Spencer Raleigh Ware III (born November 23, 1991) is an American former professional football running back. He played college football at LSU, and played in the 2010 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. He was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the sixth round of the 2013 NFL draft, with whom he won Super Bowl XLVIII as a rookie.

Spencer Ware
No. 32, 39, 44
Position:Running back
Personal information
Born: (1991-11-23) November 23, 1991 (age 33)
Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
Height:5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:229 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High school:Princeton (Sharonville, Ohio)
College:LSU (2010–2012)
NFL draft:2013 / round: 6 / pick: 194
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Rushing yards:1,631
Rushing average:4.6
Rushing touchdowns:11
Receptions:64
Receiving yards:698
Receiving touchdowns:2
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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Ware attended and played high school football at Princeton High School.[1][2]

College career

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During his college football career, Ware rushed for 1,240 yards on 292 carries with ten touchdowns.[3] Southeastern Conference coaches named him a second-team All-SEC selection after the 2011 season.[4] He also played 21 games for the LSU Tigers baseball team.[5]

After his junior season, Ware decided to forgo his senior season and entered the 2013 NFL draft.[6]

College statistics

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Year School Conf Class Pos G Rushing Receiving
Att Yds Avg TD Rec Yds Avg TD
2010 LSU SEC FR RB 11 24 175 7.3 1 10 101 10.1 0
2011 LSU SEC SO RB 13 177 707 4.0 8 11 73 6.6 1
2012 LSU SEC JR RB 12 94 367 3.9 1 18 230 12.8 1
Career
LSU
36 295 1249 4.2 10 39 404 10.4 2

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
5 ft 10+18 in
(1.78 m)
228 lb
(103 kg)
30+18 in
(0.77 m)
9+58 in
(0.24 m)
4.62 s 4.27 s 7.07 s 35.5 in
(0.90 m)
9 ft 11 in
(3.02 m)
17 reps
Sources:[7][8]

Seattle Seahawks

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Ware was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the sixth round of the 2013 NFL draft with the 194th overall pick.[9] He appeared in two games as a rookie and recorded three carries for ten yards. While Ware saw sparse usage throughout the season, the Seahawks went on to win the Super Bowl against the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII.[10] He was released on August 20, 2014.[11]

Kansas City Chiefs (first stint)

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On December 31, 2014, Ware signed a future contract with the Kansas City Chiefs.[12]

On September 5, 2015, he was waived by the Chiefs and was re-signed to the practice squad.[13] Ware was activated off the practice squad for the Week 8 matchup against the Detroit Lions for the NFL game in London on November 1, 2015. In this game, Ware scored his first NFL touchdown, a four-yard run, in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter against the Detroit Lions.[14] In Week 11, against the San Diego Chargers, he had two rushing touchdowns in the 33–3 victory.[15] In the following game against the Buffalo Bills, he had 19 carries for 114 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in the 30–22 victory.[16] Ware ended the 2015 season playing in 11 games with two starts, rushing for 403 yards and six touchdowns.[17] He scored a rushing touchdown in the Chiefs' Wild Card Round victory over the Houston Texans.[18]

In 2016, with starter Jamaal Charles coming off a knee injury suffered in 2015, Ware became the starter for 2016. In Week 1, against the San Diego Chargers, he had 199 scrimmage yards (70 rushing, 129 receiving) and a rushing touchdown in the 33–27 victory.[19] In Week 6, against the Oakland Raiders, he had 24 carries for 131 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in the 26–10 victory.[20] He started 14 games, rushing for 921 yards and three touchdowns. In addition, he caught 33 passes for 447 yards and two touchdowns.[21]

Coming into the 2017 season, Ware was projected to be the Chiefs' starting running back after the release of longtime starter Jamaal Charles. In the team's third preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks, Ware suffered a torn PCL and additional knee damage.[22] He was placed on injured reserve on September 2, 2017.[23]

On November 30, 2018, he was named starting running back for the Kansas City Chiefs following the release of starting running back Kareem Hunt after he misled the team regarding an assault alleged to have occurred earlier that year.[24] In his first game as the new starter, Ware achieved 47 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown against the Oakland Raiders.[25] He had 129 scrimmage yards in the 27–24 victory over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 14.[26] He finished the 2018 season with 246 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.[27]

Indianapolis Colts

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On April 30, 2019, Ware signed with the Indianapolis Colts.[28] He was placed on the reserve/physically unable to perform list on August 2, 2019, after undergoing ankle surgery.[29] He was released on September 20, 2019.[30]

Kansas City Chiefs (second stint)

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On December 3, 2019, Ware was re-signed by the Chiefs.[31] He was placed on injured reserve on December 25, 2019, with a shoulder injury.[32] He finished the 2019 season with 17 carries for 51 rushing yards in three games.[33] Without Ware, the Chiefs would go on to win Super Bowl LIV against the San Francisco 49ers giving Ware his second Super Bowl ring.[34]

Chicago Bears

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On December 22, 2020, Ware signed with the practice squad of the Chicago Bears.[35] His practice squad contract with the team expired after the season on January 18, 2021.[36]

NFL statistics

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Season Team Games Rushing Receiving Fumbles
GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
2013 SEA 2 0 3 10 3.3 5 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2015 KC 11 2 72 403 5.6 52 6 6 5 0.8 5 0 0 0
2016 KC 14 14 214 921 4.3 46 3 33 447 13.5 46T 2 4 3
2018 KC 13 2 51 246 4.8 34 2 20 224 11.2 31 0 0 0
2019 KC 3 1 17 51 3.0 6 0 5 22 4.4 18 0 1 0
Total 43 19 357 1,631 4.6 52 11 64 698 10.9 46T 2 5 3

Personal life

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On January 12, 2014, Ware was booked in Seattle's King County Jail under the charge of DUI.[37] However, that case was dismissed in July 2014 after a judge ruled that the officer lacked reasonable suspicion of DUI at the time he initiated the traffic stop.[38]

On June 23, 2016, Ware hosted an event at Full Throttle Indoor Karting "where he provided free transportation, go-karting, and lunch to the thirty kids of the [Winton Hills] Recreational Center."[39] Ware expressed gratitude for all the people who helped him become a professional athlete and encouraged the kids to "work together" to accomplish their goals in life.

References

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  1. ^ "Spencer Ware, Princeton , Athlete". 247Sports. Archived from the original on December 22, 2019. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  2. ^ Clark, Dave (December 1, 2018). "Spencer Ware of Princeton High School expected to start for Kansas City Chiefs". The Enquirer. Archived from the original on June 29, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  3. ^ "Spencer Ware College Gamelog". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on April 8, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  4. ^ Gould, Izzy (December 7, 2011). "Alabama places 11 on 2011 Coaches' All-SEC Football Team". AL.com. Archived from the original on July 24, 2017. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  5. ^ "Spencer Ware – The Baseball Cube". The Baseball Cube. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  6. ^ Gellman-Chomsky, Ben (January 4, 2013). "Spencer Ware to enter draft". SBNation.com. Archived from the original on August 14, 2016. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  7. ^ "Spencer Ware Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  8. ^ "2013 NFL Draft Scout Spencer Ware College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  9. ^ Kelly, Danny (April 27, 2013). "NFL Draft Results: Seahawks select RB Spencer Ware in the 6th". FieldGulls.com. Archived from the original on November 17, 2017. Retrieved May 27, 2017.
  10. ^ "Spencer Ware 2013 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on February 25, 2019. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  11. ^ "Ware kept believing after release from Seattle – ESPN Video". ESPN.com. December 11, 2016. Archived from the original on February 25, 2019. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  12. ^ "Chiefs Sign 19 To Reserve/Futures Contracts". Chiefs.com. January 20, 2015. Archived from the original on March 6, 2019. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  13. ^ "Chiefs Roster down to NFL-Mandated 53". Chiefs.com. September 5, 2015. Archived from the original on May 18, 2017. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  14. ^ "Detroit Lions at Kansas City Chiefs – November 1st, 2015". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on November 8, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  15. ^ "Kansas City Chiefs at San Diego Chargers – November 22nd, 2015". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on November 14, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  16. ^ "Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs – November 29th, 2015". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on December 7, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  17. ^ "Spencer Ware 2015 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on February 25, 2019. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  18. ^ "Wild Card – Kansas City Chiefs at Houston Texans – January 9th, 2016". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on November 16, 2017. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  19. ^ "San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs – September 11th, 2016". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on November 8, 2017. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  20. ^ "Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders – October 16th, 2016". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on March 14, 2018. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  21. ^ "Spencer Ware 2016 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on February 25, 2019. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  22. ^ Patra, Kevin (August 26, 2017). "Chiefs RB Spencer Ware suffers torn PCL, knee damage". NFL.com. Archived from the original on July 31, 2018. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  23. ^ "Chiefs Roster Down to NFL Mandated 53". Chiefs.com. September 2, 2017. Archived from the original on June 3, 2018.
  24. ^ Skretta, Dave (December 5, 2018). "Chiefs' Ware back in starting role after Hunt's departure". Daily Herald. Associated Press. Archived from the original on December 6, 2018. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  25. ^ "Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders – December 2nd, 2018". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on December 11, 2018. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  26. ^ "Baltimore Ravens at Kansas City Chiefs – December 9th, 2018". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on December 8, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  27. ^ "Spencer Ware 2018 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on February 25, 2019. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  28. ^ Walker, Andrew (April 30, 2019). "Colts Sign Free Agent Running Back Spencer Ware". Colts.com. Archived from the original on June 29, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  29. ^ "Colts Sign DE Dadi Nicolas; Place RB Spencer Ware On Reserve/PUP List". Colts.com. August 2, 2019. Archived from the original on August 3, 2019. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
  30. ^ Conner, Matt (September 20, 2019). "Spencer Ware released by Indianapolis Colts". Arrowhead Addict. Fansided. Archived from the original on September 20, 2019. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
  31. ^ Goldman, Charles (December 3, 2019). "Chiefs re-sign RB Spencer Ware, waive WR Gehrig Dieter". Chiefs Wire. USA Today. Archived from the original on October 7, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  32. ^ Teicher, Adam (December 25, 2019). "Chiefs put RB Spencer Ware on IR, activate DT Xavier Williams". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on September 22, 2020. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  33. ^ "Spencer Ware 2019 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 28, 2020. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  34. ^ "Super Bowl LIV – San Francisco 49ers vs. Kansas City Chiefs – February 2nd, 2020". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on March 4, 2020. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  35. ^ Mayer, Larry (December 22, 2020). "Roster Moves: Bears activate Carter, add Ware". ChicagoBears.com. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  36. ^ "Bears – Six players no longer under contract". FantasyGuru.com. January 18, 2021. Archived from the original on October 8, 2022. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  37. ^ "WSP: Seahawks RB Spencer Ware arrested for DUI". KIRO 7 News Seattle. January 12, 2014. Archived from the original on October 28, 2017. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  38. ^ Condotta, Bob (July 21, 2014). "DUI case against Seahawks running back Spencer Ware is dismissed". The Seattle Times. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  39. ^ "Princeton product and Chiefs RB Spencer Ware hosts event for local kids". FOX19. June 23, 2016. Archived from the original on September 17, 2018. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
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