Jan. 12 was an exciting day for Dan Enos.

His first day as Central Michigan University’s head football coach was spent meeting his team for the first time, answering questions from the media and taking in his surroundings.

The CMU gymnastics team won its first State of Michigan Classic of the new millenium in what will be the event’s last year.

With a score of 194.975, the team beat No. 21 Michigan State, Western Michigan and Eastern Michigan on Sunday in Kalamazoo. It scored more than a point higher than last year’s Classic (193.925).

Dan Enos has been a student, quarterback and coach at Michigan State University. But he always had a hidden respect for another school about 70 miles north.

Cheers erupted from down the halls and around Mount Pleasant as students breathed and uncrossed their fingers Saturday.

The Central Michigan Chippewas, for the first time since 1992, beat the Michigan State University Spartans. Senior kicker Andrew Aguila kicked a 43-yard field goal just inside
the left upright with three seconds remaining to seal a 29-27 win at Spartan Stadium.

Michigan State will play at Kelly/Shorts Stadium for the first time in 2012.

“We’ll set the all-time attendance record — I’m very confident of that for a home football game here,” said Athletics Director Dave Heeke. “It will be the biggest event, in my mind, that has ever happened in Mount Pleasant.”

Michigan State will play Central Michigan, Western Michigan and Eastern Michigan four times each between 2011 and 2020 in what is being called the “Celebrate the State” series. Each Mid-American Conference school will play at East Lansing three times and host MSU once.