WEST POINT, N.Y. – Army assistant coach Mitch Ware announced his retirement from football after a 35-year career. Ware spent his last six seasons on the Black Knights’ staff as quarterbacks coach.
“I want to thank Coach (Jeff) Monken for giving me the special opportunity to be on the football staff at Army West Point the last six years,” said Ware. “It has been an honor and a privilege to coach and compete with the Army Football Brotherhood. The time spent at West Point has given me unforgettable memories and is the highlight of my coaching career.
“I want to thank the Army football players I’ve been privileged to coach, whose commitment to each other and their country have inspired me greatly. I also want to thank the football staff, support staff and the current and past West Point Administrations for their daily support. On to victory! Go Army! Beat Navy!!”
Ware spent the last 10 seasons on staff with Monken at Georgia Southern (2010-13) and Army (2014-19).
“My congratulations go out to Coach Mitch Ware on his retirement from an outstanding coaching career,” said Monken. “Along with being one of the best option QB coaches in the country, he has been a tremendous teacher, role model, mentor, and friend to countless players and coaches over the years.
“The game of football will certainly miss Coach Ware as will our players and staff at Army. It has been my great privilege to coach alongside Mitch for the last ten years. His example of professionalism and humility as well as his wisdom have helped guide me in my coaching career. He embodies the title “Coach” in every sense of the word. We wish Mitch and Judy many happy returns.”
During the 2018 campaign, Ware was instrumental in Army capturing Commander in Chief’s Trophy titles for the second-straight year and earning a bowl victory for the third year in a row following a 70-14 win over Houston. The Black Knights also finished the year with nine consecutive victories, went undefeated at home for the second year in a row and capped the year ranked 19th in the nation.
Ware tutored quarterback Kelvin Hopkins Jr. into Army’s first-ever signal-caller to run and pass for 1,000 yards in a single-season. Hopkins finished with four 100- yard rushing games including 170 yards in the victory over Houston in the Armed Forces Bowl. Hopkins was named the MVP of the Army-Navy Game and the bowl game as well. Ware also mentored Cam Thomas, who filled in for Hopkins against Miami (OH) in 2018 and ran for 137 yards in his first career start.
With help from Ware, Army ranked second in the nation in rushing yards per game at 312.5. The quarterback group was essential in leading Army to the best third and fourth down conversion rate in college football. The Black Knights were also third in the nation with 47 rushing touchdowns.
In 2017, with help from Ware, Army captured the Commander in Chief’s Trophy for the first time since 1996 and won 10 games for only the second time in academy history. Ware saw quarterback Ahmad Bradshaw break the single-season service-academy rushing record with 1,746 yards. The yardage was high enough for fifth in the country at the end of the year.
Bradshaw finished sixth in the nation with 134.3 rushing yards per contest. He averaged an impressive 7.21 yards per carry, which was also in the top 10 nationally at eighth spot. Ware coached Bradshaw to 824 yards rushing and over 700 yards passing in his junior season. Bradshaw orchestrated an 80-yard game-winning drive against Navy in the fourth quarter to give Army its first win since 2001. Bradshaw also ran for 129 yards against North Texas in the Heart of Dallas Bowl, which was a bowl record and the second-most rushing yards by a quarterback in the history of the Cotton Bowl Stadium.
Ware was a four-year starter and co-captain as a quarterback at Southwest Missouri State. He helped the team to its last Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association Championship in 1978 and was named the league’s most valuable player as a senior in 1979. He established seven school records during his playing days, was chosen as an Associated Press honorable mention All-America and received the prestigious NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship.Ware earned his bachelor’s and master’s degree from Southwest Missouri State and was inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 1996.Ware and his wife, Judy, have three sons, Jacob, Joshua and Jackson, and reside at West Point.
WARE’S CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
• Guided Kelvin Hopkins Jr., who became the first Army quarterback to run and throw for 1,000 yards in a single season
• Coached Ahmad Bradshaw to the single-season rushing record with 1,746 yards in 2017
• In 2016, helped Army win its first bowl game since 2010 and earn a win over Navy for the first time since 2001
• In 2015, Ware tutored three different quarterbacks that started a game for the Black Knights
• Bradshaw and Chris Carter made their Army debuts in 2015 and both ran and threw for 100 yards in their first start as a Black Knight
• Helped Army rank fifth in the country in rushing yards per game in 2014
• Made three-straight NCAA FCS Semifinals as part of the Georgia Southern staff (2010, 2011, 2012)
• Made the NCAA FCS Semifinals as offensive coordinator at Georgia Southern in 2004
• Tutored Navy quarterback Brian Madden, who led the nation in rushing in 1999 and helped guide him to a near-1,000 yard season in rushing and passing in 2001
• Coached one of the top rushing attacks in the FCS at Missouri State from 1989 through 1992
