Tim Skipper leaving CMU to lead Fresno State's linebackers
Assistant head coach Tim Skipper jokes with players during the Chippewas game against Florida International University Sept. 25 at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
After two years at Central Michigan, Tim Skipper’s absence in the linebacker room won't go unnoticed.
From filling in for head coach Jim McElwain to pumping out All-Mid-American Conference talent, Skipper’s time as assistant coach/linebackers coach in Mount Pleasant takes him back to the Golden State.
On Monday, Skipper announced via Twitter that he accepted a position as assistant head coach and linebackers coach with Fresno State’s football program.
Skipper joined the Chippewas in 2020. His presence immediately helped linebacker Troy Brown excel en route to earning back-to-back first-team All-MAC honors.
With McElwain suffering from appendicitis ahead of CMU's 2021 season-opener against Missouri, Skipper stepped in as the team's head coach. The Chippewas lost that game 34-24.
Skipper’s ties to Fresno State go back to his undergraduate days. After arriving in California, in 1997, he became a mainstay in the Bulldogs front seven, spending two years as a team captain. Skipper’s 418 career tackles place him second all-time at Fresno State and earned him recognition on the All-Western Athletic Conference team three times.
Once Skipper received his bachelor’s degree in Communications in 2000, he worked his way into the coaching world. Starting at Western New Mexico as the defensive coordinator/secondary coach, Skipper made a stop at Sacramento State before returning to his alma mater in 2006.
However, he left Fresno State in 2011 and crossed paths with McElwain at Colorado State. When McElwain accepted the head coaching position at Florida, Skipper followed suit and moved to the panhandle.
The pair separated when Skipper made a stop at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 2018 but found his way back to McElwain’s staff at Central Michigan.
