Two coaches leave football team
Mike DeBord made an official announcement Thursday, but it had nothing to do with the unsettled quarterback controversy.
While the head coach was still mum on who his No. 1 signal caller will be, he did announce some coaching changes for the 2003 season Thursday.
Longtime CMU assistants John Milligan and Jim Schulte have left the program and Bob Bartolomeo has been promoted to defensive coordinator. DeBord also hired Jeff Beckles to become the coach of the wide receivers.
Schulte has left the team to become the head coach at Grand Rapids Community College. He had been a CMU coach for 28 years and was the assistant head coach last season.
“(Schulte) has been a fixture here for a long time, and I really never thought he’d be leaving,” DeBord said. “But he wants the opportunity to go lead his team, and I can relate to that.”
DeBord is entering the fourth year of his first head coaching job at CMU after being the defensive coordinator at Michigan.
Milligan has left the team for personal reasons after three seasons as defensive coordinator.
Bartolomeo became secondary coach Feb. 5 after spending 11 years as an assistant at Ball State. His MAC experience led DeBord to not look for a coodinator outside of the program.
“We knew right away that Coach Bart could step in and handle the job because of his experience and character. I’ve known Bart for a long time and even coached against him, so I know he is up for the job,” DeBord said.
Beckles comes to the program from Georgia, where he was a graduate assistant. He earned two letters at Florida State before coaching at South Florida and Nicholls State.
Sophomore Kent Smith, senior Derrick Vickers, and juniors Jeff Perry and Grant Arnoldink all are vying for the quarterback job. Perry threw for two touchdowns in the White team’s 14-7 victory over the Maroon team in Friday’s spring game.
Former wide receivers coach Joe Danna has moved across the line of scrimmage and will coach the safeties.
DeBord plans to replace Schulte with a new defensive line coach in May.
“Change is a big part of college football. Every Division I program in the state had coaching turnovers last year, and we are looking for a smooth transition with this staff this season,” DeBord said.
The team begins its 2003 season Aug. 30 at Michigan.
