FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

FROM WHEELING WILDCATS

Shawn Liotta

Head Football Coach/Offensive Coordinator

Wheeling Wildcats On August 5, 2008 Shawn Liotta was named the first Head Football Coach to lead the expansion Wheeling Wildcats of the Continental Indoor Football League. Liotta comes to Wheeling after serving as the Head Football Coach/Director of Football Operations of the Erie RiverRats of the AIFA. Liotta leaves the AIFA as the third winningest coach in league history with a 17-11 Record and two consecutive playoff berths, including an 11-3 record at home. Coach Liottaʼs teams have constantly finished in the top of most offensive statistical categories over the past two seasons, and his ability to attract top level talent from the NFL,CFL, and AFL has been well documented. In 2008 Liotta led the Expansion Erie team to a 10-4 Regular Season Record, a playoff berth. Liottaʼs presence in Erie in 2008 led to one of the greatest single season turnarounds in professional indoor football history, despite the team relocating to Erie only one month prior to the 2008 season. The 2007 Erie Freeze Franchise suffered through a 1-13 record, and eventually ceased operations following the 2007 season. In 2008 with Liotta leading the Erie Franchise, the team finished with a 10-4 Regular Season Record, which was a +9 win differential over the previous season. Coach Liotta will bring an up-tempo innovative offensive system, an aggressive opportunistic defense, and efficient special teams play to Wheeling for the 2009 campaign.

Liotta was named as the first Head Football Coach for the expansion Pittsburgh RiverRats of the American Indoor Football Association on August 4, 2006. Coach Liotta, in his first year as a professional head coach, led the 2007 RiverRats to a 7-7 record and a playoff spot in the team's first year of existence. In recognition of his successful year, he was selected as the Head Coach of the North Squad for the league's All-Star game, which the North won by a score of 58-45. Liotta finished as a runner-up for the 2007 AIFA Coach of the Year Award. The highlights of the RiverRats' 2007 season included a convincing 62-33 win over the defending league champion Canton Legends, and an 86- 72 victory against the Erie Freeze, where Coach Liotta's club set the record for most points scored in an AIFA game.

Liotta has coached players to school records in almost every possible offensive category in his tenures as a coach at the high school and collegiate levels. Liotta is currently in his fourth season as the Head Coach at West Shamokin High School (Rural Valley, PA). Prior to West Shamokin, Liotta was the Head Coach at Line Mountain High School, where he became one of the youngest Head Varsity Football Coaches in the country at age 23. While at Line Mountain, Liotta directed one of the top passing offenses in the entire state, and shattered most school records for the Eagles. Liotta gained experience at the collegiate level at Duquesne University as an Assistant Coach/Running Backs from 2002-2004. During his tenure, Duquesne captured the 2003 NCAA Division I-AA National Championship, and the 2002 and 2003 MAAC Championships. Liotta was heavily involved in recruiting efforts and assisted with the school's annual "Pro-Day" Combine. Prior to Duquesne, Liotta served as an Assistant Offensive Coordinator at Springdale High School. While at Springdale in 2002, Liotta's offense featured the first 1,000 yard rusher in school history, and the team made the playoffs for the first time in 29 years. From 2002-2003, Liotta worked for the Metro Index Scouting Service, assisting with scouting and player evaluations for the high school, collegiate, and professional level. Liotta is a 2002 graduate of Robert Morris University and resides in Lower Burrell, PA with his wife Allison.