Head Coach Joe Fincham bio

Offensive Coordinator/Assistant Head Coach
E-mail: sisphording@wittenberg.edu

Scott Isphording enters his sixth season with the Tigers and continues to transform the program's offense into one of the most dynamic in the Midwest, if not the nation. Principally charged with coaching Tiger quarterbacks while coordinating the offensive efforts, Isphording has been part of four NCAC championship teams at Wittenberg and has guided an offense that has averaged more than 420 yards and 37 points per game.

Previously passing game coordinator at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colo. for two years, Isphording has coached one first-team All-NCAC quarterback, three second-team choices and an honorable mention passer. In four of his five seasons at Wittenberg, a Tiger quarterback has led the conference in passing efficiency under Isphording's tutelage.

A four-year letterwinner at quarterback for Hanover College, Isphording ranked third in Division III in total offense with 315 yards per game in 1992. He was 16th in passing efficiency, completing 207 of 359 attempts for 3,098 yards and 24 touchdowns. At the time, Isphording's 3,098 yards was the sixth-best in Division III history, and his 309.8 yards per game also made the record books at the time.

A native of Cincinnati and a 1990 graduate of LaSalle High School, Isphording received a master's degree from Fort Hays State University in Kansas, where he was quarterback coach in 1994 and 1995. While at Fort Hays, Isphording helped his team reach the NCAA Division II playoffs.

Isphording, who doubles as Wittenberg's head golf coach, resides in Springfield.

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Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers
E-mail: kcummings@wittenberg.edu

Kelly Cummings joined the Tigers' coaching staff in 2000 and has led the unit to the top spot statistically in the North Coast Athletic Conference in each of his three years at Wittenberg.

Cummings began his collegiate career at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, before transferring to Eastern Kentucky University, from which he received a bachelor's degree in history in 1993. He followed his collegiate career with a free-agent tryout for the NFL.

Cummings coached four seasons at Denison before arriving in Springfield, serving as linebacker coach for one year before being named defensive coordinator prior to the 1997 season. Before working with the Big Red, Cummings was an assistant coach at Madison Central High School in Richmond, Ky.

Cummings and his wife, Kate, who is the head women's basketball coach at Ohio Dominican College, reside in Hilliard, Ohio with their daughters, Allyson and Bailey.

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Assistant Coach/Defensive Backs
E-mail: mhenninger@wittenberg.edu

Mark Henninger joined the Tiger coaching staff in 2000, and he has since become an integral part of the NCAC's vaunted defense.

A 1996 Wittenberg graduate, Henninger coached wide receivers at Millikin University under former Tiger head man Doug Neibhur for two years and then spent a season as wide receiver coach with the Hamburg (Germany) Blue Devils, a squad that went 15-3-1 and won the European championship. Henninger also spent one season at Wartburg College working with former Tiger defensive coordinator Rick Willis. He coached defensive backs, one of whom was named All-America after the season, for a Wartburg team that won the Iowa Conference championship.

Henninger, a native of Indianapolis, Ind. and a 1992 graduate of Roncalli High School, was a four-year letterwinner at Wittenberg and a three-time special teams Player of the Week. He finished second on the team in interceptions in his senior season. Since joining Wittenberg's coaching staff, he has coached five All-NCAC players, three of whom have also received second- or third-team All-America status.

Henninger lives in Springfield with his wife, Jeni, and son, Jack.

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Receivers

Mark Ewald, who will coach the receivers, joined the Tiger coaching staff in 1996, and he has become a key contributor to one of the top offensive units every year in Division III.

Ewald is in his 23rd year as a football coach. Before joining the Wittenberg staff, he was an assistant coach at nearby Trotwood-Madison High School after three years as head coach at Carroll High School in Dayton. He also coached at Chaminade-Julienne High School for several years. Ewald resides in Kettering, Ohio with his wife, Diane, and three children, Nicholas, Jacklyn, and Luke David.

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Defensive Line

Former Wittenberg offensive lineman Aaron Shaffer continues with the Tiger program, serving as defensive line coach in 2003. This is Shaffer's second season working with the defensive line after three years as the team's offensive line coach.

During his playing days, Shaffer, a native of Greenville, Ohio, was a two-time first team All-NCAC pick and was honored as a first-team All-American by Hewlett Packard and a second-team All-American by Football Gazette following his senior season. In addition, he served as team captain for the 1998 team that won an NCAC championship.

Shaffer resides in Springfield with his wife, Jessica, who is also a Wittenberg graduate. He is a seventh grade teacher at Clark Middle School. In addition to working with the Wittenberg football program, Shaffer coaches reserve baseball at South High School in Springfield.

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Offensive Line

Matt Leisure, a former Wittenberg four-year letterwinning offensive lineman, is that unit's position coach in 2003 for a second straight year. A 2002 Wittenberg graduate, Leisure was named Offensive Most Improved Player in 1999 and went on to become a three-time All-NCAC selection. In addition, Leisure was named second-team All-America by Hewlett Packard and second-team All-North Region by Football Gazette in 2001. He resides in Springfield.

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Running Backs

Rob Linkhart joined the Tiger football coaching staff in 2001 coaching the defensive backs. For the first time he will be working with the running backs in 2003. A 1999 Wittenberg graduate with a degree in biology, Linkhart was a three-year letterwinner at defensive back and played on three NCAC championship teams. A native of Springfield, Linkhart resides in his hometown.

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Defensive Line

Adam McClain is joining the Tiger coaching staff after earning varsity letters each of the last four years as an offensive lineman. A 2003 Wittenberg graduate with a degree in political science, McClain was a two-time All-NCAC selection in 2001 and 2002 as he anchored the Tiger offensive line at the center position.

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Tight Ends

Former Tiger gridiron standout Chris Schmidt returns to the coaching staff in 2003, and he will be in charge of the tight ends. Schmidt, a 2000 graduate of Wittenberg, also coached that position in 2001 before leaving for a coaching position at Bellefontaine High School the last two years. He remains a resident of Springfield and a middle school teacher in the Bellefontaine School District.

Schmidt earned three letters during his playing days in the Red & White, and he enjoyed a breakout senior season in 1999. He started every game and caught three passes for 68 yards, good for a whopping 22.7 yards per catch.

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