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| Augustana won four of its final five games to finish 5-5 overall for the third consecutive season. Augustana photo by Steve Woltmann |
Rob Cushman has resigned as the head football coach at Augustana, effective immediately. Cushman, who took over from Jim Barnes following the 2010 season, was originally hired as the defensive coordinator for the Vikings on Feb. 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. 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 was 13-15.
"We thank Rob for his seven years of service to Augustana," said athletic director 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 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 (Erik Westerberg, 2012 and 2013). 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, which was in Division III but is now a member of the NAIA. After his stint at Eastern Oregon, he was tapped to begin the football program at Feather River Community College in Quincy, Calif.