Sweden’s Carlstad Crusaders Sign Dan Hawkins, Team USA’s Head Coach, to Run Offense

| 2015 IFAF World Championships - Canton | 07/01/2015

The Carlstad Crusaders have solved their offensive coordinator’s woes in spectacular fashion by signing the head coach of Team USA, Dan Hawkins.

The 54 year old Hawkins will be the fifth, and hopefully last, offensive coordinator for the defending champion Crusaders in 2015 who have seen Duke Iverson, Matt Adkins, BD Kennedy and Rick Rhoades fill the position temporarily this season.

Dan Hawkin’s coaching resume speaks for itself. He was head coach at Willamette University, Boise State and Colorado. He has an overall record as a college head coach of 112-61-1. At Boise State, he led his team to six straight bowl appearances winning two of them and compiled a 53-11 record. His last coaching stint prior to leading Team USA was as head coach for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League.

Sweden - Carlstad - Hawkins3Carlstad head coach Malik Jackson:

“I could not be happier to have such a successful coach helping our team out. I will be able to lean on and learn from Dan. His knowledge and experience will be invaluable.”

Hawkins is busy coaching Team USA until July 19 in the 2015 IFAF World Championships in Canton Ohio.  Then he will head to Sweden to familiarize himself with the team prior to the IFAF Europe Champions League Final Four.

Carlstad plays in the Champions League Final Four July 24-26 in Serbia where they will take on France’s Thonon Black Panthers in one semi-final on July 24. The championship game is July 26 against the winner of the other semi-final between Serbia’s Vukovi Belgrade and the London Blitz. In Sweden, they will face the STU Northside Bulls on August 1 in their first game after the break.

Carlstad general manager Robert Sundberg:

“This is an enormous signing. We are understandably very happy to have a coach with the qualifications that Dan has running our offense. We have been juggling at the offensive coordinator’s position all season and may still have to once the playoffs start depending on Dan’s schedule. But we have a plan for that as well. He is an incredible addition to our coaching staff.”

Hawkins is a commentator for ESPN in the United States and may be required to head back to the States in late August or early September.

Photos (except for 1999 team photo) courtesy of:  Elissa Manera

Roger Kelly is an editor and a writer for AFI. A former PR Director the B.C. Lions of the Canadian Football League for 7 years, he now lives in Sweden writing about and scouting American Football throughout the world.