MOUNT PLEASANT -- When Central Michigan takes the field to battle Western Kentucky in the 2012 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl, the Chippewas will be sporting a new look. In the spirit of the holiday season, CMU will wear newly designed jerseys and upper body base layers donated by adidas.
"Adidas will be unveiling new tech fit uniforms for the bowl season on some of your favorite collegiate teams, and Central Michigan was chosen to be one of them,” said adidas collegiate representative Mark DeFeyter. “We are very proud of our relationship with CMU. Dave Heeke and his administration work tirelessly to stay on the cutting edge of safety, performance, and general apparel needs for their athletes. We fully support their championship culture.”
Other teams, including Texas A&M, Michigan, Mississippi State, and Northern Illinois, will also don new jerseys in their bowl games, but CMU will debut its first when the Chippewas face the Hilltoppers on December 26.
The primarily maroon jersey introduces two new design features. “Central” appears on the front in large gold print above the numbers while “Chippewas” is displayed in gold lettering on the back, where a player’s nameplate is normally positioned. On the shoulders, razor sharp gold detailing leads down and flows into the maroon base layer compression top.
The Little Caesars Pizza Bowl patch appears on the upper right front of the jersey while the Mid-American Conference logo is emblazoned on the left.
The short-sleeve base layer features the CMU “C” on the outer right arm and “Chips” on the inner left arm.
Central Michigan’s usual custom gloves, pants and socks complete the look for the bowl game.
“I love the look of the new jerseys,” said junior running back Zurlon Tipton. “They just add to what will already be an exciting day for CMU football. I cannot wait to take Ford Field wearing them in front of a national television audience.”
Central Michigan (6-6) will appear in its fifth bowl game in the last seven years when it meets Western Kentucky (7-5) in the 2012 Little Caesars Bowl. The game, which is the lone bowl contest on December 26, will kick off at 7:30 and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN. The Chippewas will be playing in the Detroit bowl game for the fourth time after appearing in the Motor City Bowl in three consecutive years, from 2006-08.
