Western Michigan FOOTBALL 2017 Western Michigan Football Media Guide Table of Contents About the Program Western Michigan University 2 Credits President Dr. Edward Montgomery 3 The 2017 Western Michigan Football Athletic Director Kathy Beauregard 4 Media Guide was written, designed and Kalamazoo, Michigan 5 edited by Associate Media Relations Director Rob Beuerlein. Meet the 2017 Broncos Roster 8 Editorial contributions were made by Quick Facts 10 Kristin Keirns, Adam Bodnar and Aimee Depth Chart 11 Luurtsema. Season Preview 12 Returning Players 15 Cover Design was done by Kristin Keirns Newcomers 59 Photography credits are Gary Shook, Ed Meet the Coaching Staff Shook and USA Foto. Head Coach Tim Lester 70 Assistant Coaches 71 Printing done by Performance Communications in Kalamazoo, Mich. About the Mid-American Conference About the MAC 83 For any corrections to historical records, Commissioner John Steinbrecher 84 2017 Composite Schedule 85 please contact the Western Michigan Athletic Media Relations office at 269- History of the Program 387-4138. 2016 in Review 86 Broncos in the Pros 95 All-time Award Winners 99 All-time Captains 104 All-time MAC Standings 105 All-time Coaching History 109 All-time Letterwinners 110 Program Records 119 Bowl History 127 Series History 131 Year-by-Year Results 139 www.wmubroncos.com/football www.facebook.com/WMUFootball @WMU_Football www.YouTube/WMUAthletics WMUFootball TM 1 Western Michigan FOOTBALL WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY Western Michigan University provides the resources of a globally engaged national research university, plus the personal attention and support associated with many small private colleges. It is known for preparing students to imme- diately enter graduate school or the workplace, as well as for innovations such as the establishment of the WMU Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine in Kalamazoo. WMU prides itself on being learner centered, discovery driven and globally engaged, and its appeal begins with its strong sense of place. Nearly 24,000 students from some 90 nations are enrolled at the University, which is located close to downtown Kalamazoo. Its highly-rated engineering campus and Business Technology and Research Park are located three miles away, while its nationally recognized aviation college is based in Battle Creek. WMU also extends its reach by offering quality academic and professional development programs online and at eight regional locations in the Michigan cities of Battle Creek, Benton Harbor, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Muskegon, Royal Oak and Traverse City. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teach- ing has classified WMU as one of the nation’s major public research universities. It offers an academic climate with the top-notch programs, faculty, facilities and hands-on learning opportunities that students need to prepare for and excel in graduate school or the work place. The University is large enough to provide the resources of a large research institution and still small enough to allow students one-on-one interaction with some of the world’s leading scholars. Despite the University’s size and complex- ABOUT WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY ity, students who attend WMU expect and receive personal attention from senior-level faculty. A full two-thirds of under- Established 1903 graduate classes have 30 or fewer students. Enrollment 23,914 Student-faculty ratio: 19:1 Academic programs offered 251 WMU offers more than 250 academic programs from which to choose. The University is recognized around the country NOTES ABOUT WMU as one of the best places to study in disciplines ranging from • The Carnegie Foundation classifies WMU as one of the nation’s jazz studies and engineering management to creative writ- 147 public research universities. ing, marketing, aviation and audiology. • The Princeton Review includes WMU on its annual list of Best Midwestern Colleges. WMU is listed as a top-100 public university by U.S. News & World Report and is one of fewer than 100 public institu- • WMU is one of only 90 universities in the nation with both a tions to be granted a charter by Phi Beta Kappa, America’s medical school and a law school under its aegis. premier honor society. FAMOUS ALUMNI Tim Allen - Actor Jason Babin - Football player Dave Dombrowski - MLB general manager Greg Jennings - Football player Josh Gracin - Singer John Saunders - ESPN commentator Homer Stryker - Businessman www.wmubroncos.com/football www.facebook.com/WMUFootball @WMU_Football www.YouTube/WMUAthletics WMUFootball 2 TM Western Michigan FOOTBALL president Dr. EDWARD MONTGOMERY Western Michigan President | 1st Year Dr. Edward B. Montgomery became the ninth president of National Academy of Public Administration. He serves on Western Michigan University on Aug. 1, 2017. He came to the board of directors of the Center for Law and Social Poli- WMU from Georgetown University, where he had served as cy. He also serves on the Committee on Economic Statistics dean and professor of economics at that university’s Mc- for the American Economic Association. Court School of Public Policy since 2010. Montgomery and his wife, Kari, a Michigan native, have three Montgomery earned a bachelor’s degree in economics, grown children—Lindsay, Elizabeth and Edward. with honors, from Pennsylvania State University and both master’s and doctoral degrees in economics from Harvard University. During a more than 35-year academic career, Montgom- ery has held faculty positions at Carnegie Mellon and Michigan State universities as well as the University of Maryland, winning teaching awards some five times over the years. During his tenure at Maryland, he served for six years—2003-2009-—as dean of the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences. During President William Clinton’s administration, Montgom- ery served as chief economist, then counselor and assistant secretary for the Department of Labor, before being named deputy secretary of labor. In the latter role, the depart- ment’s second highest position, he oversaw operations of a $33 billion federal department. During President Barack Obama’s administration, Montgomery was a member of the president’s auto task force and led the inter-agency White House Council for Auto Communities and Workers. That position put him in a role national media dubbed “the Auto Czar.” As a researcher, Montgomery has focused on state and local economic growth, wage and pension determination, savings ABOUT DR. EDWARD MONTGOMERY behavior, productivity and economic dynamics, social in- surance programs, and unions. For more than two decades, Education: he has been a research associate at the National Bureau of • Ed.D., Harvard, 1982 Economic Research, and since 2006, he has been a fellow • M.S., Harvard 1980 of Stanford University’s Center for the Study of Poverty and Inequality. • B.S., Penn State, 1976 Since 2011, he has served on the Comptroller General’s Educators Advisory Committee in Washington’s General Accountability Office. In 2011, he was elected a fellow of the www.wmubroncos.com/football www.facebook.com/WMUFootball @WMU_Football www.YouTube/WMUAthletics WMUFootball TM 3 Western Michigan FOOTBALL athletic director kathy beauregard Western Michigan Athletic Director | 21st Year Kathy Beauregard, the Director of Athletics at Western Michi- gan University, has been involved with the Broncos in several capacities over the course of the past 36 years and begins her 21st season as Athletic Director in 2017-18 Beauregard is the longest serving athletic director in the Mid-American Conference and is just one of eight female Athletic Directors at the 128 Football Bowl Subdivision schools. During her tenure as an Athletic Director, which began in 1997-98, Western Michigan has won 51 conference champi- onships. Beauregard initially came to WMU in 1979 as head women’s gymnastics coach. In nine seasons (1980-88), she produced two MAC title teams and was twice named the conference’s coach of the year. Last year was one of the best in history for the University as the department won the conference championship in football, and finished the season ranked 10th in the country in hockey and No. 15 in football. Under Beauregard Bronco student-athletes have posted 21 consecutive semesters of a combined overall GPA above ABOUT KATHY BEAUREGARD 3.00. The student-athlete population, in any given year, rang- es from between 350-400 students. Education: • Bachelors: Hope College, 1979 Beauregard has received several notable recognitions for • Masters: Western Michigan, 1981 her work in college athletics and the community. In 2011, she was named the Athletic Director of the Year for the Football Subdivision in the Central Region by the National Association Coaching: of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA). In 2012, she • Western Michigan Gymnastics HC - 1980-88 became the first woman ever to receive the Gerald R. Ford Award from the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame. In 2012, she • MAC Championships: 2 was also the recipient of the YWCA Lifetime Achievement • Coach of the Year Awards: 2 Award. In 2000, Beauregard received the Hope College Dis- tinguished Alumni Award from her alma mater. Athletic Director: Beauregard is a native of Kalamazoo and graduate of Loy • 52 conference championships Norrix High School. She earned a bachelor’s degree from • Western Michigan Athletic Director - 1997-present Hope College in 1979 and a master’s degree from Western • 21 straight semesters for WMU athletes at 3.0 Michigan in 1981. She and husband, Rick, have a son, Brad, who graduated from WMU. Rick retired from Kalamazoo GPA or higher Public Schools after 32 years of service. • Five bowl game appearances www.wmubroncos.com/football www.facebook.com/WMUFootball @WMU_Football www.YouTube/WMUAthletics WMUFootball 4 TM Western Michigan FOOTBALL city of kalamazoo Kalamazoo is a community that effortlessly combines energy and innovation with friendliness and an easygoing attitude. Kalamazoo is home to the nationally-recognized Western Michigan University, several colleges and a variety of cultural institutions. A vibrant Art Deco downtown sets the stage for quality dining, unique shops and galleries and live entertainment.