate and teaching them.

And that's what it was about. I like to get those congratulatory things and texts from those guys to let me know how much I meant to them because I was a captain for almost 12 years playing in the NFL and that's what it was about me giving so much to those guys and now they're giving back to me with those kind words. The Pro Football Hall of Famer Demarcus Ware here with us. I thought it was so cool how when you found out from Jerry Jones you were at a loss for words because you got snubbed last year. You should have been in on the first ballot and just to see the overwhelming emotions just like overtake you in that spot because you had to know this day was eventually coming and that you were one day going to be in the Hall of Fame, but to see those emotions just take over a pretty damn cool.

And that's the thing. You don't know how you're going to act when some very important to you and it was very very important to me and and I knocked on that door and Jerry Jones was in there with a gold jacket. I really still didn't understand like what are you doing because I can go to Dallas Cowboys facility and Jerry's there, right? I didn't even know until I looked at, you know, Jim Porter that was there and he had the Hall of Fame pin on just that little small pin. It hit me when I heard congratulations that were congratulations come out of Jerry Jones mouth, and I saw that little gold. That little Hall of Fame pin and I was like, hold on. Wait a minute.

I need to I need to catch my breath like seriously. I couldn't even you know, it's like my soul left me a little bit because everything that I did I felt that at that time. What did they tell you that you were going over to the facility for actually for our family lifestyle photo shoot. So me and my wife was there and it was something that was normal and I was like, yeah, let's let's just go there and do what we need to do as a family and all of a sudden it was all about me on that day. So and that's how it always is. I got get tricked into it something and didn't get surprised and there was no thought for a second like oh, this is maybe how I'm going to find out if I make the Hall of Fame zero. And that was a reason why I got that feeling.

Yeah. And you saw those expressions because it was totally caught off guard. I was like, what's up, Jerry? And I knocked on the door. I'm like, are you dressed like playing around and I walked in there and when he said welcome to the two thousand twenty three, you know, class Hall of Fame class. I'm like say what he said congratulations and I thought like Congrats.

What is he congratulating for and then I saw those pins on those guys, you know jackets and I'm like, holy cow. Hold on. Hold on. Wait a minute. This is if this is now like gather your thoughts. Don't don't act too crazy.

That's unbelievable. I was with Rondé Barber the day before the announcement came but you guys knew for for a little bit. So Rondé knew as well. How tough was it to keep it a secret because I'm sure you wanted to tell so many people but you can't let the word get out.

I did. I wanted to tell so many people but I told myself I enjoy yourself for a second because once everyone finds out it's not about you anymore. Everybody that was part of your career part of your life that got you to that point everything.

And I said at least I can get a you know, a little bit of time to cherish that myself before, you know, the floodgates open up. So I was at the game when they introduce you on the field as a Pro Football Hall of Famer. I love the smile that you had because you knew the Philly fans are going to boo you. At first I knew the Philly fans were going to boo me and actually me and Rondé was there. Rondé was like, man, I'm going to get booed the worst because... NFC title game.

I'm like, no, no, no, no, no. I'm going to get booed the worst because they got KC fans here and they got Philadelphia Eagles fans here. And as soon as they said my name, I heard all the boos. It was actually cool. It was funny to me because I'm like, you know, that's just a good testament that those teams hated you. And you played really well in the NFL. It's kind of like you respect the badge of honor that if they cheered you, that means they weren't afraid of you, right? Exactly. Exactly, man.

That is totally true. Pro Football Hall of Famer Demarcus Ware here with us. So your story is so cool coming from Troy. What does that say about your journey that you were able to go to Troy and not only go on to have a dominant career in the NFL, but now be a Pro Football Hall of Famer from Troy?

Yeah, when people say it's not where you start, it's true. It is that I was a 185-pound wide receiver, slow as all get out. I was looking at some old high school tapes and I'm like, man, you really wasn't that good, but you played with so much heart. And I think that's when I got that opportunity and went to a smaller school like, you know, with Troy. That was my only scholarship. And I actually hit a gold spurt. I grew like two inches.

I gained about 50,000 in four years and that's when the beat came out. So from that point on, I just knew that, you know what, it's really not where you started. Whatever door opens up, the experiences that you have, you just take advantage of just that moment.

The next one that comes, you take up that moment and you never know where you'll end up. I also know you and OCU Manure are extremely close. Tell the story about how a little trip to detention really changed things and turned things around for you to mark this where. Yeah, man, I remember sitting in detention and OCU was like, hey, you get out with Tracy Rocker at the time.

He was a defensive line coach. We'll give you a scholarship. And I'm like, what? Because OC, you know, came from London, moved next door to me and went to the same high school as I did. And it was like a brother to me. So he was already down there at Troy vouching for me and helped me get down there at Troy. And so we were almost like instant roommates when I got down as a freshman that showed me the ropes.

And I think that's what I need. And you never know. Just hand in the hand to a guy that come into the states and him doing what he did in the NFL and sort of coming right behind him.

And having that, you know, a guy that I can look up to a brother at that time and then just show me the ropes. I don't know if you thought about who's going to present you coming up this summer, but would it be OC, you think? You know, I don't know, man.

I can't answer a question. It's a lot of things that have changed on who put the jacket on, who presents you, like all that. So I know it's a big surprise the way that they're doing new things.

So but OC will be involved. Actually, I called him yesterday. We were talking.

I was like, man, I got to come to London and visit yourself. I look forward to that. Your favorite memory, DeMarcus, whereas a cowboy is what? My favorite memory as a cowboy. I think it's that one memory. And it's getting ready every year for the Super Bowl and being a captain.

Right. When they call your name and say, DeMarcus, where you're the captain of the defense of the team and we want you to lead us to a Super Bowl. I always I didn't know that I was going to be that captain. It was earned every year, but it was so fun to lead the guys, have fun every year, the locker room camaraderie. And I get that back. I get that back now this year in a whole different type of locker room, which is so cool with the greatest guys ever. You winning that Super Bowl.

I know it didn't happen in Dallas, but it occurred in Denver all these years later. When you think back about that game, Super Bowl 50, what's the last thing, image, a memory for you? The image, the biggest memory that I remember about that game is, you know, all the confetti at the end of the game. Everybody hoisting up that Super Bowl trophy. And I told myself, like, I mean, you really was an intricate role in getting everybody to that point. You was a captain, right?

They make the most to me. And I told myself, I said, I'm not going to touch the trophy. I'll touch it later. And I remember walking through the tunnel into the locker room and the trophy was right there in my locker, all clean. And I'm like, hold on. Who put the trophy in my locker?

And it's all quiet in the locker room. I took my pads off. I picked the trophy up, you know, crying and everything else emotional. And I got a tap on my shoulder. It was Peyton.

Wow. And Peyton looked at me and he was like, dude, you did it. Like we did it. And I looked at him in his eyes, man. We hugged their trophy like a baby in between us, man. It was one of those coolest moments I ever had in my life. But that was that moment that let me know that you've done everything that it took to be the best, but also to cap your career off.

That's unbelievable. Wrap it up with the Pro Football Hall of Famer DeMarcus Ware has been great with us on the Zach Gelb show. So we talked about your journey from Troy and we know what you ended up doing in the NFL. How early on did you realize how dominant of a player that you could be in the NFL? I knew it when I got drafted.

Like it wasn't really just a mentality of, OK, you got this amount of sacks or you're playing a certain way. I remember, you know, getting invited late to the Senior Bowl and getting invited late to the Combine and getting that opportunity each time and being the best I could be each time in each one of those realms. And I got to the NFL and I said, I'm here.

No one's ever going to be able to take this away from you. And my granddad always told me, if you put your head down at the plow and just work, the good things will come. And I did that every single week, every single day, every single game. And I woke up each day from practice, from playing in the game the hardest I could. And the results are now that you're putting on and you're in actually in your 2023 class and saying, you know what? You can actually pick your head up now. You can actually stop trying to work for something that, you know, you know, the football life.

Right. And it's so cool to now see all that sacrifice and just working, really just see that dream come true. Did it all surprise you when you found out that you were the first Sunbelt player to ever become a Pro Football Hall of Famer? Dude, I was I'm still like pinching myself right now because they're like, there's 371 guys in the Hall of Fame and over 30,000 guys, 26 to 30,000 guys who have played in the NFL.

I'm like, man, that's like 0.8 percent of guys. First of all, making the NFL. Right. And then now make doing being the best to ever do what I did. And I'm still pinching myself and saying like, dude, do you know what you what you've done? Like some people maybe get in and they expect it. I don't expect anything. I work for what I what I want.

Right. And knowing that it's going to come eventually because I'm just going to keep either knocking at the door, keep chewing at it. And eventually I'll get to I need to go and I'm here. So I can't even describe the word still, man, of just how I feel.

But I know that I'm appreciative and I'm really glad. Two more before we let you run. Dak Prescott, I just want to get your current Cowboys question in. Where's your belief level that he could bring Jerry another championship one day? He keeps knocking at the door. I keep seeing that guy. You know, first of all, him getting close in the playoffs and then winning a playoff game.

He let him keep knocking. He is the quarterback that can get us to that Super Bowl. It's all about who he's surrounded with also as well. We've got to keep surrounding him with guys that can support him.

I know that he can do it. I'm excited for the season, especially with Dan Quinn and, you know, the changes that they've made over there. I think it's going to be McCarthy. I think it's going to be really, really, really good this year.

It's going to be an even different result this year. And do you have a good sense of belief that Sean will be able to Sean Payton will be able to turn Russ back into the quarterback that he used to be? I know he will. He has all those.

He has a blueprint. I played for him. I played against him. And no matter where he was, it was an offensive powerhouse, but a defensive minded team. And they played with a lot of tenacity. They have that with the Denver Broncos. And I'm really excited to see, you know, what he does with that team. And it'll see Russell play.

We used to see Russell in the playoffs every year. And I think we can get back there. Well, we're really happy for you and your family. Once again, congratulations and enjoy this journey up to the induction day in Canton over the summer. Thanks so much for doing this to Marcus. Thank you so much.