ITHACA, N.Y. -- Three assistant coaches have been added to the Ithaca College coaching staffs: Rob Cushman (football, baseball), Gabe Luvara (football, track & field) and Mark Ross (football, strength and conditioning). The announcement was made by Ken Kutler, Ithaca’s director of intercollegiate athletics and recreational sports.

 

 “We are pleased to have Rob Cushman, Gabe Luvara and Mark Ross join our coaching staff,” Kutler said. “All three coaches bring a wealth of experience to Ithaca College and we look forward to having them work with our student-athletes."

 

Cushman spent five years as head football coach at Feather River College, serving as the program’s first head coach and leading the team to a 34-21 record. Cushman has also served as head coach at Eastern Oregon (his 1998 team was ranked 24th in the final NAIA poll) and has collegiate coaching experience at Butte Community College and Cal State-Chico.

 

A graduate of Puget Sound, Cushman was a four-year letter winner helping the Loggers to a ninth-place Division II ranking as a senior. He earned a master’s degree from Cal State-Chico. He will serve as junior varsity baseball coach and coach the defensive backs with Ithaca’s football staff.

 

Luvara joins the Bombers after a year as an assistant football coach at Juniata, where he was the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach for the Division III Eagles. Luvara, who increased the team’s offense by 108 yards per game, held the same position at Duquesne for a year and worked on the Dukes’ staff for three years.

 

A 2001 graduate of Indiana (Pa.) where he was an all-conference center, he served as team captain and helped the team to two NCAA Division II playoff appearances. He will coach Ithaca’s offensive linemen.

 

Ross previously served as an assistant coach with Ithaca’s football program for six seasons, working with the team’s linebackers and defensive lineman. Ross, who will serve as Ithaca’s defensive coordinator, also spent a season as assistant women’s lacrosse coach at Ithaca.

 

He spent four years as an assistant at East Stroudsburg, coaching the defensive ends and linebackers for the Division II Warriors. He also served as special teams coach for three seasons. A graduate of Penn State, he has also worked at Division I-AA Lafayette.