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The state of Michigan has provided much for Central Michigans new head football coach. Dan Enos grew up in Dearborn, Mich., played quarterback at Michigan State and spent 11 years coaching in Michigan before recently accepting the CMU football reigns.
'We will turn over every rock to find the best talent this state has to offer us'
- new CMU coach Dan Enos
In his opening press conference, Enos outlined the emphasis he will place on his home state, something he deems crucial to the continued success of the football program.
We will recruit in the state with a passion and energy that has not been seen in a number of years, Enos said. Our team will have strong Midwest recruiting ties, and we will turn over every rock to find the best talent this state has to offer us.
Every stop Enos has made, particularly in his home state, has been marked by success. He was a member of the last Michigan State University team to appear in the Rose Bowl in 1988 and continued the winning culture through the end of his playing career. He posted a 16-7-1 record as the Spartans starting quarterback, leading MSU to two bowl victories and a share of the 1990 Big Ten title.
After his playing career ended, Enos served as a graduate assistant coach at MSU before a pair of stops outside the state. He held positions at Lakeland College and Southern Illinois (with a stop at Northern Michigan in between), before returning to Division I-A football with Western Michigan,
Enos mentored the Broncos quarterbacks for three years. His guidance had an immediate impact as WMU captured a MAC West Division title in his first year. Enos knowledge of the position helped the Broncos remain among the MAC and national leaders in most passing categories (30th in passing yards in 2001).
Enos took another step up the coaching ladder when he spent a year working as an offensive coordinator at North Dakota State and followed that with two seasons as quarterbacks coach under Mark Dantonio at Cincinnati.
Dantonio move brings Enos back
When Dantonio took the Michigan State job, Enos did not hesitate to follow him back to East Lansing. His career had come full circle, as he once again became a fixture at his alma mater.
Enos displayed some versatility in his latest stop at MSU. He started out as quarterbacks coach and mentored Drew Stanton, a second-round pick in the NFL draft, in his senior year.
The past few years were spent focusing on the running backs, and Enos helped put the Spartans rushing attack among the best in the nation. He helped MSU finish 25th in the country in rushing in his first year and then developed Javon Ringer into an All-American in his second.
With No. 23 Central Michigan looking for a head coach, Enos welcomed the chance lead the Chippewas.
When this opportunity became available, I stuck my toes in the water to see what kind of feedback I would get, Enos said. When I was going through the interview process, I realized how much I wanted to be involved with this program and the people at Central Michigan.
Academics, tradition, people
I began thinking about what attracted me to the job. The first was the strong academic reputation that Central Michigan has throughout the country. Second was the proud tradition the football team has; it was the class of the Mid-American Conference when I was growing up in Dearborn, just like it is now. The third was the people here. There is no question to me why CMU has been so successful; it is the great people the university has in place.
CMUs new coach inherits a high standard that has been established by the football programs recent success. The Chippewas have posted five straight winning seasons, appeared in four consecutive bowl games and won three Mid-American Conference Championships since the 2005 season, a stretch culminated by the schools first top 25 ranking as a Division I program (no. 23 in the final Associated Press poll of the 2009 season).
Like any coach, Enos goal is perfection.
We expect to continue winning championships consistently, Enos said. My vision for these young men is and will always be to hear our name mentioned in the same breath as the Boise States, TCUs and Utahs of the world and have the analysts saying, What about Central Michigan? Our goal is to be 12-0 going in to the MAC Championship Game.
Courtesy Central Michigan Athletics
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