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Football team of Central Michigan University From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Central Michigan Chippewas are a college football program in Division I FBS, representing Central Michigan University (CMU). CMU has the 24th highest overall winning percentage of programs playing in NCAA Division I.[2]
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2014) |
| Central Michigan Chippewas | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| |||
| First season | 1896; 128 years ago | ||
| Athletic director | Amy Folan | ||
| Head coach | Jim McElwain 6th season, 32–33 (.492) | ||
| Stadium | Kelly/Shorts Stadium (capacity: 35,127) | ||
| Field surface | FieldTurf | ||
| Location | Mount Pleasant, Michigan | ||
| NCAA division | Division I FBS | ||
| Conference | Mid-American Conference | ||
| Division | West | ||
| All-time record | 651–454–36 (.586) | ||
| Bowl record | 4–9 (.308) | ||
| Claimed national titles | 1 (1974) (Division II) | ||
| Conference titles | 16 | ||
| Division titles | 5 | ||
| Rivalries | Western Michigan (rivalry) Eastern Michigan (rivalry) | ||
| Current uniform | |||
 | |||
| Colors | Maroon and gold[1] | ||
| Fight song | The Fighting Chippewa | ||
| Marching band | The Marching Chippewas | ||
| Website | CMUChippewas.com | ||
The Chippewas have played in six bowl games in the last nine years, most recently defeating Washington State in the 2021 Sun Bowl. CMU drew 60,624 fans in the 2007 Motor City Bowl. CMU has played a total of eighteen post-season games (conference championships and bowl games), winning seven.
Central Michigan has been a member of the following conferences.[3]: 109–117
The Chippewas won the 1974 NCAA Division II National Championship.
| Year | League | Coach | Record | CG Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | NCAA Division II | Roy Kramer | 12–1 | Delaware | W 54–14 |
Central Michigan has won 16 conference championships including seven Mid-American Conference Championships.[3]: 109–117
| Year | Conference | Coach | Record | Conference Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | Bill Kelly | 7–2 | 6–0 |
| 1953 | Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | Bill Kelly | 7–1–1 | 5–0–1 |
| 1954† | Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | Bill Kelly | 8–2 | 5–1 |
| 1955 | Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | Bill Kelly | 8–1 | 5–1 |
| 1956 | Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | Bill Kelly | 9–0 | 6–0 |
| 1962 | Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | Bill Kelly | 6–4 | 4–0 |
| 1966 | Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | Bill Kelly | 5–5 | 3–0 |
| 1967† | Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | Roy Kramer | 8–2 | 2–1 |
| 1968† | Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | Roy Kramer | 7–2 | 2–1 |
| 1979 | Mid-American Conference | Herb Deromedi | 10–0–1 | 8–0–1 |
| 1980 | Mid-American Conference | Herb Deromedi | 9–2 | 7–2 |
| 1990 | Mid-American Conference | Herb Deromedi | 8–3–1 | 7–1 |
| 1994 | Mid-American Conference | Dick Flynn | 9–3 | 8–1 |
| 2006 | Mid-American Conference | Brian Kelly | 10–4 | 7–1 |
| 2007 | Mid-American Conference | Butch Jones | 8–6 | 6–1 |
| 2009 | Mid-American Conference | Butch Jones | 12–2 | 8–0 |
† Co-champions
Central Michigan has won 5 division championships:
| Year | Division | Coach | Opponent | CG result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | MAC West | Brian Kelly | Ohio | W 31–10 |
| 2007† | MAC West | Butch Jones | Miami | W 35–10 |
| 2009 | MAC West | Butch Jones | Ohio | W 20–10 |
| 2019 | MAC West | Jim McElwain | Miami | L 21–26 |
| 2021† | MAC West | Jim McElwain | N/A lost tiebreaker to Northern Illinois | |
† Co-champions
Many notable coaches have contributed to CMU's culture. Some include legendary "Wild" Bill Kelly who won seven conference championships in sixteen years and whom Kelly/Shorts Stadium is named after; national championship winning coach Roy Kramer who had a 72% winning percentage and never had a losing season in more than a decade; College Football Hall of Fame coach Herb Deromedi who is the winningest coach in MAC history[citation needed] and Brian Kelly and Butch Jones who combined for three MAC Championships in four years, four consecutive bowl appearance and top 25 finish in the nation.
CMU head coaches through the 2023 season.[3]
| Coach | Seasons | Years | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pete McCormick | 1896 | 1 | 3–1 |
| Carl Pray | 1897–1899 | 3 | 6–5 |
| Unknown | 1900 | 1 | 1–0 |
| No team | 1901 | ||
| Charles Tambling | 1902–1905, 1918 | 5 | 18–2 |
| No team | 1906 | ||
| Ralph Thacker | 1907 | 1 | 2–4 |
| Hugh Sutherland | 1908 | 1 | 4–3 |
| Harry Helmer | 1909–1912 | 4 | 14–9–2 |
| No team | 1913–1915 | ||
| Blake Miller | 1916 | 1 | 1–5 |
| Fred Johnson | 1917 | 1 | 1–2 |
| Garland Nevitt | 1919 | 1 | 2–2–3 |
| Joe Simmons | 1920 | 1 | 4–3–1 |
| Wallace Parker | 1921–1923, 1926–1928 | 6 | 32–10–6 |
| Lester Barnard | 1924–1925 | 2 | 11–2–3 |
| Butch Nowack | 1929–1930 | 2 | 8–5–2 |
| George Van Bibber | 1931–1933 | 3 | 12–9–2 |
| Alex Yunevich | 1934–1936 | 3 | 9–13–1 |
| Ron Finch | 1937–1946 | 10 | 54–18–1 |
| Lyle Bennett | 1947–1949 | 3 | 8–15–1 |
| Warren Schmakel | 1950 | 1 | 6–4 |
| Kenneth Kelly | 1951–1966 | 16 | 91–58–2 |
| Roy Kramer | 1967–1977 | 11 | 83–32–2 |
| Herb Deromedi | 1978–1993 | 16 | 110–55–10 |
| Dick Flynn | 1994–1999 | 6 | 30–37 |
| Mike DeBord | 2000–2003 | 4 | 12–34 |
| Brian Kelly | 2004–2006 | 3 | 19–16 |
| Jeff Quinn† | 2006 | – | 1–0 |
| Butch Jones | 2007–2009 | 3 | 27–13 |
| Steve Stripling† | 2009 | – | 1–0 |
| Dan Enos | 2010–2014 | 5 | 26–36 |
| John Bonamego | 2015–2018 | 4 | 22–29 |
| Jim McElwain | 2019–present | 4 | 29–28 |
† Interim
Central Michigan holds a 4–9 record in bowl games.[3]: 124–136
| Year | Bowl | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | California Bowl | San Jose State | L 24–48 |
| 1994 | Las Vegas Bowl | UNLV | L 24–52 |
| 2006 | Motor City Bowl | Middle Tennessee State | W 31–14 |
| 2007 | Motor City Bowl | Purdue | L 48–51 |
| 2008 | Motor City Bowl | Florida Atlantic | L 21–24 |
| 2009 | GMAC Bowl | Troy | W 44–41 |
| 2012 | Little Caesars Pizza Bowl | Western Kentucky | W 24–21 |
| 2014 | Bahamas Bowl | Western Kentucky | L 48–49 |
| 2015 | Quick Lane Bowl | Minnesota | L 14–21 |
| 2016 | Miami Beach Bowl | Tulsa | L 10–55 |
| 2017 | Famous Idaho Potato Bowl | Wyoming | L 14–37 |
| 2019 | New Mexico Bowl | San Diego State | L 11–48 |
| 2021 | Sun Bowl | Washington State | W 24–21 |
The Chippewas made one appearance in the Division II playoffs, with a combined record of 3-0.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Quarterfinals Semifinals National Championship |
Boise State Louisiana Tech Delaware |
W, 20–6 W, 35–14 W, 54–14 |
These archrivals first met in 1907 and have faced one another annually since 1943. Since the two schools are separated by a two-hour drive, the visiting team typically has a strong fan and student presence at the game. The winner of the game receives the Cannon Trophy.[4] The outcome also helps determine the winner of the Michigan MAC Trophy, a trophy fought over between Michigan's three MAC football teams: the Chippewas, the Broncos, and the Eastern Michigan Eagles.[5] WMU leads the series overall 51–39–2.[citation needed][when?]
The Chippewas and Eagles maintain a less prominent, but steady rivalry. CMU holds the series lead over Eastern Michigan, leading 62–30–6.[6][when?]
Central Michigan has the largest on-campus stadium in the Mid-American Conference,[7] seating 32,885 fans and has been playing home football games dating back to 1896. The Sporting News has named Kelly/Shorts Stadium "the finest football facility in the Mid-American Conference" and "the best game day atmosphere in the MAC".[8]
The East End of the stadium (as of 2014) once again hosts the CMU Student section backing the football team.[citation needed] The Chippewa Marching Band, cheerleaders, and dance team add to the game day experience[citation needed] and has helped CMU become one of the nation's winningest schools at home with a .714 winning percentage all-time at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.[citation needed]
CMU drew a capacity crowd of 35,127 fans for the Central Michigan–Michigan State game televised on ESPNU[9] and has hosted schools from the ACC, Big Ten, and Big 12 conferences. Future opponents at home include schools from the Big Ten, ACC, Big 12, Pac-12 and Mountain West conferences.[10]
In 2010, the CMU Board of Trustees designed and set course to construct a state of the art stadium expansion to integrate a hotel, restaurant, and conference center connected by a glass atrium to new stadium suites on the east side. This addition will be custom-built into Kelly/Shorts Stadium.[11]
Newer upgrades include a video scoreboard standing six stories and featuring two video replay boards—one facing into the stadium and a second board facing outside the stadium by tailgating areas. NFL-quality permanent lighting has been installed for television and future ESPN night games.[12]
One former Central Michigan coach has been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.[13][14]
| Name | Position | Career | Induction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Herb Deromedi | Head coach | 1978–1993 | 2007 |
| Central Michigan Chippewas retired numbers | ||||
| No. | Player | Pos. | Tenure | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 62 | Jim Podoley | HB | 1952–1956 | [19] |
The CMU Sports Network broadcasts all games live throughout Michigan and online for free.
CMU Sports Network Affiliates:
The ESPN family of channels and Fox Sports affiliates have provided national and local television coverage.
CMU Sports Zone provides live and archive Internet video-feed of games, gameday coverage, and coaches shows.[21]
Announced schedules as of August 11, 2024.[22]
| 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2030 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Connecticut (8/29) | at San Jose State (8/30) | at New Mexico State (9/5) | at Michigan State (8/31) | |
| at Florida International (9/7) | at Pittsburgh (9/6) | Colgate (9/12) | at Michigan State (9/11) | at San Diego State (9/21) |
| at Illinois (9/14) | at Michigan (9/13) | Wyoming (9/19) | Monmouth (9/18) | |
| San Diego State (9/28) | Wagner (9/20) | at Miami (FL) (9/26) | at Wyoming (9/25) |
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