Augsburg named KiJuan Ware, who has 25 years of coaching experience at the Division I, II and III levels, its football coach Friday.
Ware, who spent the 2022 and ’23 seasons as a defensive backs coach and recruiting coordinator for the Auggies, replaces Derrin Lamker, who resigned in May after five seasons as Augsburg coach to become the coach at Osseo High School.
Ware spent the 2024 season as the offensive coordinator, recruiting coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Shippensburg, a Division II program in Pennsylvania. Before his first stint at Augsburg, Ware served as interim head coach at Macalester in 2021. Ware spent the 2019 and 2020 seasons as Macalester’s offensive coordinator.
“I want to sincerely thank President Paul Pribbenow, Athletic Director Amy Cooper and the rest of the hiring committee for this incredible opportunity,” Ware said in a statement released by Augsburg. “I’m truly honored to lead the Augsburg football program and deeply appreciate the confidence in my vision and leadership. I look forward to building something special together, and representing the Augsburg community with pride.”
From 2004 through the 2013 seasons, Ware coached at six different Division I programs, serving in a variety of roles at Dartmouth, Georgetown, Notre Dame, Miami (Ohio), Western Illinois and Eastern Michigan. He also has coached at Shorter (Ga.) University and Williams (Mass.) College.
“We’re excited to welcome KiJuan Ware as Augsburg’s football head coach,” said Amy Cooper, the Augsburg athletic director. “His track record of building inclusive, high-performing teams and commitment to student-athlete development perfectly reflect our values of excellence, community and service. I’m confident Coach Ware will lead our program to new heights — on the field and in the classroom.”
Ware, a native of Hartford, Conn., is a 1997 graduate of Springfield (Mass.) College, where he majored in mathematics and computer science. He also played football and baseball all four years at Springfield. In 2000, he was named a Fulbright Scholar. Ware began his collegiate coaching career as an assistant at Springfield in 2002. He earned his master’s degree in physical education and athletic administration in 2004.
The Auggies were 4-6 last season and 21-20 in five seasons under Lamker.
