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Chippewas Football (MAC, 1982)

1982 Regular Season Chippewas vs. Indiana State      Herb Deromedi was in his fifth season as head coach of Central Michigan Chippewas football in 1982, well on his way to becoming the program's winningest head coach. After a four-year stretch (1977-80), in which the Chippewas went 38-5-1 (30-4-1 MAC) and won two Mid-American Conference titles, Central slipped to 7-4 in 1981. 1982 was more of the same, as the Chippewas finished the 1982 season at 6-4-1 (5-3-1 MAC), finishing in fourth place in the conference.      Central's offense scored 228 points that season, ranked 58th in the nation with an average of 20.7 points per game. In an era where passing wasn't as prominent as in today's game, CMU's passing numbers were modest. Quarterback Bob DeMarco, a junior from Monroe, Michigan, led the team in passing, with 1,113 yards, 6 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Kermit Pitts was the backup that season. The sophomore from Flint Northern had 28 completions in 50 a...
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Chippewas Football (MAC, 2004)

2004 Regular Season: Chippewas vs. Western Michigan Broncos      Central Michigan Football opened the 2004 season with a new head coach, as Mike DeBord resigned after the 2003 season. Athletic Director Herb Deromedi replaced him with Brian Kelly. Kelly had recently been head coach at Grand Valley State for the last 13 seasons, leading the Lakers to a 118-35-2 record and two Division II National Championships. This was his first head coaching position at the Division I level.      CMU Football had been a struggling program for nearly a decade, having just one winning season since winning the MAC title in 1994. 2004 would be more of the same, as the Chippewas finished with a 4-7 record (3-5 MAC). That placed the Chips at fifth place in the MAC West Division, four games back of league champion Toledo.      The Chippewas offense was mediocre, just 82nd in the nation with an average of 23.6 points per game. The high point for scoring came in a wil...
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Chippewas Football (MAC, 1986)

1986 Football Media Guide      Central Michigan football stumbled in 1986 to a 5-5 record (4-4 MAC), the first non-winning season under head coach Herb Deromedi and first for the program since 1966. That was good enough for a tie for fifth place in the conference, but just two games back of league champion Miami (Ohio). Chippewas fans flocked to Kelly/Shorts Stadium that year, as the Chips drew 118,457 (19,742 per game).      CMU's offense averaged about 25.8 points per game, good enough for 31st in the nation. They were led at quarterback by Lansing senior Marcelle Carruthers. Carruthers was a dual-threat quarterback, who passed for 912 yards and 7 touchdowns, while rushing for 512 yards and 7 TDs as well. Rodney Stevenson, a junior from Holland, led the team in rushing with 1,104 yards and 14 touchdowns.       Defense was a weak spot that season, an unusual issue for a Herb Deromedi-coached team. The Chippewas allowed 284 points, an av...
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Chippewas Football (IIAC, 1950)

1950 Regular Season: Chippewas vs. Ferris Institute Bulldogs      Central Michigan football opened the 1950 football season with not only a new head coach, but also a new conference. The Chippewas were now part of the Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC), a 7-team league featuring the following schools: Western Illinois Central Michigan Northern Illinois Illinois State Eastern Illinois Southern Illinois Michigan State Normal (Eastern Michigan)      The new coach was a familiar face: Warren Schmakel. Schmakel, 28, was an alumnus of Central and a Little All-American guard for the Chippewas in 1942. He was the third coach at Central in the past five seasons, taking over for Lyle Bennett.      Schmakel led the Chippewas to their first winning season since 1946, finishing in third place with a 6-4 record (2-2 IIAC). The Chippewas outscored their opponents, 209-125, posting three shutouts during the season. They placed three players ...
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Bowl Game: 1994 Las Vegas Bowl

Las Vegas Bowl III:  Chippewas vs. UNLV Rebels       Central Michigan played in their second-ever Division bowl game in 1994, accepting a bid to the Las Vegas Bowl. The Chippewas were coming off a great season, winning the Mid-American Conference crown with a 9-3 record (8-1 in the MAC). The team was led by All-American senior halfback Brian Pruitt, who rushed for a school record 1,890 yards (tops in the nation) and 20 touchdowns on 292 carries. Quarterback Eric Timpf passed for 1315 yards, 9 touchdowns and 6 interceptions, while also rushing for 463 yards and 5 touchdowns. First-year head coach Dick Flynn was named MAC Coach of the Year.       The Chippewas faced a familiar foe in this game: the UNLV Rebels. Central defeated the Rebels, 35-23, in Mount Pleasant in Week 2 of the regular season. UNLV, led by first-year coach Jeff Horton, won the Big West crown with a 7-5 record (5-1 overall). Their top running back was Omar Love, who rushed for 548...
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Chippewas Football (MAC, 2019)

2019 Regular Season Finale Chippewas vs. Toledo Rockets      The 2019 edition of Central Michigan Football featured one of the largest single-season turnarounds in program history. The Chippewas were coming off a disastrous 1-11 season in 2018, which saw CMU go winless in Division 1-A play (their only win being against FCS opponent Maine). It was the worst season in program history, and cost head coach John Bonamego his job after four seasons at the helm.      Athletic Director Michael Alford replaced Bonamego with Jim McElwain, wide receivers coach at Michigan and former head coach at Florida. Coming off a 1-win season, the conference media poll had Central tabbed for dead last in the MAC West. However, the Chippewas were surprisingly competitive as the season progressed. Except for a 61-0 loss to #6 Wisconsin early in the year, CMU was in most of their games, including a near upset of Miami (Florida).      Central dropped to 2-3 after...
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Media Guide: 1981 Football Season

1981 Football Media Guide      As of now, this is the only media guide I have for CMU athletics. I bought this online recently for $15.       Heading into the 1981 season, the Chippewas were coming off a dominating run in the Mid-American Conference. From 1978-80, Central went 28-4-1 in regular season play (23-3-1 MAC), winning the conference championship in 1979 and 1980, while just missing the crown in 1978.      Herb Deromedi was entering his fourth season as head coach of the Chippewas. In his first season at the helm, the Chips were expected to finish in ninth place. Instead, he built a powerful program that, in today's college football world, would have easily qualified for bowl games. Instead, the MAC would not be tied to a postseason game until 1981, with the creation of the California Raisin Bowl. 1981 CMU Football Roster      The 1981 installment of Chippewas football finished in third place in the MAC, wit...
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