Central Michigan Chippewas College Football Pregame Quote, 12/06/2019

COACH McELWAIN: Well, to start with, guys, we obviously had sad news to our Chippewa family with the passing of our play by play announcer. A guy that has meant so much to so many. Our thoughts, prayers, everything goes out from us to his family and loved ones. He’s a one guy here a year ago or whenever those media days were this summer that found out actually was the one vote that we got for being first. It’s something that means so much.

We’re very fortunate and very excited to be here. Can’t tell you how proud I am of these players, our organization, our staff, our administration, and for all the Chippewas out there that have supported us and got us to this point, we’re excited about it, we’re looking forward to the opportunity and it’s been a heck of a run and we’re looking forward to playing tomorrow.

For Oge, you took this year to come back and play football and you hadn’t got an opportunity to play at all at Iowa State. How has this year helped you improve not only as a player but as a person?

OGE UDEOGU: It’s been awesome. It’s been awesome to get out there and be with a group of guys who just love to go out every week and fight. It’s been a great learning experience for me and just overall, I’m really happy and really satisfied with it.

And having your Nigerian roots, do you take that with you when you play or just in general? Like what does that mean to you?

OGE UDEOGU: It means a lot. My parents still live in Nigeria, so before every game, call them, they’re seven hours away, say a prayer with them, good luck, all that. It means a lot.

Jim, was there a point in training camp or when you got here that for a one win team that you are maybe surprised at the amount of talent that was available for you here?

COACH McELWAIN: Well, you know, I don’t know, surprised or exactly I tell you what I saw. I saw a bunch of guys that were out to prove something, a bunch of guys that banded together and said, you know what, let’s not let this happen again. You know, I’m really proud to see what they have invested in themselves, but more importantly, how they’ve learned to give of themselves for the benefit of someone else. That’s a great lesson, and to see them grow like that, it’s been pretty exciting.

Coach, obviously, a lot of teams, when they go through rebuilding processes, it takes a slow grind full of ups and downs. Why was this rebuilding process so rapid and so quick, in your opinion?

COACH McELWAIN: Well, it’s the players, the leadership on this football team. And I think more than anything, a group of guys that committed to something so much bigger than just their own self want. They actually did a really good job of affecting each other in a positive way. It’s just really good to see. And to see the guys really, more than anything, just have an almost like a second opportunity, you know, that look, whatever happened in the past, happened. It is what it is. Now, let’s go out and do something about it if you really want to change it. Then we had a group of guys who really wanted to change it.

My other question for you is in regards to the West Michigan wide receiver duo you have in Pimpleton and Sullivan. How important are they to your offense and what do they do specifically that causes such a disruption in defenses?

COACH McELWAIN: Well, both those guys, No. 1, they’re great teammates. They’re great teammates to everybody here. We have another guy that was part of that group right here in Andrew that was a Big Red from Muskegon. They’ve done a really, really good job of really wanting to understand what we’re trying to do and have to do it, but more importantly, what those guys do every single day not only to push themselves, but really to push this whole team has been really good to see.

Just wondering if you had an a ha moment when these guys really clicked into the season when you knew in those first couple games that this team was going to be able to fight all the way through to get to where you are?

COACH McELWAIN: I’m actually still looking for that moment. You know, you get into something like this and it’s not one of those things you continue to look forward and continue to work, you continue to build on your mistakes, you continue to build on your victories as well.

You know, there will be some day, who knows when, my wife Karen and I will be sitting somewhere at a lake in Montana and we’ll look back and say, you know, what an unbelievable group of guys and what a great run that they’ve had.

For Andrew, knowing you haven’t been able to impact on the field, but just being with your team and watching this group grow, how unique has it been for you to be sort of a player coach, being with the guys and helping coach them up and different things like that from your perspective?

ANDREW WARD: It’s been amazing, man, just seeing them grow, just seeing us grow as a team because I still consider myself part of the team even after the injuries at Bowling Green. Yeah, just seeing them grow on and off the field, just seeing everybody mature a lot more and it’s just been amazing being a part of it.

For Andrew, kind of take me back to that injury and kind of what happened there, and then what was your head space like after and what was that whole situation like for you?

ANDREW WARD: Well, after the injury, it was a rough time. It was a hard pill to swallow, just knowing that the injury was as serious as it was. I was able to walk off the field. It took a couple weeks to get back around the team and just get back around them. A lot of messages were sent to me by Coach Mac and the rest of the staff, and a lot of my teammates. But it took me a couple weeks to get back around. Once I was back around, I realized that it helped me actually, through my process, just swallowing that pill of knowing that my football run was kind of over. The team and the staff helped me a lot.

Looking at Pimpleton and Sullivan, I know you guys go way, way back. I guess what did they say to you when they found out how serious it was and what was their message and how much did they mean to you?

ANDREW WARD: Way back is a good analogy for them. I knew them, they was my first friends actually. I’m from Grand Rapids, Michigan, and when I moved to Muskegon in first grade, they was my first friends. So ever since then, we’ve been rocking. They play a huge role in it also. We stay together. We’re roommates. So just having them by my side and having them still playing, I live through them now. That’s kind of what I told them. That’s the message I gave them. I kind of tell them that I live through y’all now as far as the football part goes. Just having them, that’s a huge like up for me, I feel like.

And Andrew, as someone who was around the program before, I know there’s many things, but if there had to be one bigger thing that maybe has changed from last year to this year. And from Oge Jonathan Ward, obviously, having a great season, you were able to block for him earlier this season. Do you feel like he’s been a little bit extra motivated in his last year for CMU, too?

ANDREW WARD: If I had to pick one thing, I feel like it would be everybody’s maturity. I feel like everybody’s just buying in and also buying in a lot more than last year. So I feel like that’s the major change from this year.

OGE UDEOGU: Just blocking for him, you were saying?

Yeah. What do you notice about him?

OGE UDEOGU: It’s been awesome blocking for him. He’s a really explosive player, you know, and if you do your assignment something can happen with him. You never know, and he can break out like that. It’s been awesome to block for him.

Coach, what experiences with Chuck Martin, if any have you had?

COACH McELWAIN: You know, I’m aware of him, obviously, of his past and his success. Obviously, the success he had at Grand Valley and then obviously at Notre Dame. I had a chance to meet him at a couple of our whatever, league meetings and this and that. Nothing but great respect. Know of his work and obviously his team is a true reflection of you can see how disciplined and fundamentally sound they are and obviously play that way. You know, heck of a coach, heck of a staff. They’ve done an unbelievable job.

Two guys you brought with you today, not going to play tomorrow, but talk about what they mean to the program. And the fact that they’re here with you all the way and everything else and the inspiration that you get from this and the whole team.

COACH McELWAIN: Yeah. You know, when we were asked about bringing two guys in, it really kind of meant something to me as far as bringing these two guys because they truly embody what we’re all about and really what the team is all about. Obviously, what Andrew has been through, can’t ever put it into words, but how important he’s been to this football team throughout the year. And then Oge, on senior day, a guy who chose to give us his last year and believe in us and came in and played his tail off for us. It just means a lot for me to have these two guys up here.

What exactly happened on that injury? What was it like going to the ground? When did you find out it was broke? And where are you at right now? How have your teammates kind of rallied around you?

OGE UDEOGU: Well, I mean, routine play and suffered a break. I knew it was broken the second it happened.

You know, going down, I wanted to make sure I walked off the field and give a message to my teammates, let them know I’m with them and going to be with them, taking this all the way. They’ve been awesome. Right after surgery, came to visit me, lots of texts, lots of love from them and I really, really love those guys in that locker room. Great guys.

Andrew, with JaCorey and Kalil wearing your jerseys in back to back weeks, like what did that mean to you. And also, what’s after football for you, what’s up next after you end up graduating and all that stuff, what are your goals and dreams there?

ANDREW WARD: Right. With them wearing the jerseys, the first time I didn’t even know about it, JaCorey, I think it was the Buffalo game, I believe, he pulled it out. I honestly thought he looked like nice. I was like, “You almost look better than me in it.” That’s what I told him. Yeah, it surprised me a lot. Just seeing him wear my jersey and also Kalil at that next week. That meant a lot to me. They’re kind of keeping my name alive now that I can’t do it on the field.

As far as after this process, after school, I’m a criminal justice major, so I want to possibly return back to Muskegon. I want to be a juvenile probation officer. Actually, I want to get my foot in the door like right after college with coaching at least and possibly being a GA or player development or something in that direction.

Jim, what would it mean for you to win tomorrow?

COACH McELWAIN: It would be you know, just you go in and you do this and the hours you put in and the things that you put into it, and yet for me it would be just seeing the excitement and just seeing the joy on a player’s face and the satisfaction and the coaching staff for a job well done. That’s really how I get my joy, is really seeing the success of the players and seeing the growth of the staff. That’s what makes this a lot of fun.

Oge, what was your favorite part of American Thanksgiving?

OGE UDEOGU: Food. Yeah, definitely food.

Andrew, I know that obviously you were with the program before Coach Bono. What do you think that he kind of instilled to be he’s not here, obviously, but the success that you guys are having this year, what do you think that he contributed to that?

ANDREW WARD: I feel like he controlled us coming together. He recruited most of us to come back to well, for me to come back to Michigan. Yeah, he got most of us there. Like I feel like he played that role in bringing us together and helping us meet each other. I feel like he played that role.

Jim, as a head coach, is it kind of like a box that you want to check off in your career, to win a conference championship? Is that what coaches do, some of their goals they want to hit, is that one for you and like personally what would it mean for you?

COACH McELWAIN: Yeah, that’s never been a self driven goal. The reason you get into this look, I think about how fortunate I was growing up to be around just such great coaches that had such a great impact on who I am and what I’m all about. For me, it’s to see the joy and the excitement and the growth of the players. Winning a championship, that’s what we all strive to do in whatever it is, whatever sport we’re playing, whatever thing we’re doing, you try to go win.

It would mean a ton to me simply for the university, for the administration, for taking a chance on us and our staff, and more so just to see these guys succeed in something that they started out to do.