Staff to work under head coach Aaron Brady of Washington, D.C., Gonzaga College High School
Seven men representing high schools across the nation have been selected to serve as assistant coaches for the 2013 U.S. Under-19 National Team, assembled by USA Football.
Team USA is led by head coach AARON BRADY of Washington, D.C., Gonzaga College High School. The U-19 National Team will compete in Austin, Texas, on Feb. 5 in the fourth International Bowl. The International Bowl is an annual competition that unites the 64 nations spanning six continents that are part of the International Federation of American Football (IFAF). The IFAF World Team is comprised of players age 19-and-under from outside the United States.
Members of Brady’s U.S. National Team coaching staff include:
- Brandon Faircloth, Port Neches-Groves (Texas) High School, offensive coordinator
- Danny Cowgill, Foley (Ala.) High School, defensive coordinator
- Marc Beach, Daytona Beach (Fla.) Seabreeze High School, defensive assistant
- Joe Dale Cary, Port Neches-Groves (Texas) High School, offensive line
- Doug Cosbie, Former Dallas Cowboys tight end, tight ends
- Claude Mathis, DeSoto (Texas) High School, offensive assistant
- Ron Rice, Former Detroit Lions safety, secondary
“The No. 1 thing I look for in coaches is that they care about the kids,” said Brady, 36, who is 23-11 since accepting the head coaching position at Gonzaga prior to the 2010 season. Last season, the Brady-led Eagles made it to the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference championship game for the first time in 10 years. “I look for guys who love the game and have a passion for this game.
“I can’t imagine what it is like to wear ‘USA’ on your chest as a player. As a coach, it has been awe-inspiring, too. The fact I can wear ‘USA’ and represent our country and go out and compete is really special for me. I love challenges, and I am really excited to bring these guys in from all over the country.”
Faircloth recently concluded his 13th season as a head coach, spending the last four seasons with Port Neches-Groves, compiling a 28-18 overall record. In 2009, he helped Port Neches-Groves earn its first undefeated season since 1977. Under Faircloth, the Indians also have a district championship, two bi-district championships and captured their first area championship since 1999. Faircloth also was the offensive coordinator for Team USA in the 2010 International Bowl.
Cowgill just finished his first season as an assistant coach at Foley High School after being with Nease (Fla.) High School since 2003. He was Nease’s defensive coordinator when the school earned three straight state championship births (‘05, ‘06 and ‘07) with a state title coming in 2005 during Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow’s senior year. Cowgill helped orchestrate some of the best defenses in school history before being named the head coach of the Panthers in 2008, going 19-22 in four seasons.
Beach has 19 years of high school coaching experience, spending the last 12 seasons at Seabreeze, where he has an 89-45 record. In his time with the Sandcrabs, Beach has coached three NFL All-Stars in Eric Weems of the Chicago Bears, Sebastian Janikowski of the Oakland Raiders and Marcus Stroud, the 13th overall pick in the 2001 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Cary is the assistant head coach and offensive coordinator at Port Neches-Groves, where he has spent the last four seasons. In 2000, Cary began his coaching career at Harker Heights High School in Killeen, Texas, where he was in charge of the offensive linemen. At Aledo (Texas) High School, he helped the Bearcats win two district championships and advance to the state semifinals in 2006 and 2007.
Cosbie is a former tight end for the Dallas Cowboys and was selected in the third-round of the 1979 NFL Draft. The 6-foot-6, three-time all-star spent his entire 10-year playing career in Dallas after playing collegiately at Santa Clara University. Cosbie caught 300 passes for 3,728 yards and 30 touchdowns during the regular season. In the playoffs, he had 22 catches for 243 yards and three scores. His 300 receptions are the ninth most in Cowboys history. Cosby was the offensive coordinator at the University of California in 1997-98. He also has coached at Stanford University, Santa Clara University, Menlo College, Sacramento High School and in the Italian Football League.
Mathis is 50-15 since taking over DeSoto High School in 2008. He started his coaching career in 1998 as running backs coach for Austin Anderson High School and was named offensive coordinator at the school in 2000. Mathis spent four seasons calling plays at Austin Anderson before getting his first head coaching job at Somerville High School. He also served as head coach at Austin LBJ High School. Mathis played college football at Southwest Texas State, where he was an All-America running back and punt returner in the mid-90s.
Rice played defensive back for seven years in the NFL with the Detroit Lions, recording 386 tackles, 12 interceptions, 6½ sacks and was named the team’s recipient for the Walter Payton/NFL Man of the Year Award in 2000. He played collegiately at Eastern Michigan, where he was first-team All-Mid-American Conference after his senior year. He was selected to the EMU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002.
Forty-five U.S. high school seniors will take the field for Team USA. The International Bowl is recognized as a U.S. National Team competition by the NCAA and is not an all-star game. International Bowl participation does not count toward a high school senior football player’s limit of two postseason competitions.
USA Football is the sport’s national governing body in the United States and is the official football development partner of the NFL, the NFL Players Association, each of the NFL’s 32 teams and college football’s Atlantic Coast Conference.
The IFAF World Team is led by head coach TUOMAS HEIKKINEN of Finland. Heikkinen was the World Team’s defensive backs coach in 2011 and 2012, and the five-time Coach of the Year in Finland was inducted into the Finnish American Football Federation Hall of Fame in 2008.
USA Football’s national team program is supported by corporate partners Cutters Gloves, Gatorade, Marriott, Rawlings, Riddell, St. Vincent Sports Performance, Shock Doctor, Sports Authority and Upper Deck.
About USA Football: USA Football, the sport’s national governing body in the United States, hosts more than 80 football training events annually offering education for coaches and game officials, skill development for players and resources for youth football league commissioners. The independent non-profit is the official football development partner of the NFL and its 32 teams, the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Mid-American Conference and the Patriot League. USA Football manages U.S. national teams within the sport for international competition and awards $1 million annually in equipment grants to youth and high school football programs based on merit and need. Endowed by the NFL and the NFL Players Association in 2002 through the NFL Youth Football Fund, USA Football is chaired by former NFL team executive Carl Peterson.
