COLUMN: One year later: A look back at our initial impressions of Bonamego
When John Bonamego was hired as Central Michigan’s head football coach one year ago, we didn’t know much about him.
But it’s the head football coach, so I figured out what I could and wrote a column on his pros and cons after his introductory press conference and a little digging online.
The media loves analyzing coaches, players, teams and athletic departments. But now, after having him around for one year, here’s what I had right and what I had wrong about the man they call “Bono.”
The cons
Not exactly sure why I started with the cons of Bonamego, but here’s what I had:
He’s a special teams guy
This one turned out much different than I anticipated. I figured the special teams play would be fantastic while the offense and defense could be in disarray at times.
Instead, it was the special teams that suffered — with CMU finishing at the bottom of the Mid-American Conference in most categories. His impact on the special teams game was supposed to be one of his biggest strengths, but ended up not being a factor.
With keeping most of the coaching staff from the season before, the transition for the offense and defense was smooth for Bonamego’s bunch.
He hasn’t been a head coach since 1987, hasn’t coached a college team since 1998
While Bonamego said he had to adjust early on to the play calling and being in charge on the headset, it became natural as the season went on.
Bonamego was thrust back into the college game at the top position. Yet, having more than a dozen different coaching positions from high school to college to the NFL seemed to have prepared him for constant adaptation.
It’s the third time he applied for the job
Just because he might not have been the best suited for the job before doesn’t mean he isn’t suited for the job now. Bono proved this year that the third time really was the charm, like he said in his introductory press conference.
Bonamego brings wisdom and experience to the program. While he may have been qualified before, there’s little doubt he was well-qualified this time around.
The pros
He has a sense of humor, he wants to interact with the community
It wasn’t just a facade. There’s no doubt Bonamego is one of the most relatable public figures at CMU.
“We want you to be able to reach out and touch us,” Bonamego said at the press conference. “We need your support. We need you, we love you, we want you around, we want you to feel like you’re a part of this because you are.”
Bonamego has helped reenergize the fanbase — even though attendance numbers didn’t see a spike after numerous poor weather situations.
Bono is a cool dude. People want to eat pizza with him in their dorms. Or hang out at O’Kelly’s with him.
What good does that do for the on-field product? If Bono can be relatable to college students, the recruiting game will prosper.
Even though CMU’s 2016 class is ranked in the middle of the MAC according to most recruiting sites, he was still able to draw big names. The Edwards brothers, a quarterback recruited by Michigan State and Oklahoma State to play tight end and a previously committed Toledo Rocket top the list.
He’s a funny guy that a program can build around.
He has a heart for Central Michigan, he’s a Central Michigan man
You may remember Brady Hoke, a “Michigan man,” was rumored to be one of the candidates for the job. He got the job with the Wolverines a few years back partly because of his Michigan ties.
Clearly it’s only one facet to the job, but Bono definitely passes this test.
There’s a reason his buyout is so high. While the coach would be more soft-spoken and fixed in weeks after a loss, he lived out the “24-hour rule” more than most. No matter what happened on or off the field, Bonamego had maroon and gold running through his veins.
This guy isn’t going anywhere. He isn’t working hard to make his resume look better. Bonamego just wants to win and win with Central Michigan. One year later, that cannot be argued against.
It’s not a rebuilding process
No Titus Davis. No Thomas Rawls. No letdown.
CMU finished 7-6, just like the year before, but did even better in MAC play. CMU’s 6-2 conference record was tied for first in the MAC West and a better record than a Dan Enos team ever achieved.
He’s restocking for the future while leading the current squad forward. With Cooper Rush at the helm, the Chippewas could be one of the favorites to win the MAC.
I had my doubts when Bonamego said he planned to win, win now and win for a “very, very, very, very, very long time.”
One year later, my doubts are receding.
