After a four-year run, Rob Cushman has resigned as the head football coach at Augustana, effective immediately.  Cushman, who took over from Jim Barnes on November 24, 2010, was originally hired as the defensive coordinator for the Vikings on February 28, 2008. He compiled an overall record of 17-23 in four years at the Vikings' helm.
 
He served as the defensive coordinator for three seasons before replacing Barnes. After a 2-8 campaign in his first season of 2011, Cushman's teams went 5-5 each of the next three years (2012-13-14). During the 2014 campaign the Vikings recovered from a 1-4 start and won four of their last four games and finished in third place in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin with a 4-3 mark. His CCIW record during his tenure was 13-15.
 
"We thank Rob for his seven years of service to Augustana," said director of athletics Mike Zapolski. "Both as the defensive coordinator and as the head coach he was a hard worker who prepared our teams well each and every week. We certainly wish him the best."
 
Augustana also opened the Knowlton Outdoor Athletic Complex/Lindberg Stadium in September of 2013 with a 20-10 victory over Mount St. Joseph. Cushman was 5-4 as the head coach in the new facility.
 
During his time as the head coach at Augustana, Cushman helped produce five Academic All-Americans, a National Football Foundation Scholar and an NCAA Division III All-American. In addition, 22 Vikings earned all-conference recognition under Cushman.
 
The Vikings compiled an overall record of 19-11 over the three years while Cushman was in charge of the defense.
Augustana was Cushman's third head coaching job in a career that began in 1979. He had an 18-31 record in five seasons (1997-01) at Eastern Oregon University, an NCAA Division II/NAIA school in LaGrande, Ore. After his stint at Eastern Oregon, he was tapped to begin the football program at Feather River Community College in Quincy, Calif. In his very first season at Feather River, he guided the Golden Eagles to a 6-5 record and a berth in the CLO Bowl. He posted a 34-21 record in five seasons at Feather River and had his team in five straight bowl games. The best year for the Golden Eagles was a 9-2 mark in 2003.
 
He left Feather River after the 2006 season and spent one year as the special teams coordinator/defensive backs coach at Ithaca College in Ithaca, N.Y. He helped the Bombers go 8-3 and earn a spot in the NCAA Division III national playoffs.
 
Cushman has devoted his entire professional life to coaching football. After graduating from the University of Puget Sound in 1978 where he was a four-year letter winner and two-year starter, with a bachelor of arts degree in communications, he began his coaching odyssey at California State University - Chico in 1979.
 
In 1981 he moved to Butte Community College in Oroville, Calif., where he was the defensive coordinator from 1981-84. His next two stops were head coaching positions in the high school ranks. He was the head coach at Marysville High School in Marysville, Calif., from 1984-85 and had a similar position, although he also added head baseball coach to his resume, at St. Helena High School in St. Helena, Calif., during the 1986-87 school year.
 
He moved to Eastern Oregon University in time for the 1987-88 school year and began a 15-year association with the Mountaineers' athletic program. From 1987-97 he was the defensive coordinator in football, was the head baseball coach where he led EOU to three post-season appearances, and was an assistant professor of physical education. He was chosen in 2000 to win the Instructional Merit Award, the first faculty/coach to win the honor in the school's history. He was named the head football coach in 1997.
 
A 1974 graduate of Hood River Valley High School in Hood River, Ore., Cushman also has a master of arts degree in education/physical education from California State University - Chico, which he earned in 1982.
 
 

CUSHMAN'S RECORD AS HEAD COACH

                                               
                                        OVERALL                   CONFERENCE

YEAR	WON	LOSS	PCT	WON	LOSS	PCT	SCHOOL
1997	4	6	.400				Eastern Oregon
1998	6	4	.600				Eastern Oregon
1999	5	5	.500				Eastern Oregon
2000	2	8	.200				Eastern Oregon
2001	1	8	.111				Eastern Oregon
Eastern Oregon Totals	18	31	.367
2002	6	5	.545				Feather River
2003	9	2	.818				Feather River
2004	6	5	.545				Feather River
2005	7	4	.636				Feather River
2006	6	5	.545				Feather River
Feather River Totals	34	21	.618
				College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin
2011	2	8	.200	2	5	.286	Augustana
2012	5	5	.500	4	3	.571	Augustana
2013	5	5	.500	3	4	.429	Augustana
2014	5	5	.500	4	3	.571	Augustana
Augustana Totals	17	23	.425	13	15	.464
CAREER	69	75	.479

 
 

ROB CUSHMAN BY THE NUMBERS: Here is a closer look at Rob Cushman's record at Augustana College.

	OVERALL			CCIW
YR	W	L	PCT	W	L	PCT	FINISH	SEP	OCT	NOV	H	A
2011	2	8	.200	2	5	.286		0-3	2-3	0-2	2-4	0-4
2012	5	5	.500	4	3	.571		1-3	3-1	1-1	3-2	2-3
2013	5	5	.500	3	4	.429		2-1	2-2	1-2	2-3	3-2
2014	5	5	.500	4	3	.571		1-2	2-2	2-1	3-1	2-4
CAREER	17	23	.425	13	15	.464		4-9	9-8	4-6	10-10	7-13

 
 

CUSHMAN AGAINST THE OPPOSITION

TEAM	GAMES	W	L	FIRST MEETING	LAST MEETING
Adrian	1	0	1	2011 – L (14-17)
Carthage	4	4	0	2011 – W (19-13)	2014 – W (31-26)
Central	3	0	3	2011 – L (23-31)	2013 – L (13-38)
Dubuque	2	0	2	2011 – L (13-18)	2012 – L (21-39)
Elmhurst	4	1	3	2011 – L (27-28)	2014 – L (10-17)
Hope	1	0	1	2014 – L (27-37)
Illinois Wesleyan	4	2	2	2011 – L (12-34)	2014 – W (7-2)
Loras	3	3	0	2012 – W (34-10)	2014 – W (34-17)
Millikin	4	3	1	2011 – L (27-30)	2014 – W (59-6)
Mount St. Joseph	2	1	1	2013 – W (20-10)	2014  - L (25-58)
North Central	4	0	4	2011 – L (3-24)	2014 – L (14-43)
North Park	4	3	1	2011 – W (27-24)	2014 – W (26-20)
Wheaton	4	0	4	2011 – L (7-36)	2014 – L (13-20)