Football
Ware, Lance
Lance Ware
- Title:
- Director of Player Personnel/Recruiting
- Email:
- warel25@ecu.edu
- Phone:
- (252) 737-4570
Lance Ware, who has nearly 30 years of high school and college football experience, is in his first year at East Carolina as the Director of Player Personnel/Recruiting, a position he began on March 17, 2025.
Ware comes to ECU following a six-year stint at Appalachian State (2019-25) where he served one season as the tight ends coach and five as a senior assistant to the head coach. No stranger to North Carolina and South Carolina, Ware was the Mountaineers top recruiter for those states and brings extensive knowledge of both high school and college football.
In his new role, Ware will assist with the recruitment of high school and transfer portal players in addition to conducting player identification and evaluations.
During his lone year at the tight ends coach at App State, his group caught nine of the Mountaineers 23 touchdown passes (all in conference play) and were led by All-Sun Belt honorable mention selection Eli Wilson, who had five scores. Kanen Hamlett’s go-ahead touchdown in the final three minutes against Georgia State was his second career catch, and Max Drag’s touchdown in the final two minutes against ODU was his first career catch. Hamlett and Drag made their first career starts in a set with two tight ends as Wilson and David Larkins were sidelined against ODU.
Before coaching the tight ends, Ware assisted head coaches Eliah Drinkwitz and Shawn Clark with all aspects of organization and running the football program, helping App State win a Sun Belt championship, make two additional conference title game appearances, earn four bowl berths and win three bowl trophies.
As championship winning head coach of Shelby High School just outside of Charlotte from 2011-18, Ware compiled a 99-25 overall record over eight seasons and won five state titles in his last six years.
Ware led the Golden Lions to 2A state championships in 2013, 2014 and 2015 and 2AA state titles in 2016 and 2018. During his eight-year tenure, Shelby went 33-3 in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association playoffs. In 2022, he was inducted into the Cleveland County Sports Hall of Fame.
During his 22 total seasons coaching at Shelby, the Golden Lions played for 11 state titles, winning eight.
A four-year letterman at App State under head coach Jerry Moore from 1992-96, Ware was the Mountaineers' long snapper for four seasons. In 1995, Ware helped the Mountaineers go undefeated in the regular season and win a Southern Conference title while playing alongside Clark as well as College Football Hall of Famer Dexter Coakley.
Ware and his wife, Catherine, have three children – Reece, Stockton and Presley.
Ware comes to ECU following a six-year stint at Appalachian State (2019-25) where he served one season as the tight ends coach and five as a senior assistant to the head coach. No stranger to North Carolina and South Carolina, Ware was the Mountaineers top recruiter for those states and brings extensive knowledge of both high school and college football.
In his new role, Ware will assist with the recruitment of high school and transfer portal players in addition to conducting player identification and evaluations.
During his lone year at the tight ends coach at App State, his group caught nine of the Mountaineers 23 touchdown passes (all in conference play) and were led by All-Sun Belt honorable mention selection Eli Wilson, who had five scores. Kanen Hamlett’s go-ahead touchdown in the final three minutes against Georgia State was his second career catch, and Max Drag’s touchdown in the final two minutes against ODU was his first career catch. Hamlett and Drag made their first career starts in a set with two tight ends as Wilson and David Larkins were sidelined against ODU.
Before coaching the tight ends, Ware assisted head coaches Eliah Drinkwitz and Shawn Clark with all aspects of organization and running the football program, helping App State win a Sun Belt championship, make two additional conference title game appearances, earn four bowl berths and win three bowl trophies.
As championship winning head coach of Shelby High School just outside of Charlotte from 2011-18, Ware compiled a 99-25 overall record over eight seasons and won five state titles in his last six years.
Ware led the Golden Lions to 2A state championships in 2013, 2014 and 2015 and 2AA state titles in 2016 and 2018. During his eight-year tenure, Shelby went 33-3 in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association playoffs. In 2022, he was inducted into the Cleveland County Sports Hall of Fame.
During his 22 total seasons coaching at Shelby, the Golden Lions played for 11 state titles, winning eight.
A four-year letterman at App State under head coach Jerry Moore from 1992-96, Ware was the Mountaineers' long snapper for four seasons. In 1995, Ware helped the Mountaineers go undefeated in the regular season and win a Southern Conference title while playing alongside Clark as well as College Football Hall of Famer Dexter Coakley.
Ware and his wife, Catherine, have three children – Reece, Stockton and Presley.
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