CMU Chippewa Champions Center
The CMU Chippewa Champions Center
The CMU Chippewa Champions Center is a bold step forward for Central Michigan University, its students and its alumni. In addition to transforming the game day experience at Kelly/Shorts Stadium, this transformational project is a testament to CMU's commitment to student success. The Champions Center elevates our ability to attract the next generation of CMU Chippewas, develop current students and provide opportunities for the entire university community.
- Over 50,000 square feet dedicated to student-athlete excellence
- The facility provides educational opportunities for students, including state-of-the-art training experiences for students enrolled in The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions and the College of Medicine. It will also provide real-world opportunities for students in marketing and hospitality, broadcast and cinematic arts and integrative public relations.
- A 7,000 square foot, state-of-the art human performance center focused on the growth and development of our student-athletes
- Expanded sport medicine and rehabilitation facility with hydrotherapy pools serving as the primary hub for our athletics training team
- Two fuel stations to accommodate the pre and post workout nutrition needs of nearly 500 student-athletes
- The facility fills a campus need for meeting and event space that will be available to faculty, staff and students. Advancement efforts will be enhanced by the facility with the hospitality spaces supporting these efforts year-round. It will provide CMU a marquee location to rally the immense pride of our alumni and turn it into revenue that will support all of our colleges and student success programs
- The 4,000 square-foot Isabella Bank VIP Club which offers both climate controlled and outdoor patio spaces and the chance to be the last to cheer on the Chippewas as they take the field through the center of the club
- 16 Loge boxes on the second level to offer one of the best premium seating experiences in the Mid-American Conference
- Atrium is over 5,000 square feet with a state-of-the-art HD videoboard and full presentation set-up
- An auditorium with tiered seating
- More than 7,100 square feet of office and meeting space
- A 4,200 square foot football locker room
- Equipment room, laundry, video operations and support operations
- A stunning 32' x 100' 13HD video board; the largest in the Mid-American Conference
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Video Tour
Chippewa Champions Center Premium Areas
In addition to elevating our ability to train and develop student-athletes, a key goal of the Chippewa Champions Center was to enhance the game day experience for fans at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.With that goal in mind, the Chippewa Champions Center offers some of the country's best premium seating areas for fans to enjoy football games and special events in unparalleled style.
Isabella Bank VIP Club
The Isabella Bank VIP Club provides fans with one of the most energized and unique premium experiences
in the Mid-American Conference. Located just steps from the Chippewas locker room, you will have access to watching the team as it enters and exits the playing field. Guests will also enjoy the luxury of a large, indoor clubroom with the option to watch the game from the outdoor patio located directly behind the north end zone.
Amenities include:
- All-inclusive buffet featuring a variety of game day food options and complimentary soft drinks
- Premium, cash bar
- Climate-controlled environment with multiple HD televisions
- Access to indoor restrooms reserved for club guests
- State-of-the-art sound system which provides in-stadium sound
- Invitation to Chippewa Champions Center events
- Invitation to annual premium seat-holder event
Loge Boxes
CMU is one of the first schools in the Mid-American Conference to offer loge seating as a premium seating option for fans. 
Loge boxes offer a "best of both worlds" blend of a traditional club seat and private suite experience. Fans have the ability to enjoy the game outside, but away from the elements (protected by an overhang). Loge seating also offers a semi-private space to entertain and spend time with family and friends or clients while still remaining in the middle of the action. One of the best premium seating values at Kelly/Shorts Stadium, loge boxes include:
- Personal in-seat service
- An exclusive game day menu, soft drinks and limited alcoholic beverage options included in the price of the box
- A variety of premium a la carte food and premium beverage options available for purchase
- Access to the Isabella Bank VIP Club featuring a premium cash bar and food options
- Two Lot 62 East parking passes and private VIP entrance with convenient access to your Loge Box
- Outdoor, covered seating and a personal television in your box
- Loge box gift, invitation to annual premium seat-holder event
- One, three, five and seven year lease options to fit any budget
Pricing
Contact the Chippewa Athletic Fund at 989-774-6680 or via email at chip.club@cmich.edu to learn more or to set up an appointment to preview the Loge Box experience in our preview center located in the Indoor Athletic Complex.
For More Information About New Premium Spaces, Contact Us By Filling Out the Form Below
Or Contacting The CAF By Calling 989-774-6680
Naming Opportunities
| Champions Center | |
| Indoor Athletic Complex | |
| Kelly/Shorts Stadium Playing Field | |
| Video Board | |
| Main Entry Lobby | Secured by Donation |
| VIP Club Room | Secured by Donation |
| Football Locker Room | |
| Weight Room | |
| Champions Center Athletics History Plaza | Secured by Donation |
| Sport Medicine Center | |
| IAC Weight Room | Secured by Donation |
| Champions Center Team Meeting Room | Secured by Donation |
| Head Coach's Office | Secured by Donation |
| Hydro Therapy Room | |
| Action C Logo Statue | Secured by Donation |
| Northwest Stadium Gate | Secured by Donation |
| West/VIP Gate to Kelly/Shorts Stadium | |
| Exam Room | |
| Head Athletic Trainer's Office | Secured by Donation |
| Lot 64 | |
| Kelly/Shorts Stadium Club Level | Secured by Donation |
| Coordinator Offices (2) | Secured by Donation (Defensive Coord. Office) |
| Honor Roll of Donors Display | Secured by Donation |
| Walkway to the Field | Secured by Donation |
| Strength Coach Office | Secured by Donation |
| Coaches Locker Room | Secured by Donation |
| North Fuel Station | Secured by Donation |
| South Fuel Station | Secured by Donation |
| Head Coach Recruiting Room | Secured by Donation |
| Loge Patio | Secured by Donation |
| Football All Staff Room | Secured by Donation |
| Assistant Coaches Offices (8) | Three Secured by Donation (D-Line, LB & WR Offices) |
| Locker Room Threshold | Secured by Donation |
| Kelly/Shorts Stadium Media Level | Secured by Donation |
| Chippewa Club Parking Lot 62W | |
| Chippewa Club Parking Lot 62E | |
| The Island in Lot 62W | Secured by Donation |
| Northeast Stadium Entrance | Secured by Donation |
| Southwest Stadium Entrance | Secured by Donation |
| West Concourse of Kelly/Shorts Stadium | Secured by Donation |
| Assistant Athletic Trainer's Office | |
| X-Ray Room | Secured by Donation |
| Cold Plunge Pool | Secured by Donation |
| Hot Plunge Pool | |
| Treadmill Therapy Pool | |
| Offensive Staff Meeting Room | Secured by Donation |
| Defensive Staff Meeting Room | |
| Position Group Meeting Room (8) | Two Secured by Donation (DB & WR Rooms) |
| Lot 63 | Secured by Donation |
| Football Reception | Secured by Donation |
| Player Personnel Office | |
| Director of Football Operations Office | Secured by Donation |
| GA/Quality Control Office (2) | |
| Video Editing Room | Secured by Donation |
| Equipment Room | Secured by Donation |
Donor Profiles
Gay and Michael Franckowiak: Leaders among alumni
Well before initial renderings of the Chippewa Champions Center were underway, Michael Franckowiak and Gay Ebers-Franckowiak took a lead role on the project that will transform Kelly/Shorts Stadium. Throughout their professional careers, Gay and Michael remained in touch with Central Michigan, and they became close with broadcaster Dick Enberg, a 1957 Central Michigan graduate who frequently returned to Mount Pleasant to inspire students.
Read MoreFired Up Forever: CMU Special to Ron and Jean Zyzelewski
Central Michigan led Zyzelewski to a successful career in computers coding and software development that took him to Park City, Utah, for a portion of his career, then back to Michigan. Earlier this year, he and a partner sold Quest Software, a business they developed. That led to a special moment on April 21 as he took the stage in McGuirk Arena while the university launched its "Fire Up for Excellence" $100 million fundraising campaign. Zyzelewski was one of the last people called to the stage, and he told the story of Dr. Fisk, Calculus II and a change in direction in his life. He and his wife, Jean, are longtime contributors to CMU Athletics.
Read MoreBill and Carla Kanine: The One CMU Couple
The Kanines both earned CMU degrees - Bill in business administration and Carla in education - and have maintained close ties to the university. Bill has served as a member of the CMU Board of Trustees since 2011. Both regularly drive from their home in Petoskey to attend events at CMU. Most recently, the Kanines made a significant contribution to the Chippewa Champions Center, a multi-level, multi-purpose building proposed for the north end zone of Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
Read MoreGetting Back and Giving Back: Mike & Pam Murray
Mike Murray, a 1975 graduate of the business administration program, and Pam Murray, who earned a bachelor's degree in home economics in 1977 and a master's degree in management and supervision in 1983, have been coming back to campus to volunteer for decades. Now, they've made a planned gift that will support football and the Chippewa Champions Center and establish endowed awards in the colleges of medicine and business administration.
Read MoreEducation, Family, Friendships, Pride: Paul Alexander
For Paul Alexander, Central Michigan University has been about family, friendships, bonding and an education that has served him throughout his adult life. The Mount Pleasant business owner and his wife, Maryanke, have drawn on all of that as inspiration in becoming a benefactor for the Chippewa Champions Center at Kelly/Shorts Stadium, a transformational project that will house locker rooms, offices, sports medicine and training facilities and serve the entire campus community.
Read MoreNick & Rachel Bellore Make a Leadership Commitment
The sense that Central Michigan University provided an opportunity when no one else would is a sentiment shared by many Chippewa Football alumni. Seattle Seahawk fullback and Chippewa great Nick Bellore and his wife, Rachel, repaid CMU for taking that chance by making a leadership commitment to the Chippewa Champions Center project.
Read MoreFeatheringhams: 'It's An Honor To Be A Part Of It
Dick and Audrey Featheringham are Chippewas to the core, as maroon and gold as they come depite the fact the neither attended CMU as an undergrad. That is part of the motivation for the retired couple, who raised their family of four in Mount Pleasant, to lend their support to the Chippewa Champions Center. In recognition of their transformational generosity, CMU Athletics will name the honor roll of donors in the facility for the Featheringham family.
Read MoreA Doer and a Giver: John Kulhavi
John Kulhavi is a doer and a giver. A Central Michigan grad, Kulhavi is the university's most prominent and generous individual benefactor. He has been a major backer of the Chippewa Champions Center, the under-construction state-of-the-art facility at Kelly/Shorts Stadium that will provide CMU fans, alumni and student-athletes with the very best game-day and training facility in the Mid-American Conference.
Read MoreBob DeMarco: Thankful and Giving Back
DeMarco is thankful to this day for legendary Central Michigan football coach Herb Deromedi, who in 1980 recruited DeMarco out of Monroe High School to Mount Pleasant where DeMarco would spend three years as the Chippewas' starting quarterback during a career that ended in 1984 and with a bachelor's degree.
Read MoreMaroon and Gold Forever: Tom Grobbel
Ties that bind, lifelong memories and making something of oneself. That was Tom Grobbel's experience as a student-athlete at Central Michigan, and it's what he values today and seeks to pass along as a benefactor to the Chippewa football program. Grobbel is a charter member of the 1100 Club, and a significant contributor to the Chippewa Champions Center, the transformational facility which is now under construction inside Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
Read More