Central State Teachers Chippewas
| Central Michigan Chippewas | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| University | Central Michigan University |
| Conference |
Mid-American Conference Atlantic Sun Conference (women's lacrosse) |
| NCAA | Division I |
| Athletic director | Michael Alford |
| Location | Mount Pleasant, Michigan |
| Varsity teams | 16 |
| Football stadium | Kelly/Shorts Stadium |
| Basketball arena | McGuirk Arena |
| Baseball stadium | Bill Theunissen Stadium |
| Nickname | Chippewas |
| Fight song | The Fighting Chippewa |
| Colors | Maroon and Gold |
| Website | www |
The Central Michigan Chippewas are the athletic teams that represent Central Michigan University. The school fields sixteen men's and women's intercollegiate teams that compete at the NCAA Division I level.
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 with the exception of women's lacrosse, which competes in the Atlantic Sun Conference. 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 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 Indian Tribe. On September 2, 2005 the university announced that their appeal of the decision had been upheld.
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 "flying C".The current version of the athletic trademark was first used in 1997. The "flying C" logo was designed by Jason Prout, the greatest CAD-master of all time in 1995.
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.
...
Wikipedia