McElwain, a notorious personality in the college football landscape, retires after four decades of service in college football.
Central Michigan head coach Jim McElwain, whose career in coaching began in 1985 as a graduate assistant at his alma mater in Eastern Washington, announced on Wednesday afternoon his retirement from the sport of college football.
“My wife Karen and I have cherished every moment of our football journey,” McElwain said via press release. “We want to express our deepest gratitude to the all the players who have welcomed us into their lives, and the incredible coaches and support staff at every stop along the way—it has been a true privilege to work alongside all of them. The lifelong friendships that were created mean the world to us.”
“We are especially thankful for our time at Central Michigan. Mount Pleasant and the CMU community hold a special place in our hearts, and we look forward to continuing to be a part of this program and this great community. Thank you for the unwavering support and the unforgettable memories.”
McElwain will move into a new position as special assistant CMU athletic director Amy Folan after coaching the final game of the 2024 season against Northern Illinois on Nov. 30.
McElwain leaves the college coaching world after four decades as a decorated coach, winning two national titles as offensive coordinator for the Alabama Crimson Tide under Nick Saban in 2011 and 2012 before accepting the head coaching job at Colorado State, where he won Mountain West Coach of the Year in 2014. McElwain would go on to win two Southeastern Conference East Division titles at Florida in hist first two seasons at the helm, winning SEC Coach of the Year honors in his first season (2015.)
McElwain was seen as a surprise hire by Central in 2019, coming over to Mt. Pleasant from nearby Ann Arbor, where he was a wide receivers coach under then-head coach Jim Harbaugh. The move was then-athletic director Michael Alford’s first major hire after arriving from Oklahoma a few years prior. The assumption was McElwain’s prowess as a recruiter and connections with Autonomous conference powers would inject necessary energy into the program after the homegrown local approach of prior head coach Jon Bonamego.
McElwain immediately turned around a moribund CMU squad in his first season thanks in part to a number of smart transfer additions and position changes, guiding trhe Chippewas from a 1-11 record to an 8-4 record and the chance to represent the West Division in the 2019 MAC Championship Game against Miami— a game they would lose in the waning moments. McElwain would win MAC Coach of the Year honors in the postseason, becoming the first-ever coach to win such honors in three different conferences.
CMU was never able to get back to Detroit, losing out on a tiebreaker in 2021 with Northern Illinois on a botched field goal attempt in their head-to-head matchup in their only other division title season, but McElwain still manged to notch two MAC West Division titles, three postseason appearances and a win in the 2021 Sun Bowl over Washington State.
The 2024 season was particularly brutal for Central, with a litany of offensive injuries severely affecting the team’s performance. Before the season even started, Central lost their top two receivers and tight ends and would go on to lose at least three more receivers to season-ending injuries as the season wore on. CMU also lost starting quarterback Joe Labas to an arm injury at the start of the conference season and specialty QB Bert Emanuel Jr. to leg and shoulder injuries after the Eastern Michigan contest, forcing the Chips to depend on two freshman quarterbacks over the brunt of the MAC season.
Despite all those issues, the Chippewas were able to secure the Victory Cannon on home grounds for the first time since Nov. 2010 on Tuesday night, taking home a 16-14 victory over Western Michigan to snap a five-game skid.
“Coach McElwain and his wife Karen have meant so much to the Central Michigan community,” Folan said via press release. “He has brought pride and excitement to Mount Pleasant and our football program and we look forward to his contributions to the department in other ways in the years ahead. We are grateful for his service and mentorship to our student-athletes. We wish both Jim and Karen the very best in their well-deserved retirement from coaching and we are glad that they will continue to help us.”
A national search for a new coach has begun effectively immediately.
“We are committed to the continued success of our storied football program,” Folan continued. “A national search is underway to find an outstanding leader who will honor our traditions while guiding us into the future. We are confident our community will rally behind this next chapter in Chippewa football.”