Jeremy Ware was a tremendously gifted athlete excelling in several different sports, but he felt most comfortable in a ball cap with his bat and glove at the ready. Born in Orangeville, Ware would begin making a name for himself while attending Centennial Collegiate in Guelph between 1991-1994. During that time he was named MVP in five different sports. Upon his graduation he was drafted by the Montreal Expos in the 25th round but decided to play a year of college ball in Iowa before ultimately signing with the Expos the following season. He would go on to play professional baseball for the next 14 years.
His best year was 1997 when playing A-ball for the Cape Fear Croes he was an offensive terror leading the team with 16 HR, 77 RBI, and 32 stolen bases. He played 12 seasons of pro baseball from A-AAA, plus two years of independent baseball amassing over 4,000 plate appearances, 991 hits, including 225 doubles, 526 RBI and a .262 average. He was named a South Atlantic all-star in 1997, an Eastern League AA all-star in 1999 and again in 2003.
Ware also wore the Canadian maple leaf on his jersey with great pride on several occasions. He made his Team Canada debut at the 1999 Pan Am Games driving in six runs and posting the 9th best average at the event as Canada won a bronze medal. He helped Canada gain entry into the 2004 Olympics and then shone at the tournament going 5 for 14, with two home runs and a .857 slugging percentage to lead his team. In all, Ware played in six Olympic qualifiers and three World Cups, with his last appearance for Canada being at the 2008 final Olympic qualification tournament where he went 4-for-9 at the plate, clinching a return to the Olympics for his country.
In 2007 Ware came home to play for the Guelph Royals in the lntercounty Baseball League. He had a great season leading his team in home runs with nine and RBI with 31.
Inducted into the Guelph Sports Hall of Fame – Athlete category – on May 17, 2017
