Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
The 2024 season was a historic one for the Warsaw football team. The Tigers won their first ever regional and semi-state championships, competing in the state championship game for the first time in program history.
As recently as this past weekend, what the team accomplished two falls ago is still being recognized.
Mike Curtis, Warsaw’s offensive coordinator and son of head coach Bart Curtis, was honored as the Frank M. Broyles Award winner for the state of Indiana for the 2024 season. The award, which for the last 30 years has been given to the top assistant coach in college football, expanded six years ago to honor high school coaches from around the country.
Curtis and his family attended a banquet in Hot Springs, Arkansas last Friday, where he and 32 other high school coaches from around the country were honored for their contributions to the game of football. They were also in attendance the night prior, when Indiana University’s Bryant Haines won the award for the college level.
“It was humbling. Your mind instantly goes to ‘there’s no way I’m actually worthy of this. There are so many great coaches on our staff and around the state,’” Curtis said. “But after working through those emotions, it really sunk in that this is such a huge honor, and I’m so blessed to be a member of the Warsaw football family.”
The award came up at an Indiana Football Coaches Association (IFCA) board meeting following the 2024 season. Head coaches from around the state were able to nominate an assistant and say a few words campaigning for them.
“It was really neat because he was nominated by a number of our peers that we had coached against that season. It was really neat to hear some guys who are incredibly successful nominate your own son. I was beaming with pride,” Bart Curtis said. “Watching him grow into his role at Warsaw has been very rewarding to see, not just from a coach to assistant coach standpoint, but from a father-son relationship standpoint as well.”
Mike has coached at Warsaw for 10 seasons, serving under his father for the last eight. Growing up around football for his entire life, he knew he wanted to stay involved as he grew older.
“I knew I wanted to be involved with the game, but I didn’t always know that I wanted to be a coach. I think I knew by the time I got to high school,” Mike said. “Having the impact of not only my dad, but my offensive line coach in high school, Mike Buchmann, helped me want to get into this thing. I’ve been lucky enough to be around a lot of great leaders and role models that have helped shape me.”
After watching his dad patrol the sidelines while growing up, Mike describes the opportunity to have coached with his father as “the opportunity of a lifetime.”
“I’ve learned so much from him, along with all of the memories we’ve made over the past eight years, it’s something I’ll hold onto for the rest of my life,” he said. “To see the impact he had on the programs I grew up with, and now the life he’s breathed into the program here at Warsaw, it’s been really special and fun to be a part of.”
Bart echoed the sentiment.
“He understands the head coach to assistant coach relationship so well. He’s got it kind of rough at times in terms of the expectations he has of him from me,” the elder Curtis said. “It’s been an enjoyable ride, and I’ve probably enjoyed it more than he has, but he has been so valuable to this program.
“He’s an absolute film junkie, even more so than me. He doesn’t take things personally or get his feelings hurt. He’s focused on handling his own stuff. He doesn’t care if the defense or special teams are having an off night, he’s focused on making sure his offense is doing their job.”
Bart also highlighted Mike’s relationships with his players, something the younger Curtis mentioned was one of the overlooked aspects of the profession.
“You find yourself in a lot of situations where you end up becoming like a second father, or in some cases, a first father to some of these players,” Mike said. “I can’t tell you how many mornings my dad and I have driven around Kosciusko County picking kids up for morning practice or morning weights because we’re the only chance they have. I think the game of football and coaching football is so much more about bringing these kids up and turning them into strong young men than people give it credit for.”
Mike said that his favorite part about coaching is the relationships he has created with his fellow coaches, citing that the other members of the staff are some of his best friends. As far as where he wants to evolve his career, he says he has two short term goals: to make his head coach’s job as easy as possible, and to help Warsaw win a state championship.
“Our kids and our coaches believe in this program, and we know it’s possible. There’s nothing that would be cooler than helping my dad win his first state championship.”
As for becoming a head coach of his own one day, he hasn’t ruled that out.
“As far as what the future holds, I’ll take things as they come to me and evaluate them year by year. Family is very important to me in terms of my coaching journey so we’ll have to see how that evolves,’ Mike said.
