Wabash College will serve as home to the 2011 U.S. Men’s National Team from June 27 to July 4 as 45 players and 10 coaches prepare for the fourth International Federation of American Football (IFAF) Senior Word Championship. The team will live and practice on the 60-acre campus, home of the NCAA Division III Little Giants.
The eight-nation tournament takes place July 8-16 in Austria. USA Football assembles America’s national teams in the sport for international competition. Fifty-nine (59) countries spanning five continents possess national football federations dedicated solely to football.
Practices will take place June 28 through July 3. Sessions run from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. A final practice will be held on Monday, July 4 from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. All practices will be conducted in Wabash’s Byron P. Hollett Little Giant Stadium, weather permitting. Outdoor practice sessions are open to the public at no charge. Team USA will practice indoors if it is raining. Indoor practices will be closed as fan seating is unavailable. Parking is free in all stadium lots.
U.S. Men’s National Team players must be at least 20 years old.
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Team USA is led by former Northwest Missouri State University head coach and three-time NCAA Division II national champion Mel Tjeerdsma. Among the assistant coaches is Wabash head coach Erik Raeburn (right), who will serve as the U.S. offensive line coach.
Raeburn is 82-32 overall in 11 seasons as a head football coach. He is 27-6 since coming to Wabash in 2008, guiding his Little Giant teams to a 2008 North Coast Athletic Conference title and NCAA Division III playoff appearances in 2008 and 2009. Raeburn's 2010 team finished 8-2 overall with a 5-1 mark in NCAC play. Wabash closed the season with a 47-0 victory over arch-rival DePauw University in the annual Monon Bell Classic.The United States is part of Group A along with Australia, Germany and Mexico. Group B includes Austria, Canada, France and Japan. A round robin schedule in group play determines who will compete for gold and bronze medals.
USA Football’s national team program is supported by the following corporate partners: Riddell, Marriott, Sports Authority, Gatorade, Shock Doctor and Rawlings.
|
No.
|
Name
|
Pos.
|
Ht.
|
Wt.
|
College
|
Hometown
|
|
1
|
Nate Kmic
|
RB
|
5-9
|
195
|
Mount Union (Ohio)
|
Delta, Ohio
|
|
2
|
Ricardo Lenhart
|
WR
|
6-3
|
190
|
Otterbein
|
Sidney, Ohio
|
|
3
|
Greg Betterson
|
WR
|
6-0
|
185
|
Delta State (Miss.)
|
Niagara Falls, N.Y.
|
|
5
|
Matt Bassuener
|
QB
|
6-2
|
210
|
Georgetown
|
Port Edwards, Wisc.
|
|
7
|
Cody Hawkins
|
QB
|
5-11
|
190
|
Colorado
|
Boise, Idaho
|
|
10
|
Myles Burnsides
|
DB
|
5-11
|
194
|
Northwest Missouri St.
|
Maryville, Mo.
|
|
11
|
Micah Brown
|
WR
|
5-11
|
185
|
St. Mary’s (Nova Scotia)
|
Friendswood, Texas
|
|
12
|
DeWayne Lewis
|
CB
|
5-11
|
190
|
Southern Utah
|
Denver, Colo.
|
|
13
|
Ben McLaughlin
|
QB
|
6-3
|
205
|
Louisiana College
|
Dierks, Ark.
|
|
17
|
Gregg Berkshire
|
K-P
|
6-2
|
201
|
Ashland (Ohio)
|
Ashland, Ohio
|
|
20
|
Taylor Malm
|
WR
|
5-9
|
192
|
Northwestern (Iowa)
|
Thousand Oaks, Calif.
|
|
21
|
Jordan Lake
|
S
|
6-1
|
215
|
Baylor
|
Houston, Texas
|