USA FOOTBALL NAMES SHAWN LIOTTA AS GENERAL MANAGER OF U20 U.S. TACKLE NATIONAL TEAM

Shawn Liotta to fill leadership role as 2024 IFAF World Junior Championship approaches 

INDIANAPOLIS – USA Football, the sport’s governing body and a Recognized Sport Organization of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, named Shawn Liotta as General Manager of its U20 U.S. Tackle National Team that will compete in the International Federation of American Football’s (IFAF) World Junior Championship from June 20-30, 2024. The championship will be held in Edmonton, Alberta.  

Liotta brings 25 years of experience as a coach and administrator at the high school, college and professional levels to his new role with the U.S. National Team. He has led teams to championships at all three levels and has experience coaching on the international circuit. In 2020, Liotta served as offensive coordinator on the U18 U.S. National Team that defeated Canada in the International Bowl.  

“I’m excited for the opportunity to work with USA Football’s U.S. Tackle National Team again,” said Liotta. “This is the first IFAF World Junior Championship in roughly half a decade, so it’s a unique opportunity for elite coaches and athletes from across the country to experience international competition. We are going to field the best staff and team possible to compete in Canada and fulfill our goal of winning a gold medal.” 

Liotta’s coaching resume includes creating an explosive offense that set scoring records in three different professional indoor leagues. He led the Erie Explosion indoor team to an undefeated 12-0 record and the 2013 Continental Indoor Football League Championship. He also won a championship with the Explosion in 2014. Previously, Liotta was named the 2012 Ultimate Indoor Football League North Coach of the Year for producing the league’s top scoring offense.  

Prior to his stint in indoor football, Liotta worked at Duquesne University (Pittsburgh, Pa.) as a running backs coach. Duquesne won the 2003 NCAA Division I-AA National Championship and the 2003 MAAC Championship while Liotta was on the staff.  

Liotta is entering his seventh season as head football coach at Burrell (Pa.) High School. He has led the Buccaneers to three consecutive playoff berths for the first time in two decades. Liotta previously coached at Albert Gallatin High School (Uniontown, Pa.), McKeesport (Pa.) High School, Springdale (Pa.) High School, West Shamokin High School (Rural Valley, Pa.) and Line Mountain High School (Herndon, Pa.).  

During the 2014 season, Liotta served as the offensive coordinator at Clairton (Pa.) High School and his “No Huddle No Mercy” offense set the all-time single season scoring record in Pennsylvania with 958 points while finishing second all-time nationally. 

Additionally, Liotta served as the Director of Coaching and a head coach in Fan Controlled Football (FCF), where he coached players such as Martavis Bryant, Johnny Manziel, Terrell Owens, Terrance Williams and other former NFL players. 

“Shawn Liotta’s track record across multiple programs and levels of competition speaks for itself,” said USA Football Managing Director, High Performance and National Teams, Eric Mayes. “We are fortunate to have him joining our program as General Manager of the U20 Tackle National Team and look forward to working with him to assemble and lead a team capable of winning the IFAF World Junior Championship.” 

This year’s IFAF World Junior Championship will feature at least seven nations from around the world with histories of fielding elite teams, including Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Japan, Panama and the United States. Canada won the last two IFAF World Junior Championships in 2018 and 2016, defeating Mexico and the U.S. in the gold medal matches, respectively.  

The U.S. also has a history of winning at the IFAF World Junior Championship. The U.S. National Team claimed gold 41-3 against Canada when the event debuted in 2009 and defeated Canada again in the 2014 gold medal match. The U.S. placed third in the most recent event, which took place in Mexico City in 2018.  

“Going to Mexico was the experience of a lifetime. I still have friends that I talk to from that team,” said North Carolina State cornerback Shyheim Battle, who played on the 2018 U.S. Under-19 Tackle National Team and recently declared for the 2024 NFL Draft. “Traveling the world for almost a whole month was fun. We started out in Arizona, trained for a week or two and then flew to Mexico. It was my first time traveling out of the country, and I got to play football at a national level against other countries. The stadium we played in was nice, and the game against Mexico was very fun. The energy the Mexican team’s fanbase brought was pretty cool. We ended up losing the game, but the audience gave us a standing ovation afterward. That was such a memorable moment because I never had a standing ovation before.” 

USA Football’s long list of U.S. National Team alumni includes Super Bowl champions Mecole Hardman and Malik Herring on the Kansas City Chiefs and 15 first round picks in the NFL Draft, including Mac Jones, Kenny Pickett, Alijah Vera-Tucker and Chase Young. Other notable alumni include All-Pros Trevon Diggs, Tyrann Mathieu, Jordan Poyer, Jonathan Taylor and Wyatt Teller.  

About USA Football: USA Football is the governing body of American football in the United States, the sole US member of the International Federation of American Football, and a recognized sports organization of the US Olympic & Paralympic Committee. Its non-profit mission includes designing and delivering premier educational, development, and competitive programs for American football, including tackle and flag football. USA Football is the only organization that selects and organizes men’s and women’s US National Teams in federation-sanctioned international competition.