USA Football Names Support Staff

VIENNA, VA. — USA Football Executive Director Scott Hallenbeck and Team USA Head Coach John Mackovic announced today the selection of Todd Bell, Taylor Hanohano and Yosuke Murashima as support staff for the United States national team that will compete in the 2007 World Championship of American Football.

Bell will serve as the team’s director of operations and press officer. Hanohano has been named equipment manager and Murashima will be Team USA’s trainer.

Team USA will train at San Jose State from June 20-July 4 prior to leaving for Japan for the World Championship.

The six-country tournament will be held July 7-15 in Kawasaki, Japan. This year’s event is the third staged by the International Federation of American Football (IFAF). The United States is competing in the tournament for the first time. Team USA will face Germany and Korea in pool play. The other pool will consist of host and two-time defending champion Japan along with Sweden and France.

Bell is in his 13th year with the American Football Coaches Association and has served as the organization’s director of media relations since 1997. Along with coordinating all aspects of media relations for the 10,000+ member organization, Bell served as the selection committee coordinator for the 2005 and 2006 Hula Bowl and has been the operations director for the AFCA’s Division III all-star team at the Aztec Bowl for the last 10 years. Bell is a 1988 graduate of the University of St. Thomas (Minn.)

Hanohano is in his third year as the director of equipment services at San Jose State University. Prior to his stint at San Jose, Hanohano spent three seasons as an assistant equipment manager with the San Francisco 49ers, three seasons as an intern with the Arizona Cardinals and three seasons as an assistant equipment manager at UCLA. He earned his equipment manager's certification (E.M.,C.) from the Athletic Equipment Managers Association in 2001. Hanohano is a 1999 graduate of the University of Northern Arizona.

Murashima is in his second year as an assistant trainer at San Jose State University. Murashima works primarily with the school’s football program as well as its women’s basketball team. Murashima earned his trainer’s certification from the National Athletic Trainers Association in 2005 and his strength and conditioning certification from the National Strength and Conditioning Association in 2005. Murashima is a 2004 graduate of Fresno State University.

USA Football’s 45-man national team will be made up of college football players who completed their eligibility at the end of the 2006 season. All levels of the NCAA and the NAIA will be represented on the roster. The players were selected, in part, based on nominations from college head coaches around the country.

USA Football will announce the Team USA assistant coaches on May 21. The 45-man roster will be announced on May 23.

USAFootball.com