A Career On The Gridiron: Coaching Football At West Point And Annapolis

Coach Mitch Ware grew up in Aurora, Missouri, and spent much of his youth outdoors and playing sports. He attended Southwest Missouri State University, and was the 5th string quarterback his freshman year before injuries provided him opportunity, and he ended up starting all four years. After graduating, he was a grad assistant for two years before being hired as a coach at his alma mater. Over his career, he coached at Southwest Missouri State, Navy, Georgia Southern, and West Point, retiring in early 2020. He plans on moving back to Statesboro, Georgia, and seeing where life takes him from there. In this interview, he talks about playing football, and coaching for 36 years. He describes how the game, the players, and coaching have changed over the years. He discusses coaching at Army and Navy, and the type of players who choose service academies. At the end, he shares life lessons he imparted to players, and reflects on his coaching career.