The Big Ten Conference is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives in 1896, it predates the founding of its regulating organization, the NCAA. It is based in the Chicago area in Rosemont, Illinois. For many decades the conference consisted of 10 prominent universities. As of 2014, it consists of 14 member institutions and 2 affiliate institutions, with 4 new member institutions scheduled to join in 2024. The conference competes in the NCAA Division I and its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly known as Division I-A, the highest level of NCAA competition in that sport.
The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I collegiate athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members located in Illinois, Indiana, and New York. For football, the MAC participates in the NCAA's Football Bowl Subdivision.
Gary Brent Darnell is an American former college football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Tennessee Technological University from 1983 to 1985 and Western Michigan University from 1997 to 2004 and was interim head football coach at the University of Florida for seven games in 1989 and at Texas A&M University for one game in 2007, compiling a career head coaching record of 52–80. Darnell had stints at a defensive coordinator at Kansas State University, Wake Forest University, Florida, the University of Notre Dame, the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M.
The Western Michigan Broncos football program represents Western Michigan University in the Football Bowl Subdivision of Division I and the Mid-American Conference (MAC). Western Michigan has competed in football since 1906, when they played three games in their inaugural season. In 1927, WMU joined four other schools to form the Michigan Collegiate Conference. Western Michigan then moved to its present conference in 1948. Prior to 1939, Western Michigan's athletic teams were known as the Hilltoppers.
The Western Michigan Broncos are a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I program representing Western Michigan University (WMU) in college athletics. They compete in the Mid-American Conference in men's baseball, basketball, football, and tennis; and women's basketball, cross-country, golf, gymnastics, soccer, softball, track and field, and volleyball. The men's ice hockey team competes in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference and the men's soccer team competes in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Broncos also have a flight team, the SkyBroncos, who have won the National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA) National Championship award five times.
The 1982 NCAA Division I-AA football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division I-AA level, began in August 1982 and concluded with the 1982 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game on December 18, 1982, at Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas. The Eastern Kentucky Colonels won their second I-AA championship, defeating the Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens in the Pioneer Bowl, 17−14.
The 2010 Western Michigan Broncos football team represented Western Michigan University during the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Broncos, led by sixth-year head coach Bill Cubit, compete in the West Division of the Mid-American Conference and played their home games at Waldo Stadium. They finished the season 6–6, 5–3 in MAC play.
The 2007 Eastern Michigan Eagles football team represented Eastern Michigan University during the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Eastern Michigan competed as a member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) West Division. The team was coached by Jeff Genyk and played their homes game in Rynearson Stadium. The Eagles finished the season 4–8, tied with the 2004 and 2005 seasons for the most wins in Genyk's career.
The 2012 Western Michigan Broncos football team represented Western Michigan University in the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by eighth-year head coach Bill Cubit and played their home games at Waldo Stadium as a member of the West Division of the Mid-American Conference (MAC). In 2011, the Broncos finished at 7–6, third place in the MAC West division.
Timothy Frederick Lester is an American football coach who is the senior analyst for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He most recently was the head football coach at Western Michigan University, a position he held from 2017 to 2022. Lester played quarterback at Western Michigan for coaches Al Molde and Gary Darnell from 1996 to 1999 and professionally for the Chicago Enforcers of the XFL in 2001. He then served as the head football coach at Saint Joseph's College in Rensselaer, Indiana in 2004 and at Elmhurst College from 2008 to 2012.
The 1975 NCAA Division II football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division II level, began in September and concluded with the Division II Championship on December 13 at Hughes Stadium in Sacramento, California.
The 2003 Western Michigan Broncos football team represented Western Michigan University in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 2003 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their seventh season under head coach Gary Darnell, the Broncos compiled a 7–5 record, finished in a tie for third place in the MAC's West Division, and were outscored by their opponents, 370 to 331. The team played its home games in Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
The 2002 Western Michigan Broncos football team represented Western Michigan University in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their sixth season under head coach Gary Darnell, the Broncos compiled a 4–8 record, finished in fifth place in the MAC's West Division, and were outscored by their opponents, 330 to 303. The team played its home games in Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
The 1999 Western Michigan Broncos football team represented Western Michigan University in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 1999 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their third season under head coach Gary Darnell, the Broncos compiled a 7–5 record, finished in a tie for first place in the MAC's West Division, outscored their opponents, 373 to 342, and lost to Marshall in the MAC Football Championship Game. The team played its home games at Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
The 1998 Western Michigan Broncos football team represented Western Michigan University in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 1998 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their second season under head coach Gary Darnell, the Broncos compiled a 7–4 record, finished in third place in the MAC's West Division, and outscored their opponents, 360 to 312. The team played its home games at Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
The 2004 Central Michigan Chippewas football team was an American football team that represented Central Michigan University in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 2004 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their first season under head coach Brian Kelly, the Chippewas compiled a 4–7 record, finished in fifth place in the MAC's West Division, and were outscored by their opponents, 378 to 260. The team played its home games in Kelly/Shorts Stadium in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, with attendance of 75,216 in five home games.
The 2018 Western Michigan Broncos football team represented Western Michigan University (WMU) in the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by second-year head coach Tim Lester and played their home games at Waldo Stadium as a member of the West Division of the Mid-American Conference. They finished the season 7–6, 5–3 in MAC play to finish in a three-way tie for second place in the West Division. They were invited to the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl where they lost to BYU.
The 2019 Western Michigan Broncos football team represented Western Michigan University in the 2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Broncos played their home games at Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and competed in the West Division of the Mid-American Conference. The team was led by third-year head coach Tim Lester.
The 2020 Western Michigan Broncos football team represented Western Michigan University in the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Broncos played their home games at Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and competed in the West Division of the Mid-American Conference (MAC). The team was led by fourth-year head coach Tim Lester. On August 8, 2020, it was announced that the MAC would be cancelling the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The MAC later changed that decision, with teams playing a six-game conference-only season.
The 2022 Western Michigan Broncos football team represented Western Michigan University in the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Broncos played their home games at Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and competed in the West Division of the Mid-American Conference (MAC). The team was led by sixth-year head coach Tim Lester. The Broncos finished the season 5–7 and 4–4 in MAC play. After the season, Lester was fired.
