April 30, 2007
Bronx, N.Y. - Fordham University head football coach Tom Masella announced four additions to his coaching staff today with the appointment of Patrick Moore, Mark Michaels, Will McCain and Chris Fusaro as assistant coaches. Moore will be in charge of the linebackers as well as serving as the co-special teams coordinator while Michaels will be responsible for the defensive line and also serve as the co-special teams coordinator. McCain will coach the outside receivers while Fusaro will assist with the Fordham running backs.
Moore joins the Fordham staff after serving as the special teams coordinator and tight ends coach at Louisiana Tech University for the past two seasons. He helped the Bulldogs' special teams rank 17th in the NCAA while also leading the NCAA in special teams takeaway. Louisiana Tech had two players ranked in the top 50 in the nation in kickoff return average last year and had two players received WAC Special Teams Player of the Week honors.
In 2005, the Louisiana Tech kickoff return unit was ranked 19th in the NCAA while the Bulldogs' starting placekicker was ranked 12th in the nation, hitting 18 of his 26 field goal attempts and receiving All-Conference accolades. Moore also coached the 12th-ranked kickoff returner in the NCAA, averaging 27.7 yards/return. The Bulldogs also had three WAC Special Teams Players of the Week and had a true freshman tight end receive Freshman All-America honors.
Prior to his stint at Louisiana Tech, Moore was a graduate assistant football coach at Auburn University from 2002-04. He assisted with the offensive line and special teams on the 2004 SEC and Sugar Bowl championship team as the Tigers went a perfect 13-0 on the year while in 2003 he coached the tight ends and assisted on special teams as Auburn won the Music City Bowl. In 2002, Moore helped with the defensive line, coaching five current NFL defensive linemen, while also assisting with special teams.
A 1995 graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University, Moore received a bachelors degree in business administration. He also earned masters degrees at Western Carolina in 2001 and at Auburn in 2005.
Michaels arrives at Rose Hill after serving as the assistant special teams coach of the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars in 2005 and 2006 seasons, helping the Jaguar's special teams move from 16th in the NFL in 2004 to eighth in 2005. Jacksonville finished with a 12-4 record, earning an AFC wild card berth, with the Jaguars' special teams leading the NFL in overall offensive and defensive drive start point.
In 2006, Jacksonville was one of two teams to block two punts while Maurice Jones-Drew ranked third in the league in kickoff returns.
Prior to his two years in Jacksonville, Michaels coached for four years with the Seattle Seahawks, joining the organization as the assistant special teams coach in 2001 before being promoted to special teams coordinator in 2004. In 2004, he coached placekicker Josh Brown, who finished second in the league converting 23 of 25 field goal attempts (92.0 percent), and his squad had the fourth-fewest special teams penalties in the league.
Michaels received his start in the NFL as the Cleveland Browns quality control coach in 1999 before being promoted to special teams coach for the 2000 season.
Before joining the professional ranks, Michaels spent five seasons coaching on the collegiate level. He was a member of the 1998 staff at the University of Massachusetts, serving as the linebackers and special teams coach on the 1998 NCAA I-AA National championship team, after serving in the same capacity at Brown University for four years (1994-97).
A 1986 graduate of the University of Connecticut, Michaels was a two-time first Team All-New England selection and the Yankee Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Year in 1985.
McCain joins the Fordham staff after serving as an assistant coach at New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell, New Mexico last fall where he was responsible for the receivers and offensive line. He also served as the video coordinator and was involved in all aspects of game planning and on and off campus recruiting.
McCain is no stranger to the New York City area, serving as an assistant coach at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, N.Y. from 2002-2005. He coached the tight ends and defensive ends for the Mariners as well as being responsible for goal line and short yardage scouting and game planning. He served under curent Fordham assistant coach Charlie Pravata in 2002, helping the Mariners to an 8-3 record and an appearance in the ECAC South Atlantic Championship game. He also served as an assistant track and field coach at Kings Points, working with the Mariner throwers.
Prior to his stint at the Merchant Marine Academy, McCain served as an assistant coach at West Texas A&M in 2001, coaching the tight ends and offensive tackles. He was also involved in game planning and blocking schemes.
In 2001, McCain served as the defensive line coach at his alma mater, the University of La Verne in La Verne, California, where he was responsible for all phases of scouting and game planning.
The Bakersfield, California native, is a 1995 graduate of the University of La Verne where he was a four-year letterman with the football team, leading the 1994 squad to the SCIAC championship and an appearance in the NCAA Division III playoffs.
Fusaro, a former member of the football staff at Fordham Prep, returns to coaching after spending the past five years in the business world, serving as the Director of Human Resource Recruiting for The Forum Group, Inc., the fourth largest New York based recruiting firm according to Cranes Business Magazine.
Prior to his professional experience, Fusaro served as the head junior varsity coach at Fordham Prep from 1998-2001, while he was also enrolled full time at St. John's University. He successfully led the 1998 junior varsity to the New York CHSFL AAA Semi-Final game with a 7-3 record.
A 2003 graduate of St. John's University, Fusaro received a bachelor's degree in marketing. He is active in the community, serving as a committee member for Cooley's Anemia Foundation, a non-profit organization that serves children afflicted with Cooley's Anemia and related forms of blood disorders, since 2001.
