CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Coastal Carolina football alumnus
Bruce Mapp helped lead USA Football's U.S. Men's Flag Football National Team to a gold medal at the IFAF Americas Continental Flag Football Championship on UNC Charlotte's campus Friday, July 7.
From July 5-7, the U.S. National Team faced the best teams from North and South America and emerged undefeated. In the gold medal match, U.S. defeated Mexico 40-36.
Mapp, who played at Coastal from 2012-16 and ranks among the school's all-time leaders as a wide receiver, contributed 24 receptions for six touchdowns and nine extra points across the men's 7-0 run through the tournament.
After the medal ceremony, Mapp proudly displayed his new medal alongside his previous golds from the 2021 IFAF World Championship and The World Games 2022.
The Americas Continental Flag Football Championship was hosted by USA Football, the sport's governing body, and sanctioned by the International Federation of American Football (IFAF), the international governing body for the sport of American football. The championship is part of the biggest-ever cycle of global flag football competition in the run up to the 2024 IFAF Flag Football World Championships in Lahti, Finland.
USA Football and IFAF are hopeful that flag football's exploding international popularity will secure the sport a spot in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
Flag football's popularity is booming in the United States and internationally. An annual participation study from the Sports and Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) in 2022 showed 7.1 million people in the U.S. participated in flag football, with approximately 2.5 million people routinely engaging with the sport.
2023 U.S. Men's Flag National Team roster
Jersey; Name; Position; Residence
#0 Corey Webb; DB/Center; Dallas, Texas
#1 Bruce Mapp; WR/DB; Philadelphia, Pa.
#2 Deven Turner; Rusher/WR; Tampa, Fla.
#3 Jordan Oquendo; DB/Rusher; Spring Hill, Fla.
#4 Laval Davis; WR/Rusher; Jacksonville, Fla.
#5 Aamir Brown; DB/WR; Philadelphia, Pa.
#7 Darrell "Housh" Doucette; QB/Center; New Orleans, La.
#13 Velton Brown Jr.; WR/DB; Orlando, Fla.
#14 Laderrick "Pablo" Smith; WR/QB; Pompano Beach, Fla.
#15 Frankie Solomon Jr.; DB/WR; Dallas, Texas
#21 Jamie Kennedy; DB/WR; Pompano Beach, Fla.
#31 Johnluis "LuLu" Hernandez; DB/Center; Miami, Fla.
Alternates for the 2023 U.S. Men's Flag National Team
Name; Position; Residence
Terrance Bunting; WR/DB; Orlando, Fla.
Andy Fuentes; Center/DB; Miami, Fla.
Shaquille James; DB/Athlete; Philadelphia, Pa.
Dana Taylor; DB/Athlete; Dallas, Texas
Head Coach: Jorge Cascudo
Assistant Coach: Patrick Alley
For complete coverage of CCU football, follow the Chants on social media @CoastalFootball (Twitter), facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook), @goccusports (Instagram), or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at www.GoCCUsports.com.
(Photo courtesy of USA Football)
