Bearcats Football (Independent, 1940)

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 schedule drop to 8 games, and Central would drop to 4-3-1 on the season.
     Familiar opponents that season include Ferris State (known as Ferris Institute), Ball State, Northern Illinois, Wayne State, and Eastern Michigan (then known as Michigan Normal).
     This program is from the 1940 Homecoming and Fall Festival game, which saw the Bearcats host the Eastern Kentucky Teacher's College Colonels. The Colonels were a powerhouse that season, going 8-0 with five shutouts. Central didn't fare too well in this game, as the Bearcats were tamed by the Colonels, 25-0, to drop Central to 3-3-1 on the season.
     This program is 13 pages long, all in black and white. I found this on eBay several months ago, and is the oldest CMU sports program I have seen anywhere. The first thing that pops out to you is the pictures of the players on the cover. The players look like a third of the size of today's players, with the leather helmets, no facemasks, long sleeve jerseys and high-top cleats.
     There are plenty of advertisements throughout this program. Pretty sure that none of these business still exist, 80 years later. The Broadway Theatre still exists on Broadway Street, but is used for performing arts instead of movies. Mount Pleasant Sales Company specialized in selling Ford, Mercury and Lincoln Zephyr cars. If you wanted to go bowling, you would go to The Chippewa Bowling Alley on South Main Street. Kroger was originally located downtown, but was on Blue Grass Road when it closed in 2019. And then there's the ad for Johnson's Garage, which was "The Home of Studebaker Sales and Service".
     I included a picture of the Central State Bearcats team roster and photo. In the present day, CMU's roster includes players from multiple states, including Texas and Florida. Look at this roster: Except for one player, the team is made up of players entirely from Michigan. There are even players from The Thumb: George Duda (Bad Axe), Jack Thayer (Caro) and William Moulton. The biggest player on the roster is Hiram Becker, who was 6'5" and 220. Another thing you notice on this roster is the complete lack of African-American players.

Here's Page 1 of the program, featuring the president of the school and the Bearcats' coaching staff. Some familiar names to anyone who has taken classes at Central Michigan University. Charles L. Anspach was the fifth President of the college, serving from 1939 to 1959. Anspach Hall, built in 1965, houses, among other departments, the Political Science Department, and the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences.
     The coaching staff, pictured with the Head of Physical Education Louis E. Hutto, is a who's-who at CMU. Lawrence "Doc" Sweeney was a longtime gymnastics coach as well as line coach for football. The Sweeney Hall dormitory was constructed in 1961 and named in his honor. Dan Rose was not only an assistant football coach, but also the head coach for baseball and basketball and athletic director from 1942-72. His 35-year career at CMU was honored with the naming of the new basketball arena, Rose Arena (now McGuirk Arena). Ron Finch was head football coach from 1937-46 as well as basketball coach from 1943-44. Finch Fieldhouse, constructed in 1951 for $1 million, now houses the Army ROTC.

References:

"1940 Central Michigan Bearcats Football"

EKU: "1940 Football Team of Distinction"