Steve Specht , head football coach at Cincinnati's St. Xavier High School will serve as Team USA's defensive coordinator while Gary Swenson, head football coach at Valley High School in West Des Moines, Iowa, will serve as the team's offensive coordinator. Specht and Swenson combine for a 303-88 (.775) coaching record, 25 state playoff berths and six state championships in their 36 seasons as head coaches.
Team USA will compete among a field of eight countries from four continents in the 2009 International Federation of American Football (IFAF) Junior World Championship. The tournament will take place June 27-July 5, 2009, in Canton, Ohio. All games will be played in historic Fawcett Stadium, adjacent to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. America's team will be composed of top student-athletes entering their college freshman year in the fall of 2009.
"In assembling this coaching staff, we're reaching out to individuals who are legends in their respective states," said Kyle, an English teacher who has guided Cleveland St. Ignatius to nine of the past 20 Ohio Division I (large school) football state championships in addition to three "National Championship" honors. "As a friendly in-state rival to St. Xavier, I look forward to coaching with Coach Specht rather than against him. Coach Swenson's remarkable success speaks for itself, but beyond his state titles and accolades, he and I share a similar offensive philosophy.
"These men are excellent teachers and football coaches and I am honored to have them accept their Team USA positions," added Kyle. "Our young men will enjoy playing for them and I look forward to rolling up my sleeves along side them as the Junior World Championship in Canton approaches."
Specht, a 1986 graduate of St. Xavier High School, has been on the football coaching staff of his alma mater for 14 seasons. Specht took over as head coach for the Bombers' in 2003 and has quickly earned two Ohio Division I Coach of the Year honors ('05, '07). In his five years in leading the Bombers' football program, Specht has attained a sparkling 51-3 (.944) record and two large-school Ohio state championships ('05, '07).
"It is truly an honor and a humbling experience to be offered an opportunity like this," said Specht. "Being able to represent the United States should never be taken lightly and the chance to coach with a tremendous group of players and fellow coaches from around the country will be an experience of a lifetime."
Swenson, a head varsity football coach in Iowa since 1976, owns a career coaching record of 252-85 (.748) and has led the Valley High School Tigers since 1995. A 1993 Iowa Football Coaches Hall of Fame inductee, he has been named Conference or District Coach of the Year nine times (1989, '91, '92, '99, '00, '03, '04, '05, '06); Iowa High School Football Coach of the Year twice (Class 3A in 1994 and Class 4A in 2002) and National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Iowa High School Coach of the Year (2004). He has led his teams to a state playoff berth in each of the past 21 seasons en route to four state championships, including three with Valley High School ('02, '03, '05).
"This will be a tremendous experience," said Swenson. "Working with Coach Kyle, the rest of his staff, and some of country's finest student-athletes is a remarkable opportunity. I'm excited to be part of it."
All 50 state high school athletic associations and the District of Columbia are invited to nominate at least 10 players to compose a talent pool from which Team USA's coaching staff will select its roster in spring 2009.
Canada joins the United States as an automatic qualifier for the 2009 IFAF Junior World Championship. The U.S. earns an automatic bid as the tournament's host. Canada earns a place in the field due to the long-time strength of its junior national team program in international play. The Canadian team will hold the No. 1 seed once all eight qualifiers are finalized and placed in the tournament bracket. The United States will be seeded No. 2.
National football teams from Germany, Sweden, and France, respectively, recently earned the opportunity to compete at next summer's Junior World Championship. The three nations earned respective first-, second-, and third-place finishes in the eight-nation European Junior Championship held in Sevilla, Spain, earlier this month. The European Federation of American Football (EFAF) will confirm which teams will represent the continent in Canton by September 15.
USA Football's U.S. Junior National Team Coaching Staff:
| COACH | POSITION | HIGH SCHOOL |
| Chuck Kyle | Head Coach | Cleveland St. Ignatius H.S. |
| Steve Specht | Defensive Coordinator | Cincinnati St. Xavier H.S. |
| Gary Swenson | Offensive Coordinator | West Des Moines (Iowa) Valley H.S. |
As head coach of Team USA, Kyle will select the remainder of his coaching staff prior to the kickoff of the 2008 high school football season.