He grew up playing rugby in Singapore. Now he’s TCU football’s starting tight end.
TCU tight end Carter Ware’s bio on the team’s website seems fairly normal. He was a two-time all-state defensive end at Liberty Hill, joined the Horned Frogs as a preferred walk-on and has played his way into the starting lineup.
But Ware’s upbringing was hardly a typical existence. He spent eight years, including his middle school days, in Singapore. His dad’s job at the time with Round Rock-based Dell had the family living abroad in Southeast Asia.
Rugby, not football, ended up being Ware’s sport during those formative years.
“Rugby taught me about playing through little small injuries and playing with a toughness and edge and with a chip on your shoulder,” Ware said. “I tackled a lot, especially since I played D-end. I think it really helped my tackling. Just playing with aggression was probably the biggest thing for me.”
Eventually, the family moved back to football-crazed Texas. Ware made a seamless transition from rugby to football in high school. He was a three-time first-team all-district selection in football at Liberty Hill, totaling 109 career tackles, including 18 for a loss and 6.5 sacks.
Ware played tight end in high school, too, but had more accolades as a defensive end. A few Division II schools expressed interest in him as a defensive end, but he opted to become a preferred walk-on at TCU in 2017.
Ware redshirted his first season but then found himself playing in every game and even cracking the starting lineup for the Cheez-It Bowl in 2018. He started two of the 11 games he played last season, and has started the past two games for TCU this year.
Ware could be in line to make his third consecutive start when TCU takes on Baylor on Saturday.
“It was actually Cole Novak, who was another walk-on here, that told me when you get your opportunity you have to make the most out of it. You can’t mess up,” Ware said. “I was lucky enough to play in games and worked my way up.
“For me, the thing I take personally is just being technically sound,” he said. “I’m not the fastest, biggest or strongest guy out there, so to me it’s being the most technically sound and aggressive guy and just outlasting dudes and working harder than them.”
The 6-foot-4, 249-pound Ware has made a name for himself as a blocking tight end, although he had two catches for nine yards last season. But he embraces being the technically-sound, team-first player mindset.
Ware referred to former Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten as an idol. Just like Ware, Witten was known for his defensive abilities in high school and famously went to Tennessee believing he’d be a defensive end. But Witten transitioned to the offensive side and became a Hall of Fame-caliber tight end.
“If I didn’t say Jason Witten wasn’t someone I looked up to my dad would probably slap me in the back of my head because he’s a huge Cowboys fan,” Ware said, smiling. “I’ve always looked up to guys like that, especially Jason Witten. He’s such a technically sound guy and I take a lot of pride of being the same way. Just doing my job to the best of my ability.”
Doing the best to one’s ability is expected throughout TCU’s program.
Coach Gary Patterson has said he likes players who have “a story,” whether it’s overcoming adverse situations or learning life lessons by living abroad. Ware certainly checks out of those boxes by spending a number of years in Singapore.
“It’s a great place,” Ware said. “It was really cool and I had the opportunity to travel a lot. I got to see different people and different cultures. There’s a lot of different ways of living over there. It was a really cool experience for me and I felt like I really matured in some areas, just not living inside my own bubble and being able to see how the world works.”
This story was originally published October 28, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
