Nebraska athletic director Troy Dannen announced on Feb. 26 that Liz Sowers is the Huskers’ first flag football head coach. Sowers has led Ottawa University in Kansas to five consecutive NAIA national championships.
Katie Sowers, Liz’s twin sister, will be Nebraska’s associate head coach. Katie is Ottawa’s associate head coach, defensive coordinator and director of operations. The sisters will finish out the season with Ottawa before officially starting at Nebraska on June 1, 2026.
“We are thrilled to bring Liz and Katie Sowers to Lincoln to build our women’s flag football program,” 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.”
Subscribe to get exclusive Huskers content on HuskerOnline today!
Nebraska is leading the way in women’s flag football. The Huskers were the first Power Four program to announce the addition of women’s flag football as a varsity sport. The first season will be in the spring of 2028. They also made the first offer to California quarterback Makena Cook.
“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.”Â
Liz and Katie’s impressive resumes
In their five seasons leading Ottawa, the Braves have won five NAIA national championships and five Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference championships. As head coach, Liz led Ottawa to an 88-8 record over five seasons and is a three-time KCAC Coach of the Year.
Liz and Katie have experience coaching and playing at nearly every level of football.
Liz was named a seven-time First-Team All-American for the Kansas City Titans. The Hesston, Kan. native played for the 2016, 2018 and 2021 USA Women’s Flag Football teams and on the 2013 and 2017 USA Women’s Tackle Football teams. Sowers won two gold medals for the national tackle football team and one gold for the national flag team in 2018.
Nebraska’s new head coach was the defensive coordinator for the USA Women’s National Team in 2023, winning gold at the Continental Championships. Her team allowed the fewest points in USA team history. She also led the 2022 17U Girls Junior National Team to gold as the head coach. Katie was the 2023-24 Italian Women’s National Flag Football team head coach.
Katie has coached on three different NFL staffs, including the Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers, and Atlanta Falcons. She was selected for the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship and worked with the Chiefs’ tight ends in 2021. From 2017-21, Katie was a 49ers offensive quality control coach, helping mostly with wide receivers and offensive game evaluations. She was a personnel scout for the Atlanta Falcons from 2015-17.
“I am proud to join the Nebraska family as part of the first coaching staff in program history,” Katie said. “This is a fanbase that lives and breathes excellence, and I can’t wait to give this amazing fanbase another sport to rally behind.”
At the collegiate level, Liz played two seasons of basketball at Hesston (Kan.) College and two at Oakland University. At Hesston, she was an NJCAA All-American and won two conference titles at Oakland, while earning her bachelor’s degree in communication. Her master’s degree in sports administration is from the University of Missouri-KC.