Central Michigan Programs

1952 Homecoming: Chippewas vs. Michigan State Normal Hurons       Head Coach Kenneth "Wild Bill" Kelly was in his second season as CMC Chippewas head football coach in 1952. The team was coming off a respectable 5-3 record (4-2 IIAC) in 1951. The school was in it's third season in the Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, which included five schools from Indiana and Michigan State Normal (now Eastern Michigan).      The Chippewas had an excellent season in 1952, winning the IIAC championship with a 7-2 record, along with a perfect 6-0 in conference play. CMU won the conference title by one game over second-place Western Illinois. 1952 was also the start of a 20-game home winning streak, which lasted until  1956.      Central was dominant on both sides of the ball this season. On defense, the team held opponents to a mere 85 points. The Chips pitched two shutouts (Western and Eastern Illinois) and held three other teams to...

1970 Home Opener vs. Western Michigan      The Chippewas started the 1970 football season with their traditional rival, the Western Michigan Broncos. Unlike today, this was neither a conference game, nor an annual matchup. While Western was a Division 1 school and member of the Mid-American Conference, CMU was still in Division 2 and an independent program. Also, this was the second straight game between the Chippewas and Broncos after a three-year layoff.      Western had pretty much been in control of the rivalry, owning a 31-10-1 record over Central, dating back to 1907. The 1970 matchup was a blowout win for the Broncos, as they embarrassed the Chippewas, 41-0, in Alumni Field in Mount Pleasant. This would be the last meeting between the two schools until 1973, when it became an annual matchup.      Despite that opening day drubbing, CMU had a pretty good year in 1970. Head Coach Roy Kramer, in his fourth season, led the Chippewas t...

2001 Regular Season: Chippewas vs. Toledo Rockets       Head Coach Mike DeBord had his work cut out for him entering the 2001 season. Central Michigan finished the previous season at a forgettable 2-9, one of the worst seasons in program history. The program had been in steady decline since the 1994 MAC Title, and needed to be rebuilt.      2001 wasn't much better for the Chippewas, as they finished 3-8 on the year (2-6 MAC). That was good enough for fifth place in the MAC West, just ahead of woeful Eastern Michigan.      The Chips improved somewhat on offense and defense in 2001. On the offensive side of the ball, they were ranked 83rd in the nation, scoring 22.8 points per game. The starting quarterback that year was Derrick Vickers, a sophomore from Miami, who led CMU to a shocking win over arch-rival Western Michigan last season. Vickers completed 116 out of 221 passes for 1,156 yards, 7 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. On the ground...

2000 Regular Season: Chippewas vs. Western Michigan Broncos      The 2000 edition of Central Michigan Chippewas football was a difficult one, to say the least. Since winning the 1994 Mid-American Conference crown, the program had gone into decline, a low point coming in 1997 with a humiliating 82-6 loss at the hands of the Florida Gators. After six seasons as head coach, Dick Flynn resigned in 1999 and was replaced by Michigan offensive coordinator Mike DeBord.      The DeBord era was an especially weak period in Chippewas football. The team never won more than 4 games per season and saw a steep decrease in attendance, including being nearly placed on probation for low attendance in 2004. The first season was the worst, as the Chippewas finished in last place in the MAC West Division, with a forgettable 2-9 record.      Central struggled on both sides of the ball that year. Their offense was ranked 114th in Division 1 Football (116 tota...

1984 Regular Season: Chippewas vs. Western Michigan Broncos      1984 was the 90th season of Chippewas football, and ninth in the Mid-American Conference. The Chippewas were coached by Herb Deromedi, who was in his fifth season at the helm. CMU played it's home games at Kelly/Shorts Stadium, which was renamed to honor former head coach Ken "Wild Bill" Kelly, who coached CMU to a 91-58-2 record from 1951-66.      CMU Football was a strong mid-major program under Deromedi, and 1984 was no different. Coming off a 8-3 season in 1983, the Chips finished with a near identical 8-2-1 mark in 1984 (6-2-1 in the MAC), finishing in third place in the conference.      The Chippewas were strong on both sides of the ball, especially on defense. CMU held opponents to a mere 12.8 points per game, which was 5th in the nation. The most points allowed by the Chips was 22 in a 45-22 win over Northern Michigan. In their two losses on the season, CMU allowed...

  1968 Homecoming: Chippewas vs. Illinois State Redbirds      1968 was the 72nd season of Central Michigan football and 20th in the Division 2 Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC). Home games were still played at Alumni Field, between Theunissen Stadium and Finch Fieldhouse.     Roy Kramer was in his second season as head coach. CMU was in the middle of an incredible stretch of coaching stability at this time. From 1951 to 1993, Central Michigan employed just three head coaches: Bill Kelly, Kramer, and Herb Deromedi. These days, mid-major programs cycle through coaches--as soon as a head coach is successful, the "Power Five" schools come calling.      Kramer's squad was coming off an 8-2 record and conference co-championship (with Illinois State) in 1967. The following year would be no different, as the Chippewas were co-champs again in the IIAC with Illinois State.       The IIAC was a small c...

1940 Homecoming: Central State Bearcats vs . Eastern Kentucky State Teacher's College      The first program in this blog dates back to 1940. This was before the athletic teams were called "Chippewas" and before the school was even called "Central Michigan University". Indeed, the college was then known as Central State Teacher's College, and would not become CMU until 1959. The nickname "Bearcats" was used until 1942, when assistant football coach Doc Sweeney suggested "Chippewas" as replacement.     The Bearcats home games were played at Alumni Field, which was located in the north side of campus, next to Finch Fieldhouse, and seated 2,500 fans. Team colors were maroon and gold, same as they are now.      Central was an independent program back then (they wouldn't join the MAC until 1975). The head coach was Ron Finch, who also doubled as Athletic Director. The Bearcats were coming off an 8-1 record in 1939. 1940 saw the sched...

I have decided to create a third program blog. I was thinking about making a football programs blog (and that may happen someday), but I decided to make one solely for Central Michigan University athletics. I am a 2007 graduate of CMU and have attended numerous sports events over the years, be it football, basketball or baseball. I also have some programs from before I started there, including as far back as the 1940s. So if the program is Chippewas (or Bearcats) related, it will wind up here.  Fire Up Chips!