Eastern Michigan Athletics
Photo by: Steve King/KingStudios
EMU Football Coach Chris Creighton Earns Contract Extension
6/30/2017 2:15:00 PM | Football
The deal will keep Creighton in Ypsilanti through at least the 2022 campaign
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — Eastern Michigan University Athletics announced a contract extension for Head Football Coach Chris Creighton. The contract term now extends through December 2022.
"I am appreciative of President Smith's vote of confidence and grateful for the opportunity to continue to lead this football program," said Creighton. "We made significant progress in closing the gap the last three years, but we still have a lot of work to do in order to become a source of pride for all who care about Eastern Michigan University. We cannot wait for the 2017 season to start."
Creighton will start his fourth season as the head man at EMU in the 2017 season after being named the school's 37th head football coach on Dec. 11, 2013. During his 21-year head coaching career, the 48-year-old Creighton has accumulated eight conference titles and an all-time record of 149-73 (.671 winning percentage).
Toughness. Pride. Resilience. These key words have come to describe EMU football during Creighton's tenure. Inspired by the region and the student-athletes' own backgrounds, the team has challenged itself to be "E Tough," committed to great effort, sacrifice, and triumphing in the face of adversity. In this spirit, EMU has nicknamed Rynearson Stadium "The Factory," a place where coaches and staff will go to work each day to help "E Tough" student-athletes become scholars, leaders, champions, and impact men. "The Factory" is also highlighted by Division I Football's first gray FieldTurf playing surface.
Voted as a finalist for the 2016 American Football Coaches Awards' first-ever Comeback Coach of the Year, Creighton led EMU to the program's first winning season since 1995 and its first bowl appearance since 1987 in the 2016 Bahamas Bowl.
The 2016 Eagles finished in a seven-way tie for the most improved program in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) in 2016, bettering its win total from one win in 2015, to seven this season. Creighton led the Eagles to their first bowl appearance in 29 years following one of EMU's most successful seasons in its 125-year history. The turnaround was tied for the largest in school history, equalled only by the 1924 and 1977 teams.
Away from the field, EMU led the Mid-American Conference in team grade point average for the 2015-16 academic year. It marked the second consecutive season the Eagles posted the top GPA in the league, holding a 2.90 team mark. Meanwhile, a MAC-best 18 student-athletes were selected to the league's 2016 Academic All-MAC squad that requires at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA.
The squad also continues to give back with weekly service appearances in the Ypsilanti community. In addition, Creighton has installed yearly traditions such as Youth Day, as well as Victory Day, which is designed for cognitively and physically impaired children.
Before arriving in Ypsilanti, Creighton spent six years at the helm of Drake University. There, he racked up a 35-13 (.729) record in Pioneer Football League action and a 31-9 (.775) record in his last five seasons. Creighton departed Drake with the highest winning percentage in school history (.667) after also posting 63 wins as the head coach at Wabash College and 32 at Ottawa University.
Ranked fourth among all active NCAA Division III football coaches in career winning percentage upon his hire at Drake, Creighton served as head coach at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Ind. from 2001-07 where he constructed a 63-15 record (.808) with his teams winning four North Coast Athletic Conference championships, while competing in three NCAA Division III playoffs.
Creighton was head coach at Ottawa (Kan.) University from 1997-2000, compiling a record of 32-9 (.780). The San Francisco, Calif. native produced one of the greatest single season turnarounds in NAIA history during his first year at Ottawa in 1997. Inheriting a team that posted a record of 1-8 the previous season, Creighton guided his club to a 9-2 finish en route to capturing its first Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference title since 1972. He also led Ottawa to a conference championship in 2000 along with appearances in the NAIA playoffs in '97 and 2000.
Creighton served as offensive coordinator at Concordia (Ill.) from 1991-92 and Manchester (Ind.) from 1993-96 before becoming head coach at Ottawa.
In 1993, Creighton was the head coach and quarterback of the Limhamn Griffins in Malmo, Sweden, as he helped guide the franchise to its first national championship.
As an All-America quarterback, Creighton led Kenyon College (Ohio) to its only North Coast Athletic Conference title in 1989 and was named conference player of the year after setting single-season conference records for passing yardage (2,843) and touchdowns (29). He was inducted into the Kenyon College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2008.
Creighton earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Kenyon College in 1991 and a master's degree from Concordia (Ill.) University in 1993.
Creighton was the first active head football coach to be hired at Eastern Michigan since Jim Harkema in 1983. Harkema was the head coach at Grand Valley State University (1973-82) before taking over the EMU program and leading it to its only Mid-American Conference Championship in 1987.
Season tickets for the 2017 EMU football season are now on sale to see the Eagles. Buying a season ticket is your best deal, as you will save 44 percent when compared to the single-game rate at the door. Tickets are on sale online at EMUEagles.com/tickets, by calling 734.487.ENOW (3669), or by visiting the EMU Ticket Office daily between 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
"I am appreciative of President Smith's vote of confidence and grateful for the opportunity to continue to lead this football program," said Creighton. "We made significant progress in closing the gap the last three years, but we still have a lot of work to do in order to become a source of pride for all who care about Eastern Michigan University. We cannot wait for the 2017 season to start."
Creighton will start his fourth season as the head man at EMU in the 2017 season after being named the school's 37th head football coach on Dec. 11, 2013. During his 21-year head coaching career, the 48-year-old Creighton has accumulated eight conference titles and an all-time record of 149-73 (.671 winning percentage).
Toughness. Pride. Resilience. These key words have come to describe EMU football during Creighton's tenure. Inspired by the region and the student-athletes' own backgrounds, the team has challenged itself to be "E Tough," committed to great effort, sacrifice, and triumphing in the face of adversity. In this spirit, EMU has nicknamed Rynearson Stadium "The Factory," a place where coaches and staff will go to work each day to help "E Tough" student-athletes become scholars, leaders, champions, and impact men. "The Factory" is also highlighted by Division I Football's first gray FieldTurf playing surface.
Voted as a finalist for the 2016 American Football Coaches Awards' first-ever Comeback Coach of the Year, Creighton led EMU to the program's first winning season since 1995 and its first bowl appearance since 1987 in the 2016 Bahamas Bowl.
The 2016 Eagles finished in a seven-way tie for the most improved program in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) in 2016, bettering its win total from one win in 2015, to seven this season. Creighton led the Eagles to their first bowl appearance in 29 years following one of EMU's most successful seasons in its 125-year history. The turnaround was tied for the largest in school history, equalled only by the 1924 and 1977 teams.
Away from the field, EMU led the Mid-American Conference in team grade point average for the 2015-16 academic year. It marked the second consecutive season the Eagles posted the top GPA in the league, holding a 2.90 team mark. Meanwhile, a MAC-best 18 student-athletes were selected to the league's 2016 Academic All-MAC squad that requires at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA.
The squad also continues to give back with weekly service appearances in the Ypsilanti community. In addition, Creighton has installed yearly traditions such as Youth Day, as well as Victory Day, which is designed for cognitively and physically impaired children.
Before arriving in Ypsilanti, Creighton spent six years at the helm of Drake University. There, he racked up a 35-13 (.729) record in Pioneer Football League action and a 31-9 (.775) record in his last five seasons. Creighton departed Drake with the highest winning percentage in school history (.667) after also posting 63 wins as the head coach at Wabash College and 32 at Ottawa University.
Ranked fourth among all active NCAA Division III football coaches in career winning percentage upon his hire at Drake, Creighton served as head coach at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Ind. from 2001-07 where he constructed a 63-15 record (.808) with his teams winning four North Coast Athletic Conference championships, while competing in three NCAA Division III playoffs.
Creighton was head coach at Ottawa (Kan.) University from 1997-2000, compiling a record of 32-9 (.780). The San Francisco, Calif. native produced one of the greatest single season turnarounds in NAIA history during his first year at Ottawa in 1997. Inheriting a team that posted a record of 1-8 the previous season, Creighton guided his club to a 9-2 finish en route to capturing its first Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference title since 1972. He also led Ottawa to a conference championship in 2000 along with appearances in the NAIA playoffs in '97 and 2000.
Creighton served as offensive coordinator at Concordia (Ill.) from 1991-92 and Manchester (Ind.) from 1993-96 before becoming head coach at Ottawa.
In 1993, Creighton was the head coach and quarterback of the Limhamn Griffins in Malmo, Sweden, as he helped guide the franchise to its first national championship.
As an All-America quarterback, Creighton led Kenyon College (Ohio) to its only North Coast Athletic Conference title in 1989 and was named conference player of the year after setting single-season conference records for passing yardage (2,843) and touchdowns (29). He was inducted into the Kenyon College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2008.
Creighton earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Kenyon College in 1991 and a master's degree from Concordia (Ill.) University in 1993.
Creighton was the first active head football coach to be hired at Eastern Michigan since Jim Harkema in 1983. Harkema was the head coach at Grand Valley State University (1973-82) before taking over the EMU program and leading it to its only Mid-American Conference Championship in 1987.
Season tickets for the 2017 EMU football season are now on sale to see the Eagles. Buying a season ticket is your best deal, as you will save 44 percent when compared to the single-game rate at the door. Tickets are on sale online at EMUEagles.com/tickets, by calling 734.487.ENOW (3669), or by visiting the EMU Ticket Office daily between 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
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