Central Michigan Chippewas
| Central Michigan Chippewas | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| University | Central Michigan University |
| Conference |
Mid-American Conference Atlantic Sun Conference (women's lacrosse) |
| NCAA | Division I |
| Athletic director | Dave Heeke |
| 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 sixteen men's and women's athletics teams of Central Michigan University. CMU was a member of the Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference from 1950–1970. 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. This nickname is used with consent of the nearby Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, who have a positive relationship with the university. 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 an IET Department undergraduate student 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.
When negative reaction to racial stereotypes grew in the 1970s and '80's, 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 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 American Indian logos were eliminated along with tom-tom drumbeats by the pep bands and other activities that would reflect racial stereotypes.
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Wikipedia