The CMU football team joined in the excitement of the day as Head Coach Mike DeBord announced the signing of 20 student-athletes to national letters of intent for the fall season, his first recruiting class as the Central head coach.

Fifteen players from Michigan highlight the recruits, a point not lost on DeBord.

“I want to build this program around Michigan high school-coached kids first,” he said. “We’ve got to go compete in Ohio and Indiana for the MAC (Mid-American Conference) title and I want to do it with Michigan kids.”

The signees included five defensive linemen; William Brookshire, (Muskegon/Reeths-Puffer); Jay Davidson, (Frankfort); Mike Morris, (Livonia/Catholic Central); Kalani Muragin, (Orlando, Fla./Colonial) and Matt Wohlgemuth, (Lake Orion). Davidson, Morris, Muragin and Wohlgemuth were all-state selections.

Four offensive linemen will join the Chips led by 6-6, 290-pound D.J. London from Marshall. Eric Ghiaciuc, (Oxford); Adam Kieft, (Rockford) and Brandon Pitzer, (Brighton) have also signed on. All four recruits were all-state picks.

All-stater Joe Ballard (Cheasaning) leads the defensive back corps and is joined by Ron Bartell (Detroit/Renaissance) and James King (Walled Lake/Western). King also joined Ballard in earning all-state honors.

Jon Nelson (Lake Zurich, Ill.) and all-stater Eddie Hillery (Rochester Hills/Rochester) were the only linebackers signed and both signed as outside linebackers.

Three all-staters headline the backs signed on Wednesday; tailbacks Tyrone Dalton, (Pottstown, Pa./Valley Forge Military) and Terrence Jackson, (Somerset, N.J./Franklin) along with fullback Anthony Tyus, (Lansing/Sexton). Tailback Omari Colen, TB, (Lathrup Village/Southfield Lathrup) has also signed.

The lone receivers who signed were Richard Kiel, (Detroit/Murray-Wright) and Stephen Messam, (South Bay Fla./Glades Central). Both were all-state choices and Messam won three state titles and played for a third while in high school.

“This is a great group of guys,” DeBord said. “They have a great fiber and are great people who want to be great players.”

When asked on Wednesday which of the recruits would likely see action in the fall, he was uncertain.

“I will give every kid the opportunity to play. That’s what they were all told when they were recruited,” he said. “It’s hard to tell right now before we get into spring practice to really see what we’ve got.”

DeBord dismissed the notion that his prior coaching experience, offensive coordinator at Michigan, had anything to do in the successful signing period.

“I think it has more to do with our great academic programs, the great people here and the outstanding facilities we’ve along with the great work of our staff.”

Sergio Chavez, sociology, anthropology and social work professor, returned from Yale University a few weeks ago after establishing an anthropology society and teaching in the department of anthropology at the Ivy League school for a year-and-a-half.

“At CMU we have a very active anthropology club,” he said. “An idea like this was missing at Yale. The students weren’t really exposed to the department outside of the courses and professors they had.”

Chavez is the main adviser of CMU’s Anthropology Club.

“We have videos, bring in speakers and organize trips, including our upcoming trip to Canada,” he said.

Chavez, who specializes in archaeology, and his wife Karen, sociology, anthropology and social work professor who also specializes in archaeology, were invited to the New England school a year-and-a-half ago.

“We were the first CMU faculty to be invited to Yale,” Sergio Chavez said. “The trip was fully-funded for the year-and-a-half we were there.”

Anthropology, more specifically archaeology, has played an even larger role in the lives of Chavez and his wife.

“She attended (the University of Pennsylvania) and did her dissertation for her doctorate in archaeology in 1966 in Peru and worked for my father,” Chavez said.

Chavez has been teaching archaeology in CMU’s anthropology department for over 20 years while his wife has been here for over 30 years.

Latin America is calling Chavez once again, as he is preparing to travel to Bolivia this summer to continue his work in the field of international projects.

“We’re going to study pre-Inca civilizations which are over 2,000 years old,” Chavez said.

He said students involved with CMU’s Anthropology Club may be invited to take part in the trip.

That was never more true than during Saturday’s 69-67 Central victory over Eastern Michigan in women’s basketball.

EMU had the ball with the score tied at 67 and only 41 seconds left and was looking to take the lead following a timeout. The Chippewas though had other ideas as senior center Shelly Woods blocked an EMU shot attempt and sophomore forward Vershaun Jones tied up the loose ball to give Central possession.

Sophomore forward Alicia Rozak took the ball up court for the Chips and operated one-on-one with the Eastern defender. Following an assortment of spin moves and fakes, Rozak threw up a shot attempt from the left side of the lane and the ball rimmed off, but the Chips were saved by the referee’s whistle and Rozak sank two free throws to give CMU it’s final margin of victory 69-67.

After the second free throw, the Eagles got a good look at a three-pointer, but it was not to be as the Chippewas improved to 8-12 overall and 5-4 in Mid-American Conference action.

Afterwards, EMU Head Coach Suzy Merchant was understandably upset at the call.

“That was a horrible call. To make that call was terrible, let the kids decide the game,” Merchant said. “It’s unbelievable, quite truthfully, just let us play.”

Merchant went on to comment on the personal foul disparity between the teams.

“Are you telling me they (Chippewas) went nine minutes without touching someone, that’s amazing.”

The first CMU foul didn’t come until 8:16 to play when sophomore guard Rochelle Germany was whistled, and only had six in the second half and 12 for the game, the same amount as the Eagles.

The magnitude of the win was not lost on CMU Head Coach Fran Voll or his team.

“I’m thrilled to have won two-of-three from EMU,” he said. “We’ve really turned it on in MAC play.”

EMU defeated the Chips 92-55 on Dec. 4 in Ypsilanti, while Central won on Jan. 12 back at Eastern in a 60-51 triumph and then added a home win Saturday.

“Coming in after our Northern Illinois loss, we knew we needed to pick it up,” Rozak said. “We knew they wanted to kick our butts and we knew we had to respond.”

“It’s a huge win for us, especially following our NIU loss,” senior guard Jodi Culbertson said.

Even though Woods was the one honored for passing 1,000 career points, it was Culbertson who set a record on Saturday.

With her third three-pointer of the contest with 6:38 to play, Culbertson passed Jenny Ritz and became CMU’s all-time single-season leader in three-pointers made with 56.

“It’s a great honor especially after not playing for three years and then getting to play a lot this year,” Culbertson said.

“She’s really stepped up this year when she was given the opportunity,” Voll said.

In addition to Culbertson’s three treys, sophomore guard Molli Munz was 6-of-8 from behind the arc, but to Voll there was an even more important stat from his starting point guard.

“Molli played 38 minutes and had one turnover, that’s the biggest stat in the game,” he said. “A starting point guard with one turnover that’s almost impossible.”

For the game, Woods led CMU with 23 points, while Munz added 18, while Rozak and Jones led the Chips with seven rebounds each.

Eastern’s Kristy Maska led all scorers with 25 points.

Central stays home for its next contest, at 1 p.m. Feb. 5 against rival Western Michigan. The game is scheduled to be a part a doubleheader and the first-ever “CMU Gold Rush Day.”

With her eight point outing against the Northern Illinois Huskies Wednesday night, the Midland senior now has 1,007 for her career, becoming just the 13th Chippewa women’s basketball player to enter the magical 1,000 point club.

“I am extremely blessed and grateful to God that I am able to do this,” Woods said. “I am also grateful to my teammates and coaches for helping me in achieving this.”

With a right side layup, only 47 seconds into the game, the 6-3 senior became the first Chippewa since Tracy Renken in 1997 to cross the 1,000 point plateau and the magnitude of the accomplishment was not lost on CMU Head Coach Fran Voll.

“Anytime you reach 1,000 points its one of those milestones that really earmark the sport,” Voll said. “This ranks her with the elite that have come through this program.”

Woods graduated from Midland’s Dow High School in 1995 and was recruited by former CMU coach Donita Davenport to play for the Chippewas.

But after being redshirted for the 1995-96 season, Woods began her Central career the same year as Voll and as thrived under his system.

“He’s like a grandfather to me,” Woods said. “He always respects me and appreciates what I have to say.”

After her playing career for the Chips’ began, Woods said a milestone such as this wasn’t even a thought.

“Before this year I never even thought about it,” she said. “It was never really a goal of mine and never really something I thought would happen.”

Voll said the greatest testament to Woods’ achievement may not be her turnaround jump shot or power layup, rather something many fans will never see.

“While it is a great tribute to her as a player, it really shows what she has done in terms of consistency and dedication,” Voll said.

Being a fourth-year player, Woods has set herself among the conference leaders as well as the CMU greats.

Coming into the season, only Western Michigan’s Shelsea Erving (1,466), Dawn Zerman of Kent (1,439) and Akron’s Cheryl Bowles (1,108) had scored more points than Woods among active Mid-American Conference players.

Sue Nissen, who played at CMU from 1988-91, is the Chippewas all-time leading scorer with 1,938 career points.