Football | October 26, 2017

KALAMAZOO, Mich.- Rivalries are at the heart of college football and the rivalry between Western Michigan and Central Michigan marks one of the best in the nation. The Broncos and Chippewas will line up against one another once again in the 88th all-time meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 1 in Kalamazoo. The game will be aired nationally on ESPN2 with an 8 p.m. kickoff.

PROXIMITY OF THE SCHOOLS
Western Michigan and Central Michigan are separated by approximately 2.5 hours, roughly 134 miles, with WMU being located in the southwest region of the state in Kalamazoo, Mich., and CMU being located in Mount Pleasant in the middle of Michigan's lower peninsula, north east of Kalamazoo.

THE TROPHIES AT STAKE
The two compete in the Mid-American Conference, battling each other in the West Division. In addition to conference standings and possible division titles and conference championships on the line, the two fight each year for the "Battle of the Cannon Trophy" and the "Michigan MAC Trophy."

ALL-TIME SERIES
The storied football history between Western Michigan and Central Michigan dates back to the early 1900's. These archrivals first met in 1907, with Western Michigan posting a 27-0 victory. Entering Wednesday's game, the Broncos own a 48-37-2 record against their opponents from the north. WMU is 5-1 against CMU over the last six seasons with the one loss in that span coming in 2013 (27-22 in Kalamazoo).

The two in-state rivals have faced one another for 44 consecutive years, dating back to 1973. Since 1973, the outcome of the game has been decided by 10 points or fewer 23 times, and on 12 occasions by 5 points or less, in addition to one tie (18-18, 1982). The only overtime contest came in 2004, with CMU winning 24-21. Western Michigan won last year's meeting in Mount Pleasant 49-10 in front of a crowd of 30,411; the largest ever to take in a MAC game at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.

COACHES' HISTORY
The Broncos' Tim Lester will face Central Michigan for the first time as a head coach at Western Michigan. As a quarterback at WMU from 1996-99, Lester went 2-2 against the Chippewas under center, winning 38-24 as a sophomore in 1997 and 38-16 in 1999. Both wins were at home. During his time as an assistant coach at Western Michigan during the 2005 and 2006 seasons the Broncos and Chippewas also split the two meetings. WMU won 31-24 at home in 2005.

John Bonamego is in his third year leading Central Michigan's program and is 0-2 as head coach against WMU. Bonamego played at Central Michigan in the mid-80's, as a quarterback and wide receiver, joining the team as a walk-on and going on to earn varsity letters in 1985 & 1986. CMU defeated WMU both of those seasons.

BATTLE FOR THE CANNON
Wednesday the Broncos and the Chippewas will battle it out for the Cannon Trophy, which was established in 2008 between the student governments at Western Michigan and Central Michigan. Both teams fire off cannons after scores at their respective home games, so it seemed natural that a cannon should represent the rivalry. This is the 10th season for the trophy. WMU has etched its name five times on the trophy, while CMU has four. Central Michigan claimed the trophy each of the first three seasons of its existence. The Broncos have claimed victory in five of the last six years.

The Broncos have been in possession of the Cannon Trophy since 2014 winning three-straight in the series; the trophy resides in a glass case in the lobby of the Bill Brown Football Center, with a clock counting down to the next meeting between the two rivals.

Battle for the Cannon Trophy Recipient
2008 - CMU (38-28)
2009 - CMU (34-23)
2010 - CMU (26-22)
2011 - WMU (44-14)
2012 - WMU (42-31)
2013 - CMU (27-22)
2014 - WMU (32-20)
2015 - WMU (41-39)
2016 - WMU (49-10)

MICHIGAN MAC TROPHY
Each year, the three Michigan Mid-American Conference universities - Western Michigan, Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan compete for the Michigan MAC Trophy. The trophy is presented to the team with the best record against the other two teams. In the event of a tie the Michigan MAC Trophy remains with the previous holder until one of the other rivals claims the title.

Each of the three schools have claimed the trophy four times. WMU won it in its inaugural year in 2005. The Broncos regained the trophy in 2014 and since have retained it going 2-0 against CMU and EMU each of the last three seasons. A win over Central Michigan on Wednesday would also clinch the Michigan MAC trophy again for Western Michigan who is coming off a 20-17 overtime win at Eastern Michigan on Oct. 21.

WMU: 2005, 2014, 2015, 2016
EMU: 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012
CMU: 2006, 2009, 2010, 2013

The Michigan MAC Trophy was created in 2005 by the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame. A similar trophy is also awarded in the sport of men's basketball.