It is one of the most anticipated weekends of the school year and a game that has determined CMU’s path to the MAC Championship game for two seasons.

This year’s Central/Western game pits the rivals against one another for their 80th meeting, but pregame traditions have evolved since their first match up in 1905.

This section is your all inclusive guide to pre- and post-game, from where increased police forces will be stationed, to where parking is available for guests and students. Check out a Bronco with a deep appreciation for all things Chippewa, and columns with some history on CMU’s rivalry with Western Michigan University.

Take this section with you this weekend as your personal guide to all things Central/Western.

Sophomore quarterback Dan LeFevour scored on a quarterback sneak from less than one yard away to give CMU a 34-31 win against rival Western Michigan to clinch a berth at the Dec. 1 MAC Championship game in Detroit at Ford Field.

“My heart was pounding all the way to the end,” said junior guard Andrew Hartline.

The final touchdown came just seconds after a heartbreaking turn of events for the Chippewas.

With a 27-24 lead and a chance to run the clock down, LeFevour fumbled on a quarterback scramble, putting Western at CMU’s 25-yard line with 1:51 remaining.

The Broncos took the lead three plays later on a 15-yard touchdown run by tailback Brandon West to leave CMU’s sideline in shock.

But coach Butch Jones, in his first season as a head coach, believed in his players to the end.

“I looked in every man’s eyes, and they said, ‘We’re going to get it done, coach.’” he said. “I can’t say enough about the guys in our program.”

After driving to WMU’s 40-yard line, LeFevour used a pump fake to fool Western defenders, leaving sophomore receiver Bryan Anderson open inside the Broncos’ 10-yard line. Anderson made the catch while stumbling down to the 1-yard line.

It then took LeFevour three sneak plays to finally cross the goal line and put CMU ahead for good.

Once the Broncos’ lateral-laden kickoff was over and the clock read zero, players and fans clad in maroon and gold rushed onto the Waldo Stadium field.

The events that transpired even left senior linebacker Ike Brown dizzy.

“I can’t even think,” he said. “I’ve never been in a game that close, ever. That was definitely the wildest finish.”

Nov. 10, 2006: CMU 31 vs. WMU 7

By Nathan Mueller

A team that three years ago was in disarray overcame freezing rain at Kelly/Shorts Stadium to win its first ever Mid-American Conference West Championship.

And it did so by beating the second-best team in the West Division and rival Western Michigan University, 31-7.

“This is what I came here to Central to do,” said senior defensive end Dan Bazuin. “This is my dream, and I always wanted to see Central on the top. Obviously it took us a little longer than we wanted, but to go out like this – I couldn’t have scripted it any better.”

The few remaining fans joined the team at the 50-yard-line to celebrate, but Kelly took a step back to watch it all.

He’s won two national championships at Grand Valley State University, but this is his first major accomplishment at the Division I level.

Kelly looked around, took it all in and cracked a smile.

“I’m proud of this team,” Kelly said. “Last year we missed our chance at a championship because we weren’t disciplined enough and savvy enough as a football team. We showed that tonight and I was proud of our kids that they took advantage of the opportunity this time.”

Nov. 12, 2005: CMU 24 vs. WMU 31

KALAMAZOO – CMU scored two touchdowns on its first two possessions to take a 14-0 lead late in the first quarter. But then Western’s senior wide receiver Greg Jennings took over, and the Chippewas couldn’t recover.

“Greg Jennings simply is too tough to match up to,” said CMU coach Brian Kelly. “We just didn’t have an answer for him.”

Jennings caught touchdown passes of 76 and 40 yards from freshman quarterback Tim Hiller en route to the Broncos’ 31-24 win against CMU at Waldo Stadium.

The 76-yard touchdown came one play after CMU kicker Rick Albreski missed a 41-yard field goal that would have given the Chippewas a 17-0 lead.

“(Hiller) hit me well, and since the safety was down so far I was able to split the two defenders and score,” said Jennings, who finished with nine catches for 171 yards.

CMU freshman tailback Ontario Sneed fumbled on its next possession, giving Western the ball at its own 7-yard line.

It took one play for Hiller to throw a touchdown pass to freshman wide receiver Jamarko Simmons.

After CMU’s offense nearly yielded a safety, Western got the ball back at CMU’s 40-yard line. It took Hiller only one play to find Jennings for the 40-yard touchdown strike.

CMU quarterback Kent Smith set three school records with 460 passing yards, 70 pass attempts and 46 completions. The 70 pass attempts also were a MAC record.

Oct. 30, 2004: CMU 24 vs. WMU 21 (OT)

Freshman placekicker Ronald Budd was the deciding factor in the Chippewas 24-21 overtime win on Oct. 30, 2004.

Central’s defense stopped the Broncos on their first possession of overtime, when Robert Menchinger’s missed 40-yard field goal gave CMU a chance to score and win.

The offense picked up 20 yards on its possession, giving Budd a chance to make a 25-yard field goal.

Western used its lone time out attempting to freeze him, but Budd calmly battled a fierce wind and put the ball just beyond the crossbar for the win.

“I just did not want to let my team down,” Budd said. “(The timeout) gave me more time to get myself together. I was just trying to get it through the posts.”

Budd would have never had his opportunity had it not been for two fumbles by the Broncos that led to a pair of CMU touchdowns. The most critical was the fumble by the tailback Daniel Marks, allowing quarterback Kent Smith to go just 25 yards to tie the game.

Smith was a perfect 2-for-2 on the drive, with both passes going to wide receiver Asante White, including a nine-yard touchdown pass.

Budd added the extra point, sending the game to overtime, before kicking the game-winner in overtime.

The last two matchups – Friday night in 2006 and Tuesday night in 2007 – were largely dictated by the MAC’s insistence of sacrificing tradition for a chance that college football fans would notice.

Although CMU’s 34-31 win last year in Kalamazoo was one of the best football games I have ever witnessed, the atmosphere before the game just wasn’t up to the standard of the rivalry.

Tuesday night football. Has a ring to it, doesn’t it?

Not anymore. The MAC heard the fans and saw the attendance numbers last season in Kalamazoo (a mere 16,952) and decided it should probably schedule the game when people could actually attend.

In 2006, the game was moved to Friday night with the hopes that ESPN would pick it up. Instead, Comcast Local came. The weather in that game? Driving rain and 35 degrees – quite possibly the most miserable conditions one could imagine.

It started raining 20 minutes before kickoff and never let up. Half of the fans (including myself) left at halftime before hypothermia set in. CMU celebrated its first trip to the MAC Championship Game with hundreds, instead of thousands, of its closest friends.

So this season, although again the game was moved to noon to accommodate ESPN Regional, it returns to where it should be – a Saturday afternoon.

Western Weekend returns after two years of Western Week.

Central has never sold out Kelly/Shorts Stadium, but expect it to Saturday. That section of seats at the northeast part of the stadium might even be full.

WMU’s miracle win at Buffalo last week made sure the two teams meet with perfect 3-0 MAC records. Make no mistake – this game is huge. Though the game won’t decide who goes to Detroit in December (the teams both have four conference games the rest of the year), it will indicate which team has what it takes in big games.

So remember why all your friends from Kalamazoo are making the trip here.

Make it to the game – it shouldn’t disappoint, even if you have to get up a little early.

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During Central/Western Weekend two years ago, Central Michigan Life reported 227 officers and deputies were on patrol, and about the same amount are anticipated for this weekend.

“The Law Enforcement Consortium, which involves all of the agencies in the county, have been planning for the event for a long time,” said Michigan State Police Post Commander Lt. Christopher W. Stolicker. “Michigan State Police will be bringing in 100 extra personnel for the weekend. And our goal is to have a safe environment for everybody throughout the weekend.”

MSP also will be concentrating on alcohol infractions and drunk drivers, Stolicker said.

Central/Western Weekend has been known as one of the most anticipated weekends of the academic year. However, Stolicker said the weekends in recent years have died down.

“They’ve absolutely calmed down from the peak of the problems in the 90s,” he said. “Where again we ask the students to have a good time, but remember to do things safely, and if you drink, don’t drive, and if you’re not old enough to drink, don’t drink.”

Central Michigan University Police Chief Stan Dinius credits the calmer weekends to the departments being prepared.

“It has calmed down typically because we are proactive in getting out and putting a number of officers out on patrol,” Dinius said. “Both during the game and after the game to try and prevent the type of things that have happened in the past where there was considerable civil disturbances.”

The last Central/Western Weekend at CMU there were 20 minor in possessions and 29 operating while intoxicated citations issued, along with 23 nuisance party arrests, according to CM Life archives.

Mount Pleasant Police Inspector Tom Forsberg said the MPPD will be concentrating on the apartment complexes in the city and the downtown area.

“We’ll be throughout the city at the apartment complexes that are located in the city, obviously Main Street, Washington Street area, as well as downtown,” he said. “We will have officers out on-foot pretty much throughout all those areas.”

In 2006, the weather was credited for keeping down citations and in a 2006 CM Life article, Forsberg said the weather kept a lot of people inside, but brought about more nuisance parties.

This Saturday, the weather is forecasted to be a high of 60 degrees and Dinius said tailgating will begin at 9 a.m.

“We have people starting set-up as early as 4 a.m. because it is a 12 noon game, tailgate will start at 9,” he said.

Dinius said for the game there will be about 30 police officers and about 80 private security personnel and students helping with parking control and direction.

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Tallgrass Apartments, 1240 E. Broomfield St., will be allowing each apartment one temporary parking pass that is usually do not allowed. If there are extras left over that some apartments do not use, they will give those out too, Tallgrass Manager Jill Simons said.

Tallgrass has 290 apartment units and about the same number of extra parking spaces, Simons said.

“Our ultimate goal (is) that our kids can come home and have a place to park,” she said.

To enforce that rule, people will be standing at the entrance to the apartment complex. If the car doesn’t have a parking pass for residents or guests, it will not be allowed in, Simons said.

The Mount Pleasant Police Department sent out a letter to Tallgrass Apartments, along with some others, and the letter was forwarded to residents, Simons said.

The letter listed possible alcohol violations that students can get and said large gatherings are anticipated. It also talked about the possibilities of a nuisance party, Simons said.

The Village at Bluegrass, 4300 Collegiate Way, also received the letter and sent it to their residents, said Executive Director Rob Zientek.

He said the police will have a stronger presence than normal and will be encouraged to break up big parties and issue open intoxication violations.

“We just don’t want anyone getting in trouble,” Zientek said. “We usually don’t have too many issues with Central/Western Weekend.”

Bluegrass will also be giving out guest parking passes that it does not usually offer. Two passes per apartment will be allowed, Zientek said. But guests are asked not to park right in front of the buildings and leave those for residents.

Copper Beach Townhomes, 4750 E. Bluegrass Road, will have extra security for Central/Western Weekend to keep people safe, said Jian Blair, leasing consultant.

Extra passes will not be given out. Normally 30 guest passes are given out daily, and it will be the same for Central/Western Weekend, Blair said.

Copper Beach has a contract with Green Towing, so Blair said any cars without parking passes will be towed.

Extra staff to monitor the parking lots will be on duty for Central/Western Weekend for United Apartments, said Rick McGuirk, operating manager.

Deerfield and Jamestown will have staff at the entrances to make sure no one without a parking pass enters the complex, McGuirk said.

Residents will be notified of specific details through e-mail, he said.

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All doors other than the main entrance of each residence hall will be locked at 6 p.m. Friday and stay locked until 7 a.m. Sunday, said Assistant Director of Residence Life Michelle Veith.

Residents will need their current campus ID and room key to enter their building during those times, and all guests must be registered at the front desk, Veith said. Guests will need a picture ID and will receive a wrist band, color-coded for each hall, which they must leave on the entire weekend, Veith said.

“(This policy) helps to filter guests through the main entrance,” said Carey Hall Director Brian Ulrich. “It’s convenient for students too, so they don’t have to check guests in later.”

Although registered guests will have wristbands, they cannot come and go as they please.

“Guests still have to be escorted by a resident once they have a wristband,” Veith said.

According to an e-mail sent from the Office of Residence Life to all residence hall students, guests in any residence hall without a wristband will be asked to leave the building immediately.

“This (procedure) is necessary for the safety and security of residents,” said Cobb Hall Director Mike Skonieczny.

Each room is allowed to check in a maximum of six guests for the weekend, but the actual number checked in per room varies, Veith said.

“Some rooms will have none, and some will have six or more and try to bunk people down the hall,” Veith said.

Veith said when the Central/Western game was played at Kelly/Shorts Stadium two years ago, the Towers alone registered 2,126 guests among roughly 570 rooms.

“The number of people on campus has the potential to double (this weekend),” Skonieczny said.

In the past, there have been some incidents because of the large number of people on campus for the game, Ulrich said.

“Last time we had some alcohol violations, but for the most part everyone was very respectful, as I’m sure they will be this time,” Ulrich said.

Students and staff alike have high hopes for the weekend.

“I think things should run smoothly with the policies in place,” said Mount Pleasant sophomore and Wheeler Hall President Justin Campbell.

The e-mail from the Office of Residence Life reminds students that they are responsible for the actions of their guests at all times, and the university reserves the right to ask guests to leave if any problems arise.

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Parking officials have made plans to accommodate the influx of cars that will be on campus this weekend.

Central Michigan University Police Chief Stan Dinius said there will be several open lots around the stadium.

Lot 63 is the main tailgating lot, and Dinius said they try to keep the east lot for students and the west lot for families.

Parking passes for the student tailgate lot located on East Campus Drive can be purchased in advance for $6, or on game day for $8.

Lot 63 West is reserved for general parking. Rates are the same as the student lot. A Lot 63 pass gives access to Lot 63 General Parking, Lot 63A General Family Parking, lot 63B General Parking or lot 63 Overflow.

CMU Police Sgt. Chris Pryor said general parking is available in lot 59 for students with permits only. This is for parking only and students are not allowed to tailgate at the lot. Lot 59 is the grass area along Broomfield Road west of the railroad tracks.

Pryor said lot 62 east is designated for the Chippewa Club and season ticket holders.

Midland freshman Melissa Krenzke plans to tailgate and go to the game with friends.

“We’re getting up at 7:30 to get a good spot (in lot 63 East),” she said.

Traverse City freshman Michelle Hunt plans on going to the game as well.

“My mom is coming up and she wants to tailgate,” she said.

Alpena sophomore Jessica Jernberg does not plan on taking a vehicle to Lot 63 East, but she might visit the student tailgate.

“I am walking to the game, I have friends tailgating,” she said.

Freshmen will continue to park North of Broomfield on game day.

“That’s been working quite well,” Dinius said.

Dinius said people visiting the Residence Halls this weekend can get a free permit at the CMU Police Station.

Handicapped parking is available in all lots surrounding Kelly/Shorts, according to cmuchippewas.com. A shuttle service for handicapped patrons is available. To use this service call 989-774-3045 upon arrival at the game, or tell a parking attendant.

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“We are on track to sell about 27,000 to 30,000 tickets. That’s the pace we’re on right now,” said Kim Hudson, manager of Athletics Tickets and Promotions.

Mike Dabbs, assistant director of marketing in the athletics department, said the ticket sales shows the level of spirit and excitement about the football game and the rivalry between Central Michigan University and WMU.

The current stadium record is 30,027 against WMU in 2006, Dabbs said.

“It would be a record if we sold out,” he said.

The capacity of the stadium is 30,255.

Otter Lake junior Elizabeth Conard said this weekend is her birthday weekend so her family and friends are visiting. She said they are attending the game.

“The tickets are getting popular, so they raised the price, but people are still willing to pay for them,” she said.

For the rivalry game, adult tickets are $27 and youth/senior tickets are $17. Usually tickets are $22 for adults and $15 for youth/senior tickets.

Group rates are not available for the game.

North Branch freshman Meagan Godo said she is inviting family to the game.

“I think they’re a little pricey, not too bad,” Godo said.

Tickets can be purchased online at cmuchippewas.com or by calling 1-888-FIRE-UP2 or 989-774-3045.

Prohibited items

Kelly/Shorts Stadium offers a list of prohibited items on the athletics Web site, cmuchippewas.com.

Prohibited items include bags larger than 5.5 inches x 8.5 inches x 2 inches, aerosol and spray cans, umbrellas, alcohol, coolers, thermoses, bottles, cans, flasks, food, weapons, animals, artificial noisemakers and water bottles. Smoking is also prohibited inside the stadium.

Seat cushions, binoculars, small cameras, radios, blankets, rain apparel and small bags are all permitted into the stadium.

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“If you took a Hoops taxi at $3 a ride for 365 days a year, you’d be about $1,500 in the hole,” said Turoski, manager and driver of Hoops taxi service. “If you got pulled over for drinking and driving, you’d be looking at a $5,000 fine. Do the math.”

Mount Pleasant taxi companies are in preparation for one of their busiest weekends of the year: Central/Western Weekend.

“We expect about 150 percent more callers than the average weekend,” said Darla Ball, owner of Mount Pleasant Cab, known as 779-TAXI.

Alberta McBride, owner of Chippewa Cab, said she has all of her vehicles on the road by noon on game day.

“We go to dorms, apartments, and get flagged down on the street to take students to the tailgate,” McBride said.

Turoski and Ball are prepared as well. Hoops will have all 6 vans on the road and there will be 15 Mount Pleasant Cab vehicles making stops.

With police patrols in full force throughout the weekend, taxi services will be a student’s best bet for a safe ride home on one of the most dangerous weekends of the year, Turoski said.

“Every night I drive, I see about five or 10 cars being pulled over,” he said. “You can’t throw a stone in the Wayside parking lot without hitting at least three drunk drivers.”

Turoski said he gets scared driving in and out of the parking lot some nights.

“It all goes back to the importance of cabs,” McBride said. “It is the law not to drive and drink or even be too intoxicated while walking down the road.”

About 95 percent of the people who call Hoops on Thursday, Friday or Saturday night are intoxicated, said Turoski.

Ball said 100 percent of the people who dial 779-TAXI will be under the influence.

“Our purpose is to take drunk people home. That’s what we do,” Ball said. “We just want to get as many people home as safely and efficiently as we can in the time we have.”

Turoski said taxis will be vital for the safety of Mount Pleasant drivers and pedestrians throughout the weekend.

“We’re a college cab company,” he said. “We’re after the drunk college kids to protect the roads.”

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A trophy.

Both Central Michigan University and Western Michigan Universitys have teamed up to create a trophy that will be passed between the two schools.

Tony Voisin, director of Student Life, said the trophy adds pomp and circumstance to the game and rivalry.

“It’s going to be fun to have some of that celebratory pageantry,” Voisin said.

The trophy consists of a brass cannon on top of a wooden base. Two sides of the trophy are labeled with the universities’ names and engraved with the years each team won.

Voisin said there have been conversations about a trophy for the past few years and a group was put together to come up with ideas. A cannon was chosen, he said.

“They agreed the cannon would make the most sense because both universities fire off a cannon,” Voisin said. “That was the one that both student bodies were in support of.”

Paul Pridgeon, Montgomery senior and Student Gov’t Association president, said although the game has always been a big deal, the trophy will add to it.

“It becomes a symbol of the game that extends year to year,” Pridgeon said.

Mike Dabbs, assistant director of marketing for the athletics department, said the trophy will debut Friday during a pep rally.

Last year, a Facebook group, “The Battle for the Saddle,” was started to gain support for a trophy.

Voisin said the trophy cost about $800 and SGA and WMU’s student government associations will split the cost.

The trophy does not have an official name yet.

CMU and WMU are not the first universities to have traveling trophies. Some of the more well-known trophies include the Megaphone for Notre Dame vs. Michigan State University, the Little Brown Jug for University of Michigan vs. University of Minnesota and Paul Bunyan’s Axe for the University of Wisconsin vs. Minnesota battle, to list a few.

Student Section

Kelly/Shorts Stadium’s student section will not have a name this season.

The SGA is scrapping its quest for a name until next school year.

Pridgeon said after starting the search, SGA and the athletics department were busy with Homecoming and Central/Western Weekend and not enough time and attention could be dedicated to the student section.

“It’s too much to try to get done before three football games,” Pridgeon said.

SGA and the athletics department originally wanted to name the student section by the Sept. 27 football game against University of Buffalo.

Kelly/Shorts Stadium would not have been the only college football stadium with a named student section. Michigan State University’s Spartan Stadium has the Corner Blitz.

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