Maroon & Gold Memo: Honoring Athletic Greats and Giving Thanks

In the past couple of months, we've honored and celebrated many individuals for their success in CMU Athletics.

First, the field at Kelly/Shorts Stadium recently was named Kramer/Deromedi Field in recognition of legendary coaches Roy Kramer and Herb Deromedi. Thank you to the numerous CMU football alumni and friends of Kramer and Deromedi who worked to raise the funds necessary to make this possible.

Also, six legendary women — Cristy Freese, Sue Guevara, Margo Jonker, Marcy Weston, and the late Mary Bottaro and Fran Koenig — shared grand marshal honors for CMU's 2022 homecoming festivities in honor of the 50th anniversary of Title IX.

Each of these leaders exemplify CMU's strong history, tradition and leadership in athletics. They have given selflessly and impacted so many lives throughout their careers — at CMU and beyond — and CMU Athletics is the championship program it is today because of the standards they set.

Last month, Central Michigan Athletics also honored six former student-athletes as the newest Marcy Weston Athletic Hall of Fame inductees. Class of 2022 inductees:

Kristin Teubner, gymnast
Bryan Anderson, football player
Jeff Powers, track & field/cross country athlete
Samantha Sandham, field hockey player
Brandon Sinnott and Christian Sinnott, wrestlers

These alumni are not only talented athletes — they also display dedication, perseverance and a true Fired Up spirit. We're proud to welcome each of you to the Marcy Weston Athletic Hall of Fame!

Season of gratitude
This season presents the opportunity to stop and reflect. I want to share a few of the things I'm most thankful for in the two years I've had the privilege to be in this seat:

Student support: Whether it's time, talent or resources, those who give back to our student-athletes hold a special place in my heart. Your gifts — such as those that provided new turf for our softball and baseball fields — provide our CMU student-athletes with facilities and resources they need to be the best they can be and to compete for championships in the Mid-American Conference. A special thank you to our 1100 Club members and 1896 Society, who are some of the most dedicated supporters. To learn more about how to give back, visit our Chippewa Fund website.
Community partnerships: Community partnerships are crucial to the success of our program, and we have some of the best in the Mount Pleasant area. Some examples:
- We're proud of and honored by our partnership with the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe. Their dedication to CMU Athletics is multifaceted but highlights include their drum circle performance at our Traditions Day football game and opportunities they provide for our student-athletes to volunteer. I look forward to continuing to grow this special partnership.
- Our sports medicine partnership with MyMichigan Health, which provides CMU student-athletes with specialized sports medicine care and streamlined access to comprehensive health care services. Their commitment to our program goes above and beyond health services, and I'm excited to see what additional opportunities lie ahead.
- Throughout the year, the Mount Pleasant Area Convention & Visitor's Bureau and CMU Athletics team up to create opportunities to bring more people to the Mount Pleasant area. Thank you to the CVB for providing local hotels with CMU shirts to welcome guests throughout the weekends this fall. We appreciate the support to help cheer on the CMU Chippewas!
Engaged fans: As we strive to be leaders in the MAC in every area, we made a significant leap in the area this fall was in our fan engagement. The passion, enthusiasm and spirit that our fans — especially our students — showed in the snow on Wednesday night at our football game was an incredible testament to the sense of community and school pride at CMU.

It was amazing to see the positive publicity and social media buzz from across the nation about our fan support at the game. Additionally, through our first five home football games this season, our 17.3% increase in average year-over-year attendance ranked 25th in the nation. Thank you, fans! I'm Fired Up to also see you all at our winter sporting events — men's and women's basketball, wrestling and gymnastics.

Tackling mental health challenges
I'd like to congratulate senior cross country and track athlete Maddy Boyd, who recently received the GO TEACH Dr. Pepper Tuition Giveaway scholarship, a $10,000 award for a college student-athlete pursuing a career in education.

Maddy has overcome immense challenges in her life, including losing her father to brain cancer and her only brother to suicide. Despite these challenges, she not only became an outstanding student-athlete, but also helped launch the nonprofit Sunset Project to raise awareness of mental health issues in northeast Michigan. Read more about Maddy's story here.

Also, in my latest episode of my audio podcast, CMU Athletics Connection, I talk with two student-athletes who, through very personal experiences, have decided to make mental health their life work. I'm proud of them for sharing their stories, and I know they are going to positively impact so many in their journeys.

Take time to reflect on what you're grateful for this season, and Fire Up Chips!

Maroon & Gold Memo: Honoring Athletic Greats and Giving Thanks

Players Mentioned

Maddy Boyd

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