Eastern Michigan Eagles football The Eastern Michigan Eagles are a college football program at Eastern Michigan University . They compete in Division I Football Bowl Subdivision ( FBS ) and the Mid - American Conference . Past names include Michigan State Normal College Normalites ( 1899 to 1928 ) , Michigan State Normal College Hurons ( 1929 to 1955 ) , and Eastern Michigan Hurons ( 1956 to 1990 ) . Since 1891 , Eastern Michigan University has compiled an all - time record of 428 - 519 - 47 , fielding a team in each year except 1944 . The team has achieved five undefeated seasons , in 1906 , 1925 , 1927 , 1943 ( holding opponents scoreless ) , and 1945 and eight winless seasons , in 1891 , 1910 , 1941 , 1949 , 1960 , 1961 , 1981 and 2009 . The team has never ended a season ranked in any major poll , and is among the worst Division I FBS schools both in all - time win percentage ( 45 . 4 % , for 107 out of 120 ) and in all - time scoring margin ( - 1898 , for 108 out of 120 ) . The team saw its greatest period of success from 1925 through 1939 under head coach Elton Rynearson , for whom their home field , Rynearson Stadium , is named . Among the lowest periods in the team ' s history was a 27 - game losing streak in the early 1980s ; under head coach Mike Stock the team was held scoreless seven times and posted an average margin of loss of 18 points per game . History . Since their first season of football , in 1891 , Eastern Michigan University has compiled an all - time record of 428 - 519 - 47 , failing to field a team only in 1944 . The team has achieved five undefeated seasons , in 1906 , 1925 , 1927 , 1943 ( holding opponents scoreless ) , and 1945 and eight perfectly bad season s , in 1891 , 1910 , 1941 , 1949 , 1960 , 1961 , 1981 and 2009 . The team has never ended a season ranked in any major poll and is among the worst NCAA Division I FBS schools both in all - time win percentage ( 45 . 4 % , for 107 out of 120 ) and in all - time scoring margin ( - 1898 , for 108 out of 120 ) . Normalites era ( 1891 – 1928 ) . Michigan State Normal School first fielded a football team in 1891 . Initially the team had no official nickname , being known variously as the " Normalites " or the " Men from Ypsi " . From 1892 to 1926 , the team competed in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association , winning conference championships in 1896 and 1925 . ( Although the MIAA did not recognize football as an official sport until 1894 , MIAA teams competed against each other as early as 1891 . ) The 1916 season was cut short after four games when Coach Elmer Mitchell and four players contracted smallpox ; the last game was played October 28 against the University of Detroit . In the late 1920s , Coach Elton Rynearson led the team to what remain their most successful seasons , with perfect season s in 1925 and 1927 , and a record of 29 - 2 from 1925 through 1928 . Hurons era ( 1929 – 1990 ) . In 1929 , the Michigan State Normal College Men ' s Union sponsored a contest to determine a nickname . A three - person committee chose " Hurons " from the contest entries ; the runner - up name was " Pioneers " . The name Hurons was submitted by Gretchen Borst and George Hanner , both MSNC students . It is likely that Hanner got the idea from the Huron Hotel in downtown Ypsilanti , where he was employed . From 1927 to 1930 Michigan State Normal College competed in the Michigan Collegiate Conference , where they won the championship every year . Rynearson coached the Hurons through 1948 , and his 114 wins are more than double those of any other coach at the school . After 19 years as an independent team the school competed in the Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference from 1950 through 1961 , during which time the school ' s name changed from Michigan State Normal College to Eastern Michigan College and then to Eastern Michigan University , and following two more independent seasons the team competed in the Presidents ' Athletic Conference in 1964 and 1965 . In 1972 , Eastern Michigan joined the Mid - American Conference , in which they still compete . From the 1980 season through the 1982 season , the team lost a school - record 27 consecutive games , including a " perfectly bad season " in 1981 . In the late 1980s , Coach Jim Harkema lead the team to four consecutive winning seasons , including Eastern ' s only MAC championship in 1987 , when the team went to the 1987 California Bowl and upset 17½ point favorite San Jose State University for the only bowl game win in school history . The 1988 and 1989 teams each finished in second place in the conference . Eagles era ( 1991 – present ) . In October 1988 , the Michigan Department of Civil Rights issued a report suggesting that all schools using Native American logos or imagery should drop them . An EMU committee considered the change and recommended three possible replacement nicknames , Eagles , Green Hornets , and Express , from which the Board of Regents voted to accept the nickname " Eagles " . The change became official on May 22 , 1991 . The controversy over the nickname continues to this day , as many former students and faculty were angered that a unique name like Hurons was replaced by a common name like Eagles , and many alumni have refused to donate money to the school until the name Hurons is restored . An official chapter of the EMU Alumni Association , the Huron Restoration Chapter , seeks to bring back the name and claims to have the support of Chief Leaford Bearskin of the Wyandot Tribe of Oklahoma and former Grand Chief Max Gros - Louis of the Huron - Wendat Nation of Quebec . In 19 seasons since the change , the Eagles have managed only a single winning season , 1995 , in which they went 6 - 5 . In the Eagles era , the team has a 61 - 160 - 1 record , including a perfectly bad season ( 0 - 12 ) in 2009 and single win seasons in 1992 ( 1 - 10 ) and 2006 ( 1 - 11 ) . They have had eight different coaches in that time , for an average coaching tenure less than 3 years , and two head coaches who stayed less than a season each ( Jan Quarless coached the final seven games in 1992 , and Tony Lombardi coached the final game in 1999 ) . Facilities . Around mid - century , Eastern Michigan played its home games at a small field near the corner of Oakwood and Washtenaw , just west of McKenny Union . In 1969 , the university constructed Rynearson Stadium , named for former coach Elton Rynearson . With a 30 , 200 person seating capacity , Rynearson Stadium is among the smallest to host an FBS team , but despite that , the largest attendance at an EMU game at Rynearson was 25 , 009 , on September 16 , 1995 for a 51 - 6 win over UNLV . Rynearson is one of only two stadiums in the Mid - American Conference with a track around the football field . Lighting was added to the stadium in 1974 , and the playing surface has been FieldTurf since 2005 . Two EMU games at Rynearson have been sell - outs : a 24 - 31 loss to Western Michigan on October 22 , 1988 drew 23 , 003 ( listed capacity at the time was 22 , 227 ) , and a 0 - 0 tie against Eastern Kentucky on October 16 , 1971 drew 17 , 360 ( listed capacity at the time was 15 , 500 ) . In late 2009 , Eastern Michigan University broke ground on an indoor practice facility , which was completed that academic year . In addition to being used for football practices , the air - supported structure is used by Eastern Michigan ' s soccer , baseball , softball , and golf programs . This is one of only three such air - supported facilities used by Football Bowl Subdivision programs . According to Athletic Director Derrick Gragg a traditionally constructed facility of the same size would have cost approximately five times more . Head coaches . Many of EMU ' s head coaches have had brief tenures with the program ; 18 head coaches served for one season or less . Among the more notable head coaches at EMU have been Clayton Teetzel ( 1900 – 1902 ) , Henry Schulte ( 1906 – 1908 ) , Elton Rynearson ( 1917 , 1919 – 1920 , 1925 – 1948 ) , Fred Trosko ( 1952 – 1964 ) , Dan Boisture ( 1967 – 1973 ) , George Mans ( 1974 – 75 ) , Mike Stock ( 1978 – 1982 ) , Jim Harkema ( 1983 – 1992 ) , Rick Rasnick ( 1995 – 1999 ) , Jeff Woodruff ( 2000 – 2003 ) , Jeff Genyk ( 2004 – 2008 ) , and the current coach Ron English ( 2009 – present ) . Rynearson was the longest - serving and winningest coach , with a record of 114 - 58 - 15 over 26 seasons , while Vern Bennett ( 1894 ) posted the highest winning percentage , 71 . 4 % . Tony Lombardi was the shortest - tenured coach , leading the team only for the final game of the 1999 season . Clayton Teetzel . After playing football for three years at the University of Michigan , including being on the undefeated 1898 Michigan Wolverines football team that won the university ' s first Western Conference championship , Clayton Teetzel travelled six miles east to Ypsilanti , where he became the first person to coach the Michigan State Normal College football team for more than one year . From 1900 through 1902 , his teams compiled a 6 - 14 - 1 record . Henry Schulte . Another Michigan man who led the Normalites was Henry Schulte , who played at the guard and center positions for Fielding H . Yost ' s famous " Point - a - Minute " teams of 1903 , 1904 , and 1905 , which compiled a record of 33 – 1 – 1 over the three years Schulte was a starter . Schulte was often referred to by the nickname " Indian " Schulte , though he was of German rather than Native American descent . In late 1905 and early 1906 , charges of professionalism were leveled at the major college football programs , including Michigan , leading to calls for reform or even elimination of the sport from college campuses . In response to the controversy , the faculty at Michigan ruled Schulte and two other football players , Germany Schulz and Walter Rheinschild , academically ineligible . As a result , Schulte missed the 1906 season . In his ineligible senior year at Michigan , Schulte began a long career in coaching as the track coach at Michigan State Normal College ( now Eastern Michigan University ) . From 1906 to 1908 , Schulte served as coach of the football , baseball and track teams at Eastern Michigan University . In three years as Eastern Michigan ' s football coach , Schulte compiled a 9 – 6 – 1 record . Schulte subsequently coached at Missouri and achieved great success as a track coach and assistant football coach at Nebraska . Schulte was credited with building great football lines for Nebraska , evn in his years as an assistant coach ; Notre Dame coach Knute Rockne frequently mentioned Schulte as " the greatest line coach in the game . " Elton Rynearson . Following the smallpox - shortened 1916 season , Elton Rynearson was hired to replace Elmer Mitchell . Although Rynearson ' s offense was more effective , outscoring opponents 111 to 82 , more than half of the scoring came in a single game , a 63 - 0 rout of Central Michigan , and the team ended the season with a 3 - 4 record . After the shortened 3 - game 1918 season was coached by Lynn Bell , Rynearson returned to coach the 1919 squad to their first winning season in four years . After another winning season in 1920 , other coaches assumed the duties for four years , during which the team managed a 9 - 15 - 4 record . Rynearson ' s return in 1925 sparked the most successful period in school history . From 1925 through 1930 , the team achieved a 40 - 4 - 2 record , including perfect season s in 1925 and 1927 . From 1925 through 1927 they outscored opponents 405 points to 31 and registered 19 shutouts . They won the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Championship in 1925 , and won the Michigan Collegiate Conference championships in 1927 , 1928 , 1929 , and 1930 . Although less dominant , Rynearson ' s teams continued to have success throughout the 1930s , never having a losing season until the teams of 1940 and 1941 combined for a 2 - 10 - 3 record . The 1943 and 1945 teams ( there was no team in 1944 ) were again successful , combining for a 7 - 0 - 1 record . However , following the end of World War II , Rynearson ' s teams again struggled , and he ended his coaching career on a streak of three losing seasons from 1946 through 1948 . His 26 seasons as head coach are double those of the next - longest serving coach , Fred Trosko , and no Eastern Michigan University football coach has reached even half of Rynearson ' s win total of 114 games . Fred Trosko . Following Rynearson ' s retirement in 1948 , Harry Ockerman was the head coach for three undistinguished years , in which he compiled a 7 - 19 - 0 record , including a winless first season . For the 1952 season , Fred Trosko was hired as head coach , and over the next several seasons the team improved markedly , attaining a 7 - 1 - 1 record in 1953 , an 8 - 1 - 0 record in 1954 , and a 7 - 2 - 0 record in 1955 . The team was not able to sustain the success , however , and for the remained of his thirteen seasons Trosko ' s teams struggled , finishing two consecutive seasons winless ( 1960 and 1961 , both 0 - 8 - 1 ) , and only managing two additional winning seasons , going 6 - 3 - 0 in 1957 and 4 - 3 - 0 in 1964 , Trosko ' s final year . In thirteen seasons , the second longest tenure of any head coach at the school , Trosko had nearly as many losses as Rynearson had in twenty - six seasons . Dan Boisture . For two seasons after Trosko , Jerry Raymond coached the Hurons to a mediocre record , finishing 3 - 4 - 1 in 1965 and 5 - 3 - 1 in 1966 . The following year Dan Boisture was hired as head coach , and under his leadership , the team produced the longest period of sustained success since Rynearson ' s days . The team posted winning seasons in all seven years of Trosko ' s coaching , including the 1971 squad that finished the regular season 7 - 0 - 2 , before losing to Louisiana Tech in the Pioneer Bowl , the first bowl trip in school history . Boisture ' s tenure is also notable for the construction of Rynearson Stadium . Boisture ' s teams played their first two seasons at the old field , near the corner of Oakwood and Washtenaw , just west of McKenny Union . In 1969 , the new stadium , which was considered off - campus at the time , opened with a capacity of 15 , 500 . Boisture ' s bowl - bound 1971 team played for one of just two sellout crowds in the stadium ' s history , a 0 - 0 tie against Eastern Kentucky on October 16 , 1971 which drew 17 , 360 spectators . George Mans . After playing at the right end position for the Michigan Wolverines football program from 1959 to 1961 , Mans began his coaching career as the ends coach on Trosko ' s 1963 team at Eastern Michigan University . After stints at Michigan Technological University and the University of Michigan , where he was one of two members of Bump Elliott ' s coaching staff to continue to serve under Bo Schembechler . In February 1974 , Mans was hired to follow Boisture as the head football coach at Eastern Michigan University , where he remained for the 1974 and 1975 seasons . In his first season as head coach , Mans ' team started the season with only one win in the first six games , but the team finished strong , going 3 – 1 – 1 in the final five games . In May 1976 , Mans announced his resignation as Eastern Michigan ' s coach in what the Associated Press described as a " surprise move . " According to one newspaper report , Mans resigned " when it became apparent that EMU would place a greater emphasis on basketball , hiring former Detroit Pistons Coach Ray Scott . " Mans compiled an 8 – 12 – 1 record in two seasons as the head football coach at Eastern Michigan . Mike Stock . Mike Stock ' s tenure as head coach is primarily remembered for a school - record 27 - game losing streak from 1980 through 1982 , including a winless season in 1981 . He was fired after the team lost the first three games of 1982 , including a 49 - 12 pasting at Louisiana Tech and 35 - 0 shutout at Miami University , bringing the losing streak to 22 games ; the team went on to lose five more consecutive games under interim coach Bob LaPointe before the streak was broken with a 9 - 7 win over Kent State on November 6 , 1982 . Stock ' s teams were held scoreless seven times , his teams were outscored by a total of 809 points — nearly 18 points per game , and his final record of 6 - 38 - 1 gives him a 14 . 4 % win percentage , easily the lowest of any coach to remain at Eastern more than one season . Stock continued to coach football both at the collegiate level and the professional level , both in the United States Football League and the National Football League , until his retirement following the 2008 NFL season , but this was his only head coaching position . Jim Harkema . In 1982 , following Mike Stock ' s firing , assistant coach Bob LaPointe was named the interim head coach for the remainder of the season while the school conducted a national search , and Jim Harkema , who had won three Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships at Grand Valley State , was hired to lead the team beginning in 1983 . Beginning in 1986 , Harkema led the team to four consecutive winning seasons , including Eastern ' s only Mid - American Conference championship in 1987 , when the team went to the 1987 California Bowl and upset 17½ point favorite San Jose State University for the only bowl game win in school history . Harkema is credited with building the program at Eastern Michigan into a " Top - Shelf " program , and he coached one of just two EMU games at Rynearson Stadium that sold - out : a 24 - 31 loss to Western Michigan on October 22 , 1988 drew 23 , 003 ( listed capacity at the time was 22 , 227 ) . In the early 1990s , the football team struggled , and after losing the first four games of the 1992 season , Harkema resigned , and assistant coach Jan Quarless took over for the remainder of the season . Jeff Genyk . In 2004 , EMU hired Jeff Genyk as the head coach . Prior to accepting the EMU head coaching position , Genyk spent the previous 12 years at Northwestern working for the football program . He was the running backs coach , recruiting coordinator and one of the special teams coaches for five seasons ( 1999 – 2003 ) . In 1998 he was the secondary coach , working with the safeties , and he was also one of the special teams ’ coaches . In 1997 , Genyk was the linebackers coach , and one of the special teams coaches as well . In December 1996 , prior to the Wildcats ’ appearance in the Comp USA Florida Citrus Bowl , Genyk was elevated to inside linebackers coach . Before the 1997 season , he made the switch to outside linebackers coach . During the 1994 , 1995 and 1996 seasons , he was the director of football operations . He first joined the Northwestern staff as a graduate assistant coach for the 1992 and 1993 seasons . During his tenure as the running backs coach , Genyk tutored tailback Damien Anderson to a school - record 2 , 063 yards in the 2000 season . He also saw another one of his running backs , Jason Wright , reach the 1 , 000 - yard rushing mark in both 2002 and 2003 with 1 , 234 and 1 , 151 yards respectively . Anderson went on to earn All - American honors in 2000 while Wright was an Academic All - American in 2002 . Genyk was part of three Big Ten championship teams , and four postseason bowl games at Northwestern . The 1995 , 1996 and 2000 teams all won Big Ten titles . The 1995 squad played in the Rose Bowl , the 1996 team was in the Comp USA Florida Citrus Bowl , the 2000 team played in the Alamo Bowl , and the 2003 squad played in the Motor City Bowl . The ' 95 and ' 96 squads ( as well as the 2000 squad in perhaps one of the greatest games in college football history ) defeated Michigan , which Northwestern had not done since 1965 . Genyk is a native of Milan , Mich ( born 8 - 22 - 60 ) . where he was an all - state quarterback at Milan High School . He went on to Bowling Green State University and played quarterback for the Falcons from 1978 to 1981 before completing his bachelor ’ s degree in 1982 in business administration . Genyk has two master ’ s degrees , an MBA from Western Michigan University in 1989 , and a master ’ s in education from Northwestern in 1994 . Genyk joined the Northwestern football staff in 1992 after serving as an assistant coach at Grand Rapids ( Mich . ) Community College from December 1990 to the spring of 1992 where he tutored the quarterbacks and wide receivers . Prior to joining the coaching ranks , he worked in private business from 1982 to 1991 . In his first season , 2004 , Genyk helped lead EMU to a 4 - 4 Mid - American Conference record , the best record since the 1999 squad went 4 - 4 in Mid - American Conference play , and a 4 - 7 overall record . In addition , Genyk directed the Eagles to the Michigan MAC championship with wins over both in - state league rivals , Western Michigan and Central Michigan , for the first time since the 1986 season . The 2005 season , Jeff Genyk ' s second as head coach , saw limited improvement as the Eagles finished with a 4 - 7 overall record ( the same as 2004 ) and a 3 - 5 MAC mark . However , that final record could just as easily have been 6 - 5 , 7 - 4 , or even 8 - 3 , as the Eagles dropped two one - point games ( Miami University , Ball State ) , one two - point game ( at Cincinnati ) , and one eight - point game ( Western Michigan ) . In 2006 , EMU had just one win , the homecoming game against Toledo . Once again , the total could have been a lot higher , with six losses coming only by one possession . They lost two games by 8 ( at Northwestern , at Kent State ) , one game in overtime by 7 ( Central Michigan ) , one game by 6 ( Ohio ) , and two games by 3 ( at Bowling Green , at Western Michigan ) . Ron English . Following the firing of Genyk , Ron English , former defensive coordinator at the University of Michigan and the University of Louisville , was named head coach of the Eastern Michigan football program . At the time of his hiring , English was one of five African American head coaches in major college football ; the others were Kansas ' s Turner Gill , Miami ' s Randy Shannon , Houston ' s Kevin Sumlin , New Mexico ' s Mike Locksley ; . Mike Haywood became the sixth when Miami University ( Ohio ) hired him just days later . Although his hiring brough a lot of excitement to the program , he failed to capitalize in his first season , leading the team to an 0 - 12 record , the first winless season for EMU since 1981 . Despite English ' s background as a defensive coach , the team allowed an average of more than 38 points per game , losing 10 games by double - digit margins , 6 of them by more than 20 points . Conference championships . Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association . Michigan State Normal College was admitted to the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association in 1892 . Although the conference did not recognize football as an official sport until 1894 , teams within the conference competed with each other as early as 1891 . MSNC ' s first game against an MIAA opponent was a 30 - 10 victory over Albion College on November 2 , 1892 . In 1896 , MSNC won their MIAA games by a combined score of 70 - 0 , earning them the conference championship . Despite an undefeated season in 1906 , the conference championship was won by Olivet College , whose team played , and won , more conference games . In 1925 , with the return of Rynearson as coach , the team achieved another undefeated season and again took the MIAA championship , before leaving the conference a year later . Michigan Collegiate Conference . Michigan State Normal College dominated the brief history of the Michigan Collegiate Conference ( which consisted of MSNC , Central Michigan University , and Western Michigan University ) , winning the conference championships in each of the four seasons ( 1927 , 1928 , 1929 , and 1930 ) it lasted , including an undefeated season in 1927 . The team was never defeated in Michigan Collegiate Conference play . This marked what remains one of the most successful periods in the history of the team . Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference . In twelve seasons in the Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference , Eastern Michigan won three championships : in 1954 , in 1955 , and in 1957 . All came under the leadership of head coach Fred Trosko . Mid - American Conference . In 1987 , Eastern won its only Mid - American Conference championship , marking the high point of four consecutive winning seasons , and the completion of a turnaround from the school ' s 27 - game losing streak earlier in the decade . Bowl appearances . In 1971 , the school ' s last season as an independent team , they went 7 - 0 - 2 in the regular season , before losing 14 - 3 to Louisiana Tech in the 1971 Pioneer Bowl in Wichita Falls , Texas . In 1987 , following the school ' s only MAC championship , and the first in any conference in 30 years , the team went on to upset 17½ point favorite San Jose State University in the 1987 California Bowl in Fresno , California , for the only bowl game win in school history . Trophy games . Eastern Michigan participates in one trophy series , the Michigan MAC Trophy , against the Central Michigan Chippewas and Western Michigan Broncos . Since the Michigan MAC Trophy was created in 2005 , Eastern Michigan has won it three times , sweeping the series in 2007 , and retaining it in 2008 when all three schools went 1 - 1 in the round robin series . After defeating both Central and Western in 2011 , Eastern reclaimed the trophy , tying them with Central Michigan for the most Michigan MAC championships in the series . Again during the 2012 season , all three teams went 1 - 1 in the round robin series , and EMU again retained the trophy . This makes Eastern Michigan the leader in the series with four Michigan MAC championships . Future non - conference opponents . EMU will also host Michigan State in either 2018 or 2020 .