Minimal crowd attends CMU, WMU rivalry football game
Stands empty after a weather delay during CMU game against in-state rival Western Michigan on Oct. 20, 2018 at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
Central Michigan football players and coaches expected some significant support from the crowd for the biggest rivalry game of the season against Western Michigan.
They did not get it.
In the biggest game of the season, the Chippewas had one of their lowest crowds. Despite the endless rows of empty seats, CMU athletics reported that 10,097 people were in attendance at this game. The Chippewas fell 35-10 and moved to 1-7 on the season.
The Marching Chips nearly outnumbered the student section before a first quarter weather delay. With about 280 members, the band easily outnumbered fans in the east side of the stadium after the delay.
"If we win more games, people will show up," head coach John Bonamego said. "We have to do a little better job of giving them something to come out and watch."
Minutes before kickoff, storm clouds rolled over Kelly/Shorts Stadium and it started raining. There were 14 mph wind gusts in Mount Pleasant Saturday.
Here is the crowd before the weather delay in the first quarter, and likely the crowd that CMU athletics reported as being more than 10,000 people.
The game entered a 30-minute weather delay when CMU had the ball about seven minutes in, where everyone in the stands were evacuated. The delay totaled 33 minutes.
When the game resumed, there were less than 100 fans on the east side of the stadium.
Yes, that is the football team getting ready to snap the ball.
With about a minute left in the first quarter, there were about 255 fans sitting on the east side of Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
When the fourth quarter started, the Chippewas were down 21-10. Here is a photo of the stands at the start of the fourth quarter.
The CMU and WMU rivalry game was scheduled the same day as the University of Michigan and Michigan State football game in East Lansing, Michigan.
