Central Michigan Hosts Celebration of Life Event for Dave Keilitz

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Central Michigan Hosts Celebration of Life Event for Dave Keilitz

8/10/2026 10:55:00 AM | Baseball, General, Our Stories

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Keilitz: forever a Chippewa; forever remembered.

By: Greg Hotchkiss

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Central Michigan University and Central Michigan Athletics hosted a Celebration of Life event for former Chippewa athletic director, baseball coach, and baseball student-athlete Dave Keilitz Saturday afternoon in McGuirk Arena. Over 1,000 people attended the event, including friends, family, business colleagues, baseball coaches, Mount Pleasant community members, student-athletes, faculty, and staff.

Six individuals gave remarks about Keilitz's legacy. Keilitz's son Craig, who went on to become an athletic director at High Point University and is currently the Executive Director of the American Baseball Coaches Association, spoke about what he learned from his father. Vice Chair of Central Michigan's Advancement Board, former CMU Board of Trustees member, and friend Bill Kanine talked about Keilitz's exceptional leadership skills and many talents. Former Central Michigan baseball coach and current Cincinnati coach Jordan Bischel talked about how Keilitz made people feel. CMU associate professor of journalism and friend Jim Wojcik became friends with Keilitz as students at CMU and spoke of their relationship for nearly 60 years. Former Kentucky baseball coach and ABCA co-worker and colleague Keith Madison gave everyone a sense of his relationship with Keilitz at the ABCA. Former Ferris State athletic director and a former CMU baseball player under Keilitz, Perk Weisenburger, served as officiant, delivered final remarks, and told several Keilitz stories.

Weisenburger also announced that funds are currently being raised to build a statue on the CMU campus to honor Keilitz. To donate or for more information, please click this link.

Few individuals have left a legacy that spans generations like Keilitz. His impact reached far beyond baseball through his commitment to family, his service to student-athletes and his community, and his unwavering belief in helping others succeed.

Before the speeches, a special video tribute was played on the McGuirk Arena videoboard in Keilitz's honor.

Here are some highlights from each of the speeches:

Craig Keilitz

"Every person who interacted with my dad walked away believing they were special to him. The truth is they were. That was dad's gift. He had an incredible ability to make every person he interacted with feel important. He made you feel like you mattered. Retirement didn't change dad. It just gave him more time to invest in the people he loved. People were my dad's hobby; they always have been. He never collected things; he collected people. Central Michigan was not just a place where Dad worked; it was where he built his life. I got to watch him with people. People knew he generally cared about them. He wanted to see people succeed. That's why so many of those relationships lasted a lifetime. It's only now that I realize what a gift that front seat really was. Every conversation mattered to him; he made every person feel like the most important person in the world. His life was defined by humility, by loyalty, by commitment. I realized he already gave me all the lessons I need because I got to watch him live them every single day."

Bill Kanine

"Dave recognized very early in his career that the people he surrounded himself with were his biggest and best asset. It was people, and Dave excelled at treating people well. His career was founded on the principles of honesty and integrity. His abilities in all he did and were well supported by his intelligence, work ethic, and most importantly, the ability to work with those around him. Dave could bring out the best in those around him, had the ability to work with those around him, and his work ethic was contagious. He was a team player, a good listener, and always available when needed. He strived to be fair, and you never left a conversation guessing where you stood with him. He was always there to encourage, support, and reward efforts. We all continue to cherish the life that Dave lived."

Jordan Bischel

"Coach Keilitz was always invested in everybody and there was always humor involved. All his accomplishments pale in comparison to how he would make you feel, the way he made our family feel. He made everybody feel special. If you met him once or 100 times, he was the most genuine, authentic, down-to-earth person that you've ever crossed paths with. It was just who he was. He made everyone he met a better person. The amazing thing is that Coach really was that good. He was that good as a player, he was that good as a coach, he was that good as an administrator, but most importantly, Coach was that good as a person."

Jim Wojcik

"Dave was a coach, he was a teacher, he was a mentor. He had that unique ability to engage people. He knew how to treat people; he never left a person not feeling better. The handwritten notes are legendary. He did that to make it personal to each of us. He did that to make us feel good. That was part of his whole life mantra. Adulation and Dave didn't mix. Dave was a person of civility and kindness. Dave never expected something in return. He was proud to be in all of the Halls of Fame, but he never said a word about being in all of them. In 2017, he was named Mount Pleasant's Outstanding Citizen of the Year. It was an award he cherished because it came from the people he lived with, but he never talked about why he got it. He had stature and presence, but he never flaunted it. He never sought attention and recognition; he tried to shy away from it, but his accomplishments never let him escape it. He was aware of his flaws; he was grounded in modesty. He had pride. He was proud of his family, of his university, of his community, but he never believed that he was better than anyone else. Dave's word was his bond."

Keith Madison

"Faith, family, baseball, Mount Pleasant, the Chippewas, and the ABCA are just a few of the things Dave loved. He loved them deeply. Dave was an extremely gifted leader. When Dave spoke, people listened; Hall of Fame coaches, all had deep respect for Dave Keilitz. He also had class. I admired his leadership, I respected his character, and I cherished his friendship."

Perk Weisenburger

"Dave Keilitz was a man with a vision, a plan, and an amazing machine-like passion for details. He was also a very principled man, a man of his word, a man you could trust and rely on. He knew the rules, wrote the rules, and never broke the rules. He was always a gentleman."

A Midland, Mich. native, Keilitz spent a total of 66 years in the Mount Pleasant community. He originally arrived in Mount Pleasant in 1960 as a student-athlete. As a player from 1961-64, he helped lay the foundation for what CMU Baseball would become as he became the first player in program history to earn All-America honors. After serving as an assistant coach for eight years, he took over the baseball program in 1971. As head coach, he transformed the program into a consistent winner, compiling more than 450 victories, capturing four Mid-American Conference championships, and making six NCAA Tournament appearances.

After leaving the dugout, he continued to serve Central Michigan University as director of athletics from 1984-94. He also served as the executive director of the American Baseball Coaches Association from 1994-2004.

He passed away peacefully on July 15 in North Carolina, surrounded by his family.

For anyone interested in donating a gift in his memory, please direct all memorial gifts to the Dave and Sue Keilitz Family CMU Baseball Endowment at this link. All checks can be mailed to Carlin Alumni House, 524 E. Bellows Street, Mount Pleasant, MI 48858.

—CMU—

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