Pittsburgh, PA - The Pittsburgh Thunderbirds have announced today that the organization and Head Coach Max Barowski have mutually agreed to part ways.

Barowski, the third Head Coach in organizational history, took over the reigns of the coaching duties after Pat Hammonds stepped down after the 2021 UFA Season. In his 2nd full season of coaching in 2023, the Thunderbirds outscored their opponents 236 to 226, the first time the Thunderbirds had finished with a positive goal differential since 2019. 

One year later in 2024, Barowski would lead his team to a 5-turnover total performance against the Indianapolis AlleyCats en route to a 26-18 victory at Highmark Stadium, a then all-time UFA record. 

Unfortunately however, the Thunderbirds failed to make the post-season in the 4-year span, amassing a 16-32 record across 48 UFA games. 

"Coach Barowski will always be a Pittsburgh Thunderbird," says General Manager Andrew Gardner. "Once a Thunderbird, always a Thunderbird. The amount of work that he put in behind the scenes that went unnoticed, all of the late meetings we took, all of the hard decisions he had to make, all of it makes me so deeply appreciative of what he brought to this organization." 

Gardner also mentioned to not rule out the possibility fans could hear Barowski's voice on a UFA broadcast in the near future. "While Barowski won't be coaching in 2026, he's still incredibly knowledgeable about not just the sport of Pro ultimate frisbee, but the Thunderbirds players, opponents, and organization as well. He would be a terrific boost to our commentary."

An informal coaching search is currently underway and more news about who will replace Barowski as the 2026 Thunderbirds Head Coach should be released in the coming months. 

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