Western Michigan Broncos football The Western Michigan Broncos football program represents Western Michigan University in the Football Bowl Subdivision of Division I and the Mid - American Conference ( MAC ) . Western Michigan has competed in football since 1906 , when they played three games in their inaugural season . In 1927 , WMU joined four other schools ( Central Michigan University , Eastern Michigan University , Ferris State University , and Wayne State University ) to form the Michigan Collegiate Conference . Western Michigan then moved to its present conference in 1946 . Prior to 1939 , Western Michigan ' s athletic teams were known as the Hilltoppers . Western Michigan ' s football team has had 15 head coaches in its history , with current head coach , P . J . Fleck being named to the position December 17 , 2012 . Fleck replaces Bill Cubit , who held the job from 2005 to 2012 . WMU had a huge turnaround in Cubit ' s first season , going from 1 – 10 in 2004 to 7 – 4 in 2005 . The 54 . 5 % increase marked the highest in Division I - A between the two seasons and garnered Cubit the 2005 MAC Coach of the Year Award . Cubit was also the only first - year Division I - A head coach to take his team from a negative point differential in 2004 to a positive one the following year ( – 188 to + 12 ) . WMU was also one of eight football teams that was bowl eligible but did not go to a bowl game . WMU ' s main rival is the Central Michigan University Chippewas . As of 2011 , the Broncos own a 44 – 36 – 2 advantage in the series . In 2002 , Western Michigan won the rivalry game at Central Michigan for the first time since 1973 , snapping a 12 game winless streak ( 0 – 11 – 1 ) . Western Michigan University played in the inaugural International Bowl in 2007 in Toronto , Canada . History . Early dominance ( 1906 – 47 ) . From Western Michigan ' s first season of football in 1906 until they joined the MAC in 1949 , WMU compiled a 187 – 87 – 12 ( . 675 ) record , going undefeated six times , in 1909 , 1913 , 1914 , 1922 , 1932 , and 1941 . During that stretch , Western Michigan had only seven losing seasons , and only once had back - to - back losing records . In 1922 , the team finished 6 – 0 while outscoring their opponents 160 – 0 . The early dominance of the Hilltoppers was led by quarterback Walt Olsen and running back Scott Dunlap . In 1916 , Olsen led the country in scoring with 17 touchdown s and 36 extra point s . Olsen set a school - record with 8 TDs in a single game that season . Dunlap also set a team record with 19 TDs . The only loss in 1916 was to Notre Dame when George Gipp completed a 62 yard drop kick , the longest in football history . In 1939 , WMU began playing at Waldo Stadium . Coinciding with the opening of the new stadium , the Hilltoppers changed their name to avoid confusion with athletic teams at Western Kentucky University and Marquette University . A contest was held to come up with a new name and assistant football coach John Gill suggested " broncos . " In support of the decision , the W Club ' s semi - annual publication , " The Hilltopper " , was renamed , " The Bronco " . Struggling in the MAC ( 1948 – 86 ) . Western Michigan joined the MAC in 1948 . At that time , the MAC consisted of Miami University , Ohio University , University of Cincinnati , Western Reserve University and Butler University . The Broncos won their first conference game 26 – 0 over Western Reserve and finished with a 6 – 3 record , good for second place . However , WMU would finish second or higher only 4 times in the next 39 years , compiling a 102 – 141 – 8 ( . 422 ) conference record in that stretch . In 1961 , Western Michigan finished second in the MAC with a 4 – 1 – 1 record , one - half game behind Bowling Green State University . Despite the second place finish , WMU was invited to the Aviation Bowl in Dayton , OH . In freezing rain and snow , the Broncos lost to University of New Mexico 28 – 12 . 1966 saw a 7 – 3 season and WMU ' s first MAC football championship , which it shared with Miami . That season , tackle Bob Rowe won his second MAC Lineman of the Year Award . Rowe would go on to a 10 year National Football League Several players from the 1980s also played professionally including Duane Wilson USFL , John Offerdahl and Tom Toth for the Miami Dolphins , and Mark Garylchk . Tom Nutten won a super bowl ring with the St . Louis Rams . Jack Harbaugh ' s first team went 7 - 2 - 2 and were second in the MAC . The defense that year was among the best in the nation . The Golden Years : The Molde era ( 1987 – 96 ) . In December 1986 , Al Molde was hired to replace Jack Harbaugh . Molde had spent the previous four seasons as head coach at Eastern Illinois University where he led the Panthers to two playoff appearances ( 1983 and 1986 ) and a top 5 national ranking in 1986 ( his 1986 squad was led by quarterback Sean Payton , current head coach of the NFL ' s New Orleans Saints ) . The hiring paid immediate dividends , as Molde ' s first WMU squad finished the 1987 season 4 – 4 in the MAC ( 5 – 6 overall ) and was much more competitive than recent WMU squads had been . Molde ' s first notable win came in the MAC opener , a 34 – 27 win at Bowling Green State University which was only two seasons removed from an 11 – 1 season . In only his second year , Molde orchestrated the single greatest season in WMU history , leading the Broncos to a postseason bowl game for the first time since 1961 . The 1988 season began with five consecutive dominating wins over the University of Wisconsin – Madison , the University of Toledo , Illinois State University , Bowling Green and Miami University by a cumulative score of 177 – 65 . The win over Wisconsin in Madison was WMU ' s first ever over a Big Ten team . After a midseason home loss to pre - season MAC favorite Kent State University , WMU found itself with little margin for error during the season ' s home stretch as they faced in - state rivals Eastern Michigan University and Central Michigan University in back - to - back contests . In the 31 – 24 win over EMU , the Bronco defense managed a goal line stand , stopping EMU on the 1 yard line on the last play of the game , to preserve the win . The following week against CMU , a then - record crowd of more than 32 , 000 jammed Waldo Stadium to see WMU rout the rival Chippewas 42 – 24 , which stopped an 11 - game winless streak in the heated rivalry dating back to 1976 . That win set up a winner - take - all showdown in Muncie against Ball State University the following week . The winner would claim the outright MAC title and a berth in the California Bowl to face Big West champion Fresno State University . The game was played in soggy conditions and was a defensive struggle . Three field goals by John Creek along with an opportunistic defense carried WMU to the 16 – 13 win , locking up the school ' s first , and only , outright MAC football championship . In the locker room after the game , Molde credited his players , coaches and the Kalamazoo community for playing a part in helping to turn one of the MAC ' s worst programs into a champion in two short seasons . With the MAC title in hand , WMU played two more meaningless regular season games ( losing at Northern Illinois University and winning the home finale against Ohio University ) before heading to California for the bowl game . On December 10 , 1988 , WMU faced Fresno State in the California Bowl ( the game was played at Bulldog Stadium in Fresno , which provided a huge home field advantage for Jim Sweeney ' s team ) . The Broncos entered as significant underdogs , and after falling behind 14 – 0 early , it appeared that WMU was outgunned . However , WMU reeled off 17 straight points to take a 17 – 14 lead at halftime and the game remained close throughout , as Fresno State had to rally for a 35 – 30 win . WMU wrapped up the 1988 season at 9 – 3 , and the 1988 team remains the only outright MAC champion in WMU history . Several members of the 1988 team went on to play professionally at some level , including quarterback Tony Kimbrough , offensive lineman Kevin Haverdink , defensive lineman Joel Smeenge , wide receiver Robert Oliver and running back Robert Davis . Graduation losses hit the 1989 team hard , and the team was one of the youngest in the MAC . WMU set an NCAA record with four losses by a single point ( to Eastern Michigan , Ball State , Toledo and Bowling Green ) , and finished the 1989 season at 3 – 5 in the MAC and 5 – 6 overall . The 1990 team bounced back to post a solid 7 – 4 campaign ( 5 – 3 in the MAC ) , and paved the way for a series of winning seasons in years to come . The 1991 and 1992 teams finished 6 – 5 and 7 – 3 – 1 , respectively , setting the stage for two of the best teams Molde produced during his tenure . The 1993 season started off with a humiliating home loss to I - AA Youngstown State University . It was followed by a tough road loss to Purdue University , which left WMU at 0 – 2 and facing the prospect of a long season . However , the Broncos righted the ship and reeled off wins in seven in their last nine games ( with one tie ) to finish the year at 7 – 3 – 1 ( 6 – 1 – 1 in the MAC ) . Following the 1993 loss to Purdue , WMU embarked on its most successful run during the Molde era . In its next 14 games , a stretch that covered the remainder of the 1993 season and the first half of 1994 , WMU posted a 12 – 1 – 1 mark and firmly established itself as one of the MAC ' s best programs . Due to a quirk in the MAC schedule , WMU and Ball State did not play head - to - head in 1993 , which denied Molde ' s Broncos the chance to earn a second outright MAC title . Instead , Ball State finished 7 – 0 – 1 in the conference , won the title , and received the subsequent automatic berth in the Las Vegas Bowl . Following his team ' s 14 – 14 tie with WMU , then - Bowling Green head coach Gary Blackney ( whose team had played both WMU and Ball State during the season ) , remarked , " Western Michigan is by far the best team we ' ve played in the conference . " With nearly all of the starters returning from the 1993 team , the 1994 Broncos entered the season as MAC favorites . Early on , they did nothing to disappoint as they raced to a 5 – 0 mark with wins over Miami , Western Illinois University , Iowa State University , the University of Akron and Kent State University . In October , WMU traveled to Mt Pleasant to face arch - rival Central Michigan . This game was a turning point for the WMU program , and many believe that this game was the first step in what turned out to be a controversial ending to the Molde era a few years later . WMU jumped out to a 14 – 0 lead , but CMU fought back and eventually held off the Broncos in a 35 – 28 win . The loss crushed WMU ' s momentum , as they had been knocking on the door of the Top 25 national rankings , and highlighted the one glaring weakness on Molde ' s resume . This loss dropped his record vs . CMU to 2 – 6 , and he would end his career 3 – 7 vs . CMU . The following week , WMU ' s hopes of a MAC title ended with a 16 – 13 loss to Ball State . Around this time , team chemistry problems became public , providing a distraction to the team and putting additional stress on the already lukewarm relationship between Molde and WMU ' s administration , most notably then - WMU president Diether Haenicke . WMU finished up the 1994 season a disappointing 7 – 4 ( 5 – 3 in the MAC ) . The 1995 season provided a fresh start after many of the disgruntled players from the 1994 team were kicked off the team or graduated . Following a 1 – 3 start , WMU rebounded to win six of its last seven games , with the lone loss at 16th - ranked Auburn University . The season was highlighted by a 48 – 31 demolition of CMU . Following the 1995 season , Molde was promised a contract extension by the WMU administration . By this point , Molde was working for his 4th different athletic director since coming to WMU . Molde entered the 1996 campaign with an overall record of 60 – 38 – 2 , and was the longest - tenured ( but among the lowest - paid ) coaches in the MAC , but still no contract extension . After a loss to a nationally - ranked University of Wyoming team ( led by current Purdue head coach Joe Tiller ) dropped the young WMU team to 0 – 7 , the WMU administration announced that Molde ' s contract would not be renewed following the season . The announcement ignited a controversy among many Bronco fans who were unhappy with the way Molde was treated by WMU , particularly by Haenicke , who was ultimately responsible for making the decision . The Broncos closed out the season with back - to - back wins over Bowling Green and Kent State ( with the players making a statement against Kent State by winning 76 – 27 ) to finish 2 – 9 ( 2 – 6 in the MAC ) . Molde finished his WMU career with an overall mark of 62 – 47 – 2 , having won WMU ' s only outright MAC title , finishing 3rd or better four times and in the top 4 in the conference in 6 of his 10 seasons . At the time of his departure , he was among the top 10 in career wins ( 168 ) for active NCAA Division I - A coaches . Molde remains WMU ' s all - time leader for wins , tied with Bill Spaulding . Up and down under Darnell ( 1997 – 2004 ) . Initially the Broncos ' fortunes turned around immediately under Gary Darnell , who led WMU to an eight win season in 1997 . The program had a seven - win season in 1998 , including a surprising road victory over Vanderbilt , but also had a disappointing loss to Central Michigan . Building on the initial success of the Molde - era recruits , Darnell took the Broncos to back - to - back 1999 and 2000 MAC West Division Championships , falling both years to host Marshall University in Huntington , West Virginia . Because of the loss in the MAC Championship game , the program failed to become bowl eligible and see further post - season play . However , the disappointment wasn ' t enough to keep Darnell off the scouting list of BCS schools such as North Carolina , Rutgers , Missouri , Oklahoma State and Virginia Tech . Some say the constant overtures from BCS programs to Darnell led to the program ' s progressive decline . The 2001 season saw the momentum of the program slowing , with a five - win season and a loss to Central Michigan . Failing further in 2002 , the program won four games , managing to defeat both Central Michigan in Mount Pleasant and Eastern Michigan University in the same season . Some optimism was felt in Kalamazoo for the 2003 season , with high expectations for the program dashed quickly , after a blowout by Virginia , and losses began mounting after losing to Ball State , Northern Illinois , Marshall and Toledo . The 2004 season was a complete disaster , after a blowout of Division I - AA Tennessee – Martin , the Broncos piled up nine uninspiring losses , only being competitive against Illinois and Eastern Michigan . But it wasn ' t enough , the team lost 10 straight games and didn ' t beat a single Division I - A team . Despite a slight minority of fans and alumni who wanted to give Darnell one more season , the majority , including the administration , wanted change . The program ' s attendance in 2004 was abysmal and the program was deep in red ink , ultimately leading to Darnell ' s termination due to the losing season as well as an aggressive bid for the job by the current Bronco coach , Bill Cubit . Regardless , Coach Darnell will go down as one of the best coaches to come through the Western Michigan programs storied history . NCAA records . The following players hold individual NCAA records : The following are team NCAA records : Former and current NFL players . The following players played in the National Football League and WMU . Media . Live coverage of Western Michigan University athletics are covered mostly by Bronco Insider through the school ' s athletics website , http : / / www . wmubroncos . com , or occasionally on http : / / www . mac - sports . com , the MAC ' s official website . Video is provided online for most WMU home football , basketball ( men ' s and women ' s ) , baseball and hockey games , as well as some away games . Games can be viewed by purchasing them a la carte or by paying a fixed monthly or yearly subscription fee . Bronco Radio Network . The Bronco Radio Network ( BRN ) covers football , hockey and men ' s and women ' s basketball in various southwestern Michigan markets . In addition to video , the BRN audio feed is also available through the Bronco Insider service offered by WMU athletics . Bronco Review . Radio . " Bronco Review " is a weekly radio show that reviews the recent ongoings of the Western Michigan University athletic programs . TV . " Bronco Review " featuring the voice of the Broncos , Robin Hook , and head football coach Bill Cubit , includes highlights and post - game comments after every WMU football game . The 30 - minute show airs weekly on WLLA TV - 64 on Thursdays at 7 : 30 p . m . and repeat each Saturday at 10 : 30 a . m . Bronco Update . Bronco Update is a daily update on issues that are immediately impacting the Western Michigan University athletic programs . ESPN also offers coverage of some MAC football and basketball games , as well as Comcast Local which is a regional network available to Comcast cable subscribers in Michigan , Indiana and Ohio which is where most MAC schools are located . Print media coverage is offered by the " Kalamazoo Gazette " and " The Grand Rapids Press " , as well as the school ' s daily newspaper , the " Western Herald " and http : / / mlive . com . Future non - conference opponents . The following table lists WMU ' s future scheduled non - conference opponents :