Central Michigan Chippewas

Last updated
Central Michigan Chippewas
Central Michigan Chippewas logo.svg
UniversityCentral Michigan University
Conference Mid-American Conference
NCAA Division I (FBS)
Athletic directorAmy Folan
Location Mount Pleasant, Michigan
Varsity teams17
Football stadium Kelly/Shorts Stadium
Basketball arena McGuirk Arena
Baseball stadium Bill Theunissen Stadium
Other venues Jack Skoog Indoor Track
MascotAction C
NicknameChippewas
Fight songCMU Fight Song
ColorsMaroon and gold [1]
   
Website cmuchippewas.com
Cmichigan chippewas wordmark 1996.png

The Central Michigan Chippewas are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Central Michigan University (CMU), located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. [2] The school fields sixteen men's and women's intercollegiate teams that compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level.

Contents

CMU was a member of the Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference from 1950 to 1970. The school's athletics programs are affiliated with the NCAA and compete in the Mid-American Conference (MAC). The women's lacrosse team formerly competed in the Southern Conference, until the MAC began sponsoring that sport in 2020. [3] The school colors are maroon and gold, and the school, and its students and alumni are referred to as Chippewas which is sometimes shortened to Chips.

The nickname is used with the consent of the nearby Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe. The university was placed on the NCAA's list of schools with "hostile or abusive" nicknames in August 2005, but appealed the decision, with the support of the Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Nation. On September 2, 2005, the university announced that their appeal of the decision had been upheld.

History

The school athletics logo has changed over time, once featuring an Indian spear, but is now a stylized block letter "C". Within the university, this logo is often referred to as the "Action C" or "Flying C". [4] The current version of the athletic trademark was first used in 1997.

Nickname

Central Michigan is a member of the Mid-American Conference MAC logo in Central Michigan colors.svg
Central Michigan is a member of the Mid-American Conference

The Chippewas nickname was put forth by assistant football coach Lawrence "Doc" Sweeney in 1942 to replace the then-current Bearcats. He argued that Bearcats not only had nothing to do with the school and the area but was also a nearly extinct beast that none of the students had ever seen or heard of. He further argued that not only was Chippewa the name of the school's yearbook, but the Chippewa River flows through Mount Pleasant, and the "American Indian image" would provide "... unlimited opportunities for pageantry and showmanship for the band as well as athletic teams." The new name was passed by a vote of the student body.

When negative reaction to racial stereotypes grew in the 1970s and 1980s, it was recommended by the Michigan Civil Rights Commission that the Chippewas name be dropped. Instead, in 1989 the university instituted several measures to enhance the name, including introducing special educational programs developed in conjunction with the Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Council, headquartered on the local Isabella Indian Reservation; orientation programs were set up to familiarize CMU students and staff with traditional Native American culture; the school's Native American logos were eliminated along with tom-tom drumbeats by the pep bands and other activities that would reflect racial stereotypes. [5]

Varsity sports

A member of the West Division of the Mid-American Conference (MAC), Central Michigan sponsors teams in six men's and eleven women's NCAA sanctioned sports. [6]

Men's sportsWomen's sports
Baseball Basketball
Basketball Cross country
Cross countryField hockey
Football Golf
GolfGymnastics
WrestlingLacrosse
Soccer
Softball
Track & field†
Volleyball
† – Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor.

Baseball

Central's baseball team was NCAA Division II runner-up in 1971, having lost to Florida Southern College 4–0 in the championship game.

Men's basketball

Central Michigan game in 1974-75 season Dan Roundfield CMU.jpg
Central Michigan game in 1974–75 season

Coach Davis was introduced by Central Michigan University as the Chippewas' 20th head men's basketball coach on April 3, 2012. In his inaugural season, he led a team of 8 new student-athletes to 11 wins. The seven non-conference victories match the 2002–2003 team's mark, and the most wins in the last 25 years. Four freshmen started for Coach Davis during the final 10 games of the season.

Under Coach Davis, Chris Fowler set the program record for a freshman with 167 assists, which ranks fourth all-time in single season history, securing him a spot on the All-MAC Freshman team. Fellow guard Kyle Randall led the MAC in scoring in 2013, averaging 18.7 points per game against conference opponents, en route to earning Second Team All-MAC and NABC All-District recognition.

Women's basketball

Football

The football team won the second NCAA Division II national championship in 1974 by defeating the University of Delaware 54–14. The team was voted national champion in the Associated Press College Division poll. The Chips have also been national runner-up twice.

In 2006, they won the MAC Championship in against Ohio and then defeated Middle Tennessee State in the Motor City Bowl. In 2007, the team defended their MAC Championship title in the game against Miami University, but lost to Purdue in the Motor City Bowl. The team was also beaten by Florida Atlantic in the 2008 Motor City Bowl.

Men's golf

Men's golf returned to Central Michigan in 2022, after a 37-year absence. [7] After eliminating the men's indoor and outdoor track and field teams in 2020, in response to budget issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, CMU fell below six men's sports sponsored, the minimum required by the NCAA for a Division I institution. The NCAA granted Central Michigan a two-year waiver to correct its non-compliance with the rule. CMU claims to save approximately $600,000 per year by not sponsoring men's track and field and expects the men's golf program to cost less than half of that. [8]

Softball

The Chippewa softball team has appeared in two Women's College World Series in 1982 and 1987. [9]

Men's swimming and diving

In 1958 the men's swimming and diving team was runner-up to North Central College at the second annual NAIA national meet, which was held in Muncie, Ind.

Wrestling

Chippewa Matmen have been at CMU dating back to 1955. Central Michigan Chippewa wrestling team is led by head coach Tom Borrelli are among the best in the nation each year competing in the NCAA Division I. Currently in his 22nd season with CMU wrestling, Borrelli has accomplished: 13 Mid-American Conference titles, seven top-15 national finishes in the last nine years, led the first program in MAC history to qualify all 10 wrestlers for the NCAA Championships, and named 2008 National Coach of the Year by two publications. Chippewa Wrestling has produced 2 Academic All-Americans in Mark DiSalvo (2006) & Wynn Michalak (2008), 53 NCAA All-Americans, and 2 individual NCAA Champions: Casey Cunningham (157) 1999, and John Rollins (137) 1959 & 1961 with 11 top-20 team finishes at the NCAA Wrestling Championships. [10]

The wrestling practice facility, located at the CMU Events Center, opened during the 2010–11 season. The practice room includes three full-size mats, as well as an area adjacent to the mats for fitness equipment. The facility is located just steps from the competition floor at McGuirk Arena, providing an ideal warm-up area for the Chippewas during home dual meets. [11]

Former Chippewa Wrestlers Phil Baroni and three-time All-American Jarod Trice are current Mixed Martial Artists. Baroni has competed in the UFC, Pride Fighting Championship, Bellator fighter. Trice is a currently an undefeated Bellator fighter.

Club sports

CMU currently supports the following club sports teams, [12]

Women's lacrosse had been a club sport through the 2015 season, but became a full varsity sport in the 2016 season, playing in the ASUN Conference. [13] The team moved to the Southern Conference when that league added women's lacrosse for the 2018 season. [14]

Roller hockey

The roller hockey team was national runner-up in 2009 in the National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association (NCRHA) Division II tournament.

Men's rugby

The Central Michigan Rugby was initially established in November 1975. Founded as a Central Michigan University entity, a funding disagreement between the Club and University administration resulted in the club membership voting to become independent of the university, responsible for attaining their own autonomous funding sources, and become the Mount Pleasant Rugby Football Club on April 17, 1976. The team took on the name "EXILES" because of their new-found status even though three quarters of the roster was Central Michigan undergrad- and graduate students. The team played both city and university teams across Michigan and southern Ontario as well as "representing Central" as participants in the MAC tournaments at Bowling Green and Athens, Ohio in 1977 and 1978 as well as the Stroh's Great Lakes, Windsor Borderer's, and Traverse Cherry Pit tournaments.

The Club returned to a "club status sport" at the university in 1980 after sponsorship and funding rules were relaxed by the university. From Fall 1977 to the late 1990s, the Exiles were a division 1 team in the MAC. Early 2000, were then moved to DIV 2 and played instate schools such as Grand Valley, Ferris State, and Western Michigan as a Club sport again for the university. The Rugby Club did make 2 Midwest Div 2 playoff appearances in 2008, and in 2011. In 2011 they made it to the Elite 8 round for the first time in team history by Defeating Xavier Rugby, but then falling to Northern Illinois. In that same year, In the Spring of 2011, The MAC Rugby Conference was reformed and Central announced they were to join the Conference along with school and state rivals Western Michigan, and are currently still in the Conference today.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mid-American Conference</span> U.S. college sports conference

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NCAA Division I</span> Highest division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association

NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athletic powers, with large budgets, more elaborate facilities and more athletic scholarships than Division II and Division III as well as many smaller schools committed to the highest level of intercollegiate competition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michigan Wolverines</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of the University of Michigan

The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except women's water polo, which competes in the NCAA inter-divisional Collegiate Water Polo Association. Team colors are maize and blue, though these are different shades of "maize" and "blue" from those used by the university at large. The winged helmet is a recognized icon of Michigan Athletics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penn State Nittany Lions</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of Penn State University

The Penn State Nittany Lions are the athletic teams of Pennsylvania State University, except for the women's basketball team, known as the Lady Lions. The school colors are navy blue and white. The school mascot is the Nittany Lion. The intercollegiate athletics logo was commissioned in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miami RedHawks</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of Miami University in Ohio

The Miami RedHawks are the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Miami is a member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) and sponsors teams in nine men's and ten women's NCAA sanctioned sports; the RedHawks hockey team is a member of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Michigan Broncos</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of Western Michigan University

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Michigan Eagles</span> Sports teams for Eastern Michigan University

The Eastern Michigan Eagles, formerly known as the Normalites and the Hurons, are the athletic teams for Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States. The Eagles compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level as members of the Mid-American Conference (MAC). The only exception is the women's rowing program, which is a member of the Colonial Athletic Association. Altogether, the Eagles have won three NCAA Division II national championships and 13 NAIA Division I national championships in five different sports ; moreover, EMU has been NCAA Division I national runner-up twice. In 1940, the men's cross country team finished second to Indiana University at the national meet hosted by Michigan State University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Navy Midshipmen</span> Sports teams of the United States Naval Academy

The Navy Midshipmen are the athletic teams that represent the United States Naval Academy. The academy sponsors 36 varsity sports teams and 12 club sport teams. Both men's and women's teams are called Navy Midshipmen or Mids. They participate in the NCAA's Division I, as a non-football member of the Patriot League, a football-only member of the American Athletic Conference in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), and a member of the Collegiate Sprint Football League (men), Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges (men), Eastern Association of Women's Rowing Colleges, Eastern Intercollegiate Gymnastics League (men), Mid-Atlantic Squash Conference (men) and Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association. Navy is also one of approximately 300 members of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Binghamton Bearcats</span> Athletic teams representing Binghamton University

The Binghamton Bearcats are the NCAA Division I athletics teams at Binghamton University located in Binghamton, New York. United States. They are one of four Division I programs in the SUNY system. A member of the America East Conference, Binghamton University, SUNY sponsors teams in eleven men's and ten women's NCAA sanctioned sports. The men's golf, men's tennis, and women's tennis teams are affiliate members of the Northeast Conference, and the wrestling team is a member of the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air Force Falcons</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of the United States Air Force Academy

The Air Force Falcons are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the United States Air Force Academy, located in El Paso County, Colorado north of Colorado Springs. The athletic department has 17 men's and 10 women's NCAA-sanctioned teams. The current athletic director is Nathan Pine. The majority of Falcon teams compete as members of the Mountain West Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Valley State Lakers</span> Athletic teams representing Grand Valley State University

The Grand Valley State Lakers are the intercollegiate athletic teams of Grand Valley State University, located in Allendale, Michigan, United States. The GVSU Lakers compete at the NCAA Division II level and are members of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Furman Paladins</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of Furman University

The Furman Paladins are the varsity athletic teams representing Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina, in intercollegiate athletics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Princeton Tigers</span> Athletic teams of Princeton University

The Princeton Tigers are the athletic teams of Princeton University. The school sponsors 35 varsity teams in 20 sports. The school has won several NCAA national championships, including one in men's fencing, three in women's lacrosse, six in men's lacrosse, and eight in men's golf. Princeton's men's and women's crews have also won numerous national rowing championships. The field hockey team made history in 2012 as the first Ivy League team to win the NCAA Division I Championship in field hockey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lindenwood Lions</span> Athletic teams of Lindenwood University

The Lindenwood Lions and Lady Lions are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Lindenwood University, located in St. Charles, Missouri, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division I ranks, primarily competing in the Ohio Valley Conference for most of its sports since the 2022–23 academic year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sacred Heart Pioneers</span> Collegiate sports club in the United States

The Sacred Heart Pioneers are the 32 sports teams representing Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut in intercollegiate athletics. The Pioneers compete in the NCAA Division I and are members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, Atlantic Hockey, Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association, and New England Women's Hockey Alliance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American International Yellow Jackets</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of American International College

The American International Yellow Jackets is composed of 22 teams representing American International College in intercollegiate athletics, including men's and women's basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, track and field, and volleyball. Men's sports include baseball, football, ice hockey, and wrestling. Women's sports include field hockey, rugby, softball, and tennis. The Yellow Jackets compete in NCAA Division II and are members of the Northeast-10 Conference for all sports except ice hockey, which competes in NCAA Division I; men's volleyball, which competes as a de facto Division I member in the East Coast Conference; men's wrestling, which is an NCAA Division II Independent; and women's triathlon, which competes as a de facto Division I independent. The men's ice hockey team is a member of Atlantic Hockey America Division I.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Davenport Panthers</span> Athletic teams that represent Davenport University

The Davenport Panthers are the athletic teams that represent Davenport University, located in Caledonia Township, Michigan, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) for most of its sports as a provisional member since the 2017–18 academic year. The Panthers previously competed in the Wolverine–Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 2005–06 to 2016–17.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wheeling Cardinals</span> Athletic teams representing Wheeling University

The Wheeling Cardinals are the athletic teams that represent Wheeling University, located in Wheeling, West Virginia, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) as a founding member since the 2013–14 academic year. The Cardinals previously competed in the defunct West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) from 1957–58 to 2012–13.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bellarmine Knights</span> Intercollegiate athletic teams of Bellarmine University

The Bellarmine Knights are the teams representing Bellarmine University, located in Louisville, Kentucky, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division I ranks, primarily competing in the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) for most sports, as of the 2020–21 academic year. The Knights previously competed in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) of the NCAA Division II ranks from 1978–79 to 2019–20.

References

  1. ↑ "Graphic Identity Guidelines". Central Michigan University Brand Identity Standards (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on January 4, 2017. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
  2. ↑ "Central Michigan University Athletics - Official Athletics Website". Central Michigan University Athletics. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
  3. ↑ "Women's Lacrosse Coming in 2020–21; Detroit Mercy & Youngstown State As Affiliates". Mid-American Conference. November 6, 2019. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Action C | University Communications". www.cmich.edu. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
  5. ↑ "History of the Chippewa name". CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on July 2, 2015. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
  6. ↑ "The Official Site of Chippewa Athletics Central Michigan". CBS Interactive. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  7. ↑ "Resurrected CMU Men's Golf Team Completes Fall Portion of Schedule". Central Michigan Chippewas. October 11, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  8. ↑ Paul, Tony (August 5, 2021). "CMU to Add Men's Golf for 2022–23, Meeting NCAA's Minimum Sports Requirement". The Detroit News. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  9. ↑ Plummer, William; Floyd, Larry C. (2013). A Series Of Their Own: History Of The Women's College World Series. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States: Turnkey Communications Inc. ISBN   978-0-9893007-0-4.
  10. ↑ "CMU Wrestling". Central Michigan University Athletics. Archived from the original on 2014-02-22. Retrieved 2014-01-01.
  11. ↑ "CMU Wrestling". Central Michigan University Athletics. Archived from the original on 2014-02-09. Retrieved 2014-01-01.
  12. ↑ "Club Sports | Central Michigan University". Archived from the original on 2014-04-07. Retrieved 2014-04-03.
  13. ↑ "A-Sun Welcomes Central Michigan as #ASunWLAX Affiliate" (Press release). ASUN Conference. January 23, 2014. Retrieved May 23, 2015.
  14. ↑ "SoCon to Add Women's Lacrosse as 22nd Sport" (Press release). Southern Conference. January 31, 2017. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.