APSU Sports Information
Clarksville, TN – Former Austin Peay State University football player Malcolm Goines will represent the red, white and blue of Team USA at the Fifth International Federation of American Football (IFAF) World Championships, a quadrennial event held July 9th-18th, in Canton, Ohio.
Seven national teams – including the two-time defending champion United States team – comprised of men age 20 and older will compete during four rounds of double-elimination play.The USA team will face Mexico in their opening-round contest, Friday, at 6:00pm (CT) on ESPN3 – Australia, Brazil, France, Japan and South Korea also will compete at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
Having won both championships since they began participating in the event in 2007, Team USA looks to become the event’s first three-time champion. IFAF works with 78 countries spanning six continents that possess national federations dedicated to American football. Among the world’s fastest-growing international sports, IFAF has grown from 21 member nations in 2006 to its current total of 67.
Under the tutelage of former Boise State and Colorado head coach Dan Hawkins, Goines is one of 45 players selected to represent the United States. He’s not the only representative from the Ohio Valley Conference either – former UT Martin quarterback Dylan Favre also was selected to participate in the event, and former Southeast Missouri kicker Eddie Kocwa will play for Team Australia.
If Goines needs any guidance, he doesn’t have to look far to find someone who’s been in this position before. Brandon Jordan, the Governors defensive line coach, was part of the 2011 team that won the last world championships in Vienna, Austria.