Andre Ware on Brothers in Arms, Dickinson Roots & the Run and Shoot Legacy

Before Andre Ware threw for 4,693 yards and 46 touchdowns at the University of Houston — before he shattered 27 NCAA records in just 11 games and claimed the 1989 Heisman Trophy — he was a quarterback in Dickinson running a wing-t offense and throwing exactly one touchdown pass his entire senior season. The distance between those two moments is one of the more remarkable development stories in Houston football history.

Jeff Power caught up with Ware at the Brothers in Arms celebrity golf tournament, a foundation Ware co-founded with Warren Moon and Vince Young. The organization awards scholarships exclusively to students from single-parent homes — a requirement rooted in the shared backgrounds of all three founders, each of whom was raised by a single mother. For Ware, the work is personal on multiple levels: it connects his NFL and Heisman legacy to the Houston community that shaped him, and it gives him a vehicle to do something tangible for the next generation.

Ware spoke warmly about Dickinson head coach Nelson, crediting him for building a consistent program and noting the Gators have strong returning talent heading into next season. He was equally measured in his praise of University of Houston head coach Scott Fritz, who guided the Cougars to ten wins in his first season — a result Ware admitted he did not expect that quickly given the roster turnover Fritz inherited.

The conversation also turned to Ware's relationship with Moon, which dates back to their playing days. Both ran the run-and-shoot offense — Ware at Houston under head coach Jack Pardee and offensive coordinator John Jenkins, Moon later with the Houston Oilers after Pardee made the move from the university to the NFL sideline. Despite being the older of the two, Moon credited Ware with helping him understand the nuances of the system when he first came into it. That mutual respect has carried forward into their foundation work decades later.

The segment closed with a moment that illustrated exactly what Brothers in Arms is built around — a recent graduate, now in post-graduate study, stopping to thank the founders in person.