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SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – Slippery Rock University director of athletics Roberta Page has announced the hiring of Lisa Horton as the inaugural head coach of The Rock women's flag football program, which is scheduled to begin competing in the spring semester of the 2027-28 academic year.
 
"Lisa brings a championship pedigree both as a player and a coach and will immediately give our new flag football program an established leader in the sport," said Page. "We are thrilled to welcome her as our newest head coach and are looking forward to working with her over the next year to lay the groundwork for this exciting new opportunity for female student-athletes at The Rock."
 
Horton will officially begin her role as head coach July 1, 2026. She will have a full year to build the foundation for the program and recruit athletes for 2027-28 with Slippery Rock set to begin competing during the spring season in 2027-28.
 
"I want to thank Dr. Riley, Dr. Page and the search committee for putting their trust in me to start this program," said Horton. "I've had the privilege of working with The Rock men's football team for the last few years and getting to see how special this university is and what it means to the student-athletes that compete here. I am excited to have the chance to share that with a group of female student-athletes that will be eager to blaze their own path at The Rock."
 
Horton has spent the last three seasons working with the Slippery Rock football program as an offensive assistant and tight ends coach. She helped lead the program to the NCAA Division II Playoffs in 2023 and 2024, including a Super Region One title and trip to the national semifinals in 2024 when she worked with All-American tight end Kam Kruzelyak.
 
"Lisa has been a terrific addition to our coaching staff and has developed a great deal as a coach during her time with Rock football," said SRU head football coach Shawn Lutz. "I think this is an excellent move for SRU and we are excited to watch the growth of this sport and see what she can do with it."
 
Horton has also worked with a pair of NFL teams through five-week coaching fellowships, working with the Cleveland Browns in 2022 and most recently with the Dallas Cowboys in 2024.
 
While gaining valuable experience at the collegiate and professional levels in men's football, Horton has also been building an impressive resume coaching both women's flag football and women's professional football. She has served as co-head coach and offensive coordinator of the Pittsburgh Passion women's professional football team since 2019 and also serves as head coach of the Passion flag football team.
 
Horton coached the Passion flag football team to the inaugural Women's Football Alliance national title in 2025, beating the Cali War 26-14 in the championship game played at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio. She was also named as one of the WFA Pro Coaches of the Year in 2024 and coached the WFA National Conference Offensive Player of the Year in 2025. While working with the Passion and the SRU men's football team, she has also been volunteering as a coach with the women's flag football club at SRU and coached the club this spring.
 
Prior to moving into a coaching role, Horton was a standout professional player for nearly two decades. She began playing professionally for the Passion in 2003 and would go on to serve as the team's starting quarterback for most of 15 years, eventually retiring in 2018 after passing for more than 18,000 yards and throwing 256 touchdown passes. She was a 14-time all-star selection and was named the league MVP four times while leading the Passion to three national championships. After her career, she was enshrined in the Women's Pro Football Hall of Fame and was inducted to the Minor Pro Football Hall of Fame at the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh. She also played for the USA Football national team, helping the team to International Federation of American Football (IFAF) gold medals in both 2017 and 2022 and playing for the USA flag football team in 2016. She also represented the U.S. Women's Tackle National Team as an assistant coach in the 2022 IFAF World Championships in Finland.
 
Horton is a 2001 graduate of Cleveland State University and a 2003 Slippery Rock graduate with a master's degree in exercise science and wellness promotion.
 
Flag football is one of the fastest growing sports in America at the high school, collegiate and professional level. The sport will be introduced as an Olympic sport at the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles and is on the fast track to becoming the next NCAA championship sport. Earlier this month, the NCAA Committee on Access, Opportunity and Impact voted at its spring meeting to recommend Divisions I, II and III sponsor legislation to add a National Collegiate Flag Football Championship. The committee oversees the Emerging Sports for Women program, which aims to grow participation and competitive opportunities for women's sports across the NCAA. Each NCAA division is expected to vote on the legislation in January of 2027. If adopted, the first flag football championship would take place in the spring of 2028, in line with SRU's first season of competition. More information about the NCAA process is available HERE.
 
High school student-athletes interested in being recruited for the inaugural Slippery Rock team in 2027-28 are encouraged to fill out the recruiting questionnaire HERE. Horton will begin evaluating recruits once she officially begins in the head coaching role July 1.
 
 

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