Coming home; former coach and receiver Mose Rison returns to CMU

New wide receiver coach Mose Rison speaks to sophomore Titus Davis during his first spring practices back at Central Michigan in April. (Photo by Mike Mulholland/Photo Editor)

Mose Rison did not know where – or if – his coaching career would resume after leaving North Carolina Central in 2010.

He said he wanted to continue coaching.  He was still passionate about the game and enjoyed seeing his team run out onto the field on Saturday afternoons, but he did not know what was going to come next.

What started as an initial phone call to Plas Presnell, CMU Director of Football Operations, Rison found out about the receivers coach vacancy and was hired to fill that role.  It is his second stint at CMU where he was the receivers coach and directed the special teams from 1981-88.

Mose, 1978 graduate from CMU and stand-out wide receiver for the Chippewas, said he could not be more ecstatic about his return to what he calls ‘home’.

“The return has been absolutely outstanding,” Rison said.  “This is home for me.  I’ve been here two months now and have gotten to know quite a few of the players.”

Rison has had many coaching stops in his career.  After leaving CMU in 1988, he was the receivers coach at Navy, Rutgers and Stanford before moving on to the National Football League.  He was the receivers coach for the New York Jets in 2001 and 2002 and then returned back to the collegiate ranks where he was most recently the head coach for North Carolina Central.

“I’ve coached a lot of different places,” Rison said.  “This is year number 33 for me, and when I left here in ’88, I had no idea I would be back here in 2012, but I’m glad to be here.”

It did not take him long to adjust to head coach Dan Enos’ system.

“I’ve developed a great relationship with Dan, and he understands and respects the fact that I’ve had some different experiences,” Rison said.  “It’s been somewhat of an adjustment, but at the same time, a lot of the things we’re doing I have done other places, so it’s molded well.”

Enos said he can already see the impact he has had on the receivers.

“He’s done a great job,” Enos said.  “Titus Davis was a good player in the fall, and now he’s becoming a very good receiver.  Coach (Rison) has done a great job with his technique and the fundamentals part of it, and you can see that growth in all our guys.”

The receivers have also taken the transition extremely well.  They could tell from the beginning he was more than just a football coach.

“Coach Rison is very experienced and definitely knows what he’s talking about,” redshirt freshman Jesse Kroll said.  “You can tell he really cares about you, because he’s trying to get you better as a player and as a person.”

Rison said he knew he could not come to CMU and be overly abrasive from the start.  He wanted to get to know the players first — gain their trust.

“One of the first things I told the young men when I got back here was I want to develop a relationship with them,” Rison said.  “Because sometimes when they make mistakes and you don’t get to know the guys, they don’t know where you are coming from.  So we have developed a strong bond, and I think they respect the fact that I’ve had a lot of experience and have coached some guys at some very high levels.”

Rison has also stressed the importance of academics and how performing well in the classroom can translate into better performances on the field.

“The first thing I tell the players always is make sure you take care of your academic business,” Rison said.  “If you can take care of your business academically, a lot of times, the on-the-field stuff is a lot easier because you don’t have that added stress.”

Although Rison said he has gained valuable experience throughout his coaching career, he reiterated the fact that there is no place better than being back at CMU.

“I’m very comfortable here,” Rison said.  “I went to school here and then came around and coached here.  I still know a lot of people in town.  For me, it’s very easy going up and down Broomfield (Street) and Mission (Street).  I get up in the morning and jog through campus, and I’m at home.”