Central Michigan University Athletics
Football Season Wrap
11/20/2000 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 20, 2000
MOUNT PLEASANT - Central Michigan University closed the 2000 football season on Saturday and Sunday preparation for 2001 began.
"We have to get bigger and stronger and better fundamentally," first-year mentor Mike DeBord said after his Chippewas finished with a 2-9 record. "We're not at a level where we can block and tackle with the people in this league.
"Football games are won up front and we're not where we need to be. We're hitting the weight room Sunday."
Central Michigan closed the season at Northern Illinois with a 40-6 loss.
In typical fashion this fall, the Chippewas took the lead in the first period. The Huskies answered with 40 straight points. It was the seventh time CMU scored first, including the last five in a row.
CMU finished with a 2-6 mark in all MAC games, 1-4 against the MAC West.
The 2000 season was a learning one for DeBord.
"When I took over, I had no idea where we were," he said. "Now that I've been around the MAC, I can see we need a lot of work. This season was our first step."
The Chippewas lose 17 seniors from this year's club including seven starters.
None may be harder to replace, though, than free safety Brian Leigeb. The 6-2, 205-pounder from Midland Dow capped a brilliant career with a career-high 22 tackles at Northern Illinois, 18 of them solo.
The leading tackler in the MAC with 13.0 stops per outing, Leigeb became Central's all-time tackler leader with 486. The old career mark of 443 was held by former NFL standout, Ray Bentley.
Three of the other senior starters are receivers - wideouts David Hannah (Clinton Township/Clintondale) and Ira Gooch (Davenport, Ia./Ellsworth CC), and tight end Eric Salani (Hancock). Hannah led CMU in catches with 34 for 411 yards while Gooch caught 24 for 392. Salani caught 12 passes for 124 yards and four touchdowns. Another senior receiver is Shelton Lewis (Houston, Tex./West Hills CC) who had 10 catches for 97 yards.
Gooch also led CMU in punt (13.2) and kickoff returns (22.1).
Other senior starters were fullback D.J. McClure (DeWitt), trusty long snapper Zach Poff (Mount Pleasant) and outside linebacker Ralph Sewell (Detroit/Denby). McClure never carried the ball one time this fall but he did catch seven passes for 30 yards. Sewell was sixth on the team in tackles with 58, three for losses of five yards.
Senior quarterback Pete Shepherd (Mount Pleasant) finished second to Jeff Bender (1988-91) in four career categories - passing yards (5,754), attempts (879), completions (455) and total offense (5,747).
Next action for CMU is a home date on Thursday, Aug. 30, against Murray State.
