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 average of 28.4 per game, which was 86th in the nation. Sterling Heights junior Joe Kellogg topped the team with five interceptions for 110 yards.

     This is a yearbook from the 1986 season that I recently purchased on eBay. It's autographed by Herb Deromedi and several players and features plenty of statistics, records and player bios. One of the more unusual things about this media guide is that it lists not only the office phone numbers of the coaching staff, but also the home phone numbers! One of the players of note is Paw Paw senior John Bonamego. Bono, of course, went on to coach Chippewas football from 2015-18, leading the team to bowl games in 2015-17 and a first place tie in 2015. 

Head Coach Herb Deromedi 
and Quarterback Marcelle Carruthers

     Since this is a yearbook and not a game program, there really are no advertisements included. This picture of Herb Deromedi and Marcelle Carruthers is from the front inside cover A preview of the 1986 season is on pages 2-3, while player profiles are on pages 6-21. Coach Deromedi and his coaching staff are featured on pages 22-25. A breakdown of the schedule is featured in the next several pages, including a preview of each opponent and the all-time series between the two schools. The Mid-American Conference champion earned a trip to the California Bowl back then, and that game is profiled on page 31.  

     Central players that reached the National Football League or the USFL are featured on pages 52-53. "Great Moments in CMU Football" are on page 58, including the first game at Perry Shorts Stadium and the Division II National Championship win in 1974. Page 64 features a profile of the "Voices of the Chippewas", Mike Carey and Ed Phelps. Phelps was the sports director at WJRT 12 (ABC affiliate in Flint) for decades, and also hosted the "CMU Coach's Show" for many years as well.   

     The back cover features the 1986 schedule on an action photo. The Central players include #90 Rob Zimmerman, an inside linebacker, and Mike Bruns, a senior inside linebacker from Frankenmuth. I'm not sure who the player to the right is, possibly defensive tackle Ben Castle, if that's #66 on his jersey.

Reference:

"1986 Central Michigan Chippewas Stats, from Sports-Reference.com. Accessed at:

https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/central-michigan/1986.html