Central Michigan coach Jim McElwain is retiring, the school announced Wednesday. The 62-year-old is ending a 40-year career that included coaching stints at Colorado State and Florida before taking the position at Central Michigan University. McElwain will lead the Chippewas to a 4-7 record in the final game Nov. 30 at Northern Illinois.
The decision to retire was McElwain’s own, sources told CBS Sports. In his sixth season at Central Michigan, McElwain is 33-35. He led the Chips to two bowl games.
“My wife Karen and I have cherished every moment of our football journey,” McElwain said in a statement. “We would like to express our deepest gratitude to all the players who have welcomed us into their lives, as well as the amazing coaches and support staff everywhere along the way. It was truly a privilege to work with all of them. It was an honor and the friendships we made mean the world to us.”
McElwain recently Target of NCAA investigation About Connor Stallions’ presence on the sideline in last year’s CMU opener against Michigan State.
McElwain rose to national prominence in 2007 as Fresno State’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. These Bulldogs averaged 33 points per game and won nine games. He left for Alabama the next season in the same capacity under coach Nick Saban.
In four seasons with the Crimson Tide, McElwain appeared in two national championships. During that time, McElwain called plays for Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram, as well as Julio Jones, Greg McElroy and AJ McCarron.
This success earned McElwain his first head coaching job at Colorado State University, where he compiled a 22-16 record in three seasons. Riding on his success at Alabama, McElwain returned to the SEC at Florida, where he won two SEC East titles from 2015-2017.
He sided with the Florida government in 2017 and publicly said death threats had been made against him and his players. The threat could not be substantiated. McElwain and Florida eventually parted ways after a 42-7 loss to Georgia that year. His 34-game stay at Florida was the shortest by a non-interim coach in 80 years.
McElwain finishes his coaching career with a 77-63 overall record heading into the Northern Illinois Conference. He signed a five-year contract until 2022.
