2000 Central Michigan Chippewas football team

The 2000 Central Michigan Chippewas football team represented Central Michigan University in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 2000 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their first season under head coach Mike DeBord, the Chippewas compiled a 2–9 record (2–6 against MAC opponents), finished in last place in the MAC's West Division, and were outscored by their opponents, 376 to 137.[1][2] The team played its home games in Kelly/Shorts Stadium in Mount Pleasant, Michigan,[3] with attendance of 94,949 in five home games.[4] The team set a single season school record with 90 punts, and Brian Brandt set a school record with 87 punts.[5]

2000 Central Michigan Chippewas football
Conference	Mid-American Conference
Division	West Division
2000 record	2–9 (2–6 MAC)
Head coach	Mike DeBord (1st season)
MVP	Brian Leigeb
Home stadium	Kelly/Shorts Stadium

2000 Mid-American Conference football standings
	Div							Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L					W		L
East Division
Marshall xy$		5	–	1					5	–	3					8	–	5
Akron x		5	–	1					5	–	3					6	–	5
Ohio		4	–	2					5	–	3					7	–	4
Miami		4	–	2					5	–	3					6	–	5
Bowling Green		1	–	5					2	–	6					2	–	9
Buffalo		2	–	4					2	–	6					2	–	9
Kent State		0	–	6					1	–	7					1	–	10
West Division
Western Michigan xy		4	–	1					7	–	1					9	–	3
Toledo x		4	–	1					6	–	1					10	–	1
Northern Illinois		2	–	3					4	–	3					6	–	5
Ball State		2	–	3					4	–	3					5	–	6
Eastern Michigan		2	–	3					2	–	5					3	–	8
Central Michigan		1	–	4					2	–	6					2	–	9
Championship: Marshall 19, Western Michigan 14
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Due to an unbalanced conference schedule, the team with best division record within each division was awarded that division's championship game berth.

The team's statistical leaders included Derrick Vickers with 1,059 passing yards, Vince Webber with 458 rushing yards, and David Hannah with 411 receiving yards.[6] Senior defensive back Brian Leigeb set a single game school record with 26 tackles against Northern Illinois on November 18, 2000, totaled 147 tackles for the season, set a school record with 490 career tackles, and was selected as the team's most valuable player.[7]

On December 1, 1999, Mike DeBord was hired as Central Michigan's head football coach. He had previously served as Michigan's offensive coordinator. DeBord was given a four-year contract with an annual base salary of $120,000.[8]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
September 2	at Purdue*	Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN	L 0–48
September 9	Akron	Kelly/Shorts Stadium Mount Pleasant, MI	W 17–7
September 16	at Wyoming*	War Memorial Stadium Laramie, WY	L 10–31
September 23	Boise State*	Kelly/Shorts Stadium Mount Pleasant, MI	L 10–47
September 30	at Toledo	Glass Bowl Toledo, OH	L 0–41
October 7	Kent State	Kelly/Shorts Stadium Mount Pleasant, MI	L 21–24 (OT)
October 21	at Ohio	Peden Stadium Athens, OH	L 3–52
October 28	Ball State	Kelly/Shorts Stadium Mount Pleasant, MI	L 34–38
November 4	at Eastern Michigan	Rynearson Stadium Ypsilanti, MI (rivalry)	L 15–31
November 11	Western Michigan	Kelly/Shorts Stadium Mount Pleasant, MI (rivalry)	W 21–17
November 17	at Northern Illinois	Huskie Stadium DeKalb, IL	L 6–40
*Non-conference game

References

1. "2000 Central Michigan Chippewas Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
2. "Central Michigan 2015 Football Media Guide" (PDF). Central Michigan University. 2015. pp. 100, 114. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
3. "Football Facilities". Central Michigan University. Archived from the original on June 25, 2016. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
4. 2015 Media Guide, p. 87.
5. 2015 Media Guide, pp. 82, 85.
6. "2000 Central Michigan Chippewas Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
7. 2015 Media Guide, pp. 80, 82, 84, 95.
8. Michael Rosenberg (December 3, 1999). "DeBord on board at CMU: U-M offensive coordinator named head football coach". Detroit Free Press. p. 1E.