Ex-Bronco receiver Armour returns to Manitou as football coach

Manitou Springs welcomed back a familiar face Wednesday, when it was announced that Justin Armour will be the new coach for the Mustangs’ football program.

Armour led Manitou to a state championship, then went on to play football at Stanford and spent five years in the NFL with the Bills, Broncos and Ravens.

“An opportunity to coach at a place like Manitou is an honor and a privilege,” said Armour, who was selected to the Colorado Springs Sports Hall of Fame in 2005.

Armour had already spent some time around the players after volunteering during conditioning camps last summer, making him an easy choice for athletic director John McGee, who stepped down as coach after three seasons.

“He is a quality person, and has ties to Manitou, which is important to me,” McGee said. “He is great with kids and is a motivating guy and a great person.”

Armour will take the reins of the Mustangs’ program and get right to work.

“We are going to do a lot of speed and agility-type training,” he said. “We will have intense practices and prepare hard for the games.”

Although Armour has played football at every level, this will be the first time he has assumed the role of head coach.

“I’ve never coached a varsity football team before, but I was fortunate enough to play for some Hall of Fame coaches in my career,” he said. “Coaches like George Rykovich in high school, Bill Walsh in college, and Mike Shanahan in the NFL.”

Preseason camps are just around the corner in August, and Armour knows how important they are.

“We will be doing a lot of conditioning, but I also want to get to know the guys and look everybody over to see where they should be playing.”