When Dave Keilitz thinks about his 40 years of homecoming game memories, the ones that stick out the most to him are victories in 1977 and 1984 against Bowling Green.

It may be an omen that Keilitz is the 2002 Grand Marshall, as the Chippewas host the 4-0 Bowling Green Falcons at 1 p.m. Saturday.

The ’77 game was broadcast on ABC television, and was for the Mid-American Conference Championship — it also was CMU’s homecoming.

“The game was for all the marbles. It was outstanding, the teams and the buildup for the game itself was tremendous. We won that game on a long pass, 35-28. It was a great game and a very significant homecoming,” said Keilitz, who has head baseball coach at the time.

Overall, the Chippewas are 3-0 against the Falcons, winning in ’77, ’84 and ’88.

Athletics Director Herb Deromedi doesn’t have a favorite homecoming memory in his days of coaching and as an administrator, but remembers the Bowling Green game was critical.

“We had more control of our schedule back then, and we would designate a team as an important game and schedule homecoming on that game. In an effort to allow past players and alumni to be back,” he said. “But everything about that game was great.”

Two games he does remember are in 1980, when it snowed as the Chippewas played Northwestern Louisiana State, and in 1974 against Western Illinois, when the game was played with snow flakes falling.

Keilitz is familiar with the ’84 game, a 42-21 defeat of the Falcons, because it was his first year as athletics director.

“Those games against Bowling Green really stick out as critical in my mind,” Keilitz said. “The Tulsa game in 1987 sticks out because we had been beaten pretty soundly the year before by them, and we played a near perfect game against an outstanding program.”

CMU’s first homecoming was in 1924, when the Chippewas defeated Alma 13-0. The Chippewas then compiled a 9-10 record until 1942. There was no team from 1943 to 1945.

Starting in 1950, the Chippewas won eight straight games before a 40-7 loss to Louisville.

In 1969, the Chippewas started a 14-game homecoming win streak that ran until 1983, when Miami defeated the Chippewas 12-7.

The winning streak started with Roy Kramer coaching at Alumni Field, and ended with Deromedi coaching at Perry Shorts Stadium.

Kelly/Shorts Stadium, as it’s now known, opened Nov. 4, 1972, with a 28-21 homecoming win over Illinois State in the first collegiate game played on Astroturf in Michigan.

Deromedi said because of the way scheduling works today, it would be difficult for the Chippewas to win 14 in a row again.

“We have no idea our schedule of who we are playing. The MAC office will tell us that we have the second, third week of homecoming. We have no idea of what opponent we are going to play. Also, with the unbelievable balance in the MAC, there are no guarantees,” he said.

While the Chippewas still have a winning record on homecoming, 48-26-1, a loss Saturday to Bowling Green would mark the most consecutive homecoming losses with four.

“Some alumni are only going to go to one game, they want to come and see a good show and go home with a good feeling. Homecoming is a chance to get people together, reunite friends, roommates and all the other people you don’t see very often, and, of course, the football game is the highlight of it. How the team does certainly is a factor,” Keilitz said.

Homecoming results since Kelly/Shorts Stadium opening in 1972

1972	CMU 28, Illinois State 21
1973	CMU 6, Illinois State 3
1974	CMU 58, Western Illinois 7
1975	CMU 20, Eastern Michigan 7
1976	CMU 20, Eastern 7
1977	CMU 35, Bowling Green 28
1978	CMU 34, Northern Illinois 7
1979	CMU 31, Northern Illinois 11
1980	CMU 17, Northwestern State (La.) 0
1981	CMU 24, Kent State 3
1982	CMU 42, Ohio 18
1983	Miami 12, CMU 7
1984	CMU 42, Bowling Green 21
1985	CMU 17, Eastern Michigan 0
1986	Toledo 26, CMU 14
1987	CMU 41, Tulsa 18
1988	CMU 21, Bowling Green 3
1989	Youngstown State 30, CMU 3
1990	CMU 13, Toledo 12
1991	CMU 10, Ball State 3
1992	CMU 35, Kent State 0
1993	Eastern Michigan 28, CMU 21
1994	CMU 32, Miami 30
1995	Miami 17, CMU 13
1996	CMU 42, Akron 0
1997	Toledo 41, CMU 10
1998	CMU 46, Kent State 7
1999	Northern Illinois 31, CMU 27
2000	Kent State 24, CMU 21
2001	Ohio 34, CMU 3