Nebraska hires first head coach for women’s flag football team

Nebraska made history last month when it became the first school at the Power 4 level to add women’s flag football as a varsity sport.

On Thursday, the Cornhuskers announced the leaders of its newest team, hiring Liz and Katie Sowers. Liz will serve as the head coach while Katie — who brings NFL experience — will be the associate head coach.

“We are thrilled to bring Liz and Katie Sowers to Lincoln to build our women’s flag football program,” Nebraska athletic director Troy Dannen said. “Together they have built a championship program at the NAIA level and have experienced success working with national teams. They have a great vision for what flag football can become at the University of Nebraska and also understand the potential for the sport and the opportunities it will provide for young women across the collegiate landscape.”

Liz Sowers currently serves as the head coach at Ottawa University in Kansas, where she has guided the Braves to five consecutive NAIA National Championships. She’s won the conference’s Coach of the Year award three times and has an overall record of 88-8. Liz has recruited athletes from 17 different states and four different countries to help build Ottawa into a powerhouse program.

In addition to her career at Ottawa, Liz has coached with the U.S. national team. She was the defensive coordinator for the squad in 2023, which won a Continental Championships gold medal and allowed the fewest points in Team USA history. Liz also served as the head coach of the 17U Girls Junior National Team in 2022, which won a gold medal at the Junior National Championships.

After playing college basketball at Oakland University, Liz played flag and tackle football professionally.

‘This is the start of a new era, and we intend to set the standard,” Liz said. “It’s an honor to lead the first flag football program at Nebraska, and even more meaningful to build it alongside my twin sister in a place with such deep tradition. We want young girls across Nebraska to see this team and know there’s a future here for them.’

Katie has been alongside Liz as the associate head coach and defensive coordinator at Ottawa for their five NAIA championships. She also served as the head coach for the Italian Women’s National Flag Football team for two years.

Additionally, Katie has coaching experience in the NFL, having worked with the Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers and Atlanta Falcons. From 2015 to 2017, she was a player personnel scout for the Falcons, then worked as an offensive quality control coach with the 49ers, and coached the Chiefs’ tight ends in 2021. When the 49ers made the Super Bowl in 2020, Sowers was the first woman and openly gay person to coach in the NFL’s biggest game.

“This is a fanbase that lives and breathes excellence, and I can’t wait to give this amazing fanbase another sport to rally behind,” Katie said.

Women’s flag football has been on the rise at the college level this year. In January, the NCAA added it to the Emerging Sports for Women program, putting it on a path to reach championship status. To become a championship sport, one that would feature an official NCAA Tournament, the sport has to be sponsored by at least 40 schools and meet minimums in games played and player participation.

But flag football seems to be well on its way to reaching that mark. Last week, Binghamton became the 16th Division I school to announce it was adding a varsity team. Dozens of other schools sponsor women’s flag football teams at the Division II and III levels.

Ahead of its debut at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, the NFL is playing a big role in pushing women’s flag football. The Carolina Panthers are supporting Conference Carolinas, and the Eastern College Athletic Conference will launch a women’s flag football league — made up of club and varsity teams — this spring with a $1 million backing from the New York Jets.

A vote to establish women’s flag football as a championship sport could happen as early as 2027 at the NCAA’s annual convention. In the meantime, the organization behind the Fiesta Bowl is hosting a national championship tournament this spring in Arizona.