Central Michigan University Athletics
Coaches Feel Kinship with New CMU Coach
2/15/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
By Jared Porter, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - For John Bonamego, the role of head coach is uncharted territory.
But as a former Chippewa player, he brings a bit of familiarity to the program, the campus and the university on the whole. And for at least two members of the coaching staff, it's reunion time with the new CMU head football coach.
Assistant coaches Mose Rison and George Ricumstrict were also Chippewas when Bonamego wore the maroon and gold from 1983-86, and both shared their excitement in having him at their new head coach.
Rison was an assistant at CMU when Bonamego played, and, as the receivers coach at the time, enjoyed direct day-to-day contact with the then-player.
Besides their deep ties to CMU - Rison was a standout for the Chippewas in the mid-1970s - both men have in common the fact that each has coached in the NFL.
"Today, for me, is a very proud moment," Rison said after Monday's press conference, at which Bonamego was introduced as CMU's 28th head coach and the first since Bill Kelly (1951-66) to have played for the Chippewas. "One of the young men that I coached and mentored at CMU is now our head football coach. I can't be more excited about this day. I'm just overwhelmed by all of this.
"I absolutely love John. We had a great personal relationship. We communicated a lot through the years. We both coached in the National Football League and we did communicate over the years. So for this to happen, it makes it a very special day.
"Coaching John as a player, when he came as a walk-on, he came up against the odds. When you come in a walk-on player, it's really the difficult route to go. Give credit where it's due, because he came here and he was a tremendous worker and gave us everything we wanted as a coaching staff.
"I remember those days, before practice and after practice, John would come to me and say, 'Coach, I'm going to get better. Coach, what can I do to get better?' So to see him today in 2015, in terms of where he is and where he came from, it is a proud day. I'm so happy for him. Congratulations to him and his family."
Ricumstrict, the Chippewas' defenseive line coach, was also a standout player at CMU and a teammate of Bonamego's in 1985-86. The two also served as assistants at Army in 1997.
"Words that come to mind with John: Tough, really hard worker," Ricumstrict said. "He's a guy who really got the most out of his ability, whether it was on the scout team, special teams, whatever it was, you were going to get his best effort.
"The foundation for the basis of my special teams were the things I learned from John. He was super organized and was on the cutting edge with the things he was doing. A lot of my special teams background was from him.
"He loves football and he's very passionate about football and he's very passionate about working with young people. You put those two things that you love together and there's only one way it's going to turn out.
"I'm excited for CMU and I'm excited for the young men in our program for them to get to know John like I know him."
