Central Michigan University’s homecoming is extra special this year. The annual event has been bringing alumni back to campus since 1924. This year, the university celebrates 100 years of the homecoming fall gathering.
CMU’s homecoming began thanks to Bourke "Dutch" Lodwyk, a student inspired by Albion College's event, who lobbied to create CMU’s own fall celebration. The first homecoming on November 22, 1924, included a pep rally, bonfire, a parade of cars, and a victorious football game against Alma College.
This foundation launched a century-long tradition where alumni return to connect with friends, reminisce about their student days, and revel in CMU spirit.
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Photo courtesy Central Michigan University’s Clarke Historical Library2002’s CMU Homecoming Gold Ambassadors participating in the parade through campus and downtown Mt. Pleasant.
Several traditions continue as hallmarks of homecoming festivities.
The annual parade kicks off game day, traveling through campus and downtown Mt. Pleasant. The Marching Chippewas band leads the parade through the streets followed by floats, student and alumni groups, the cheerleading team and the Maroon and Gold Ambassadors (formally the homecoming king and queen).
“The root of homecoming is still the same as when it started,” said Marcie Otteman, deputy chief of Alumni Relations and Consumer Engagement at CMU. “It’s still about people wanting to reconnect with people and return to a place that impacted them and shaped their lives.”
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Photo courtesy Central Michigan University’s Clarke Historical LibraryThe CMU Homecoming court in 1974.
Homecoming draws decades of alumni back to campus. Otteman, who’s participated in 26 homecomings in her position at the Carlin Alumni House, has found that regardless of their graduation year, alums share many things in common.
“Whether students graduated back in the 70s or further, or in the 2020s, they’ve all had similar experiences while on campus,” said Otteman. “Rekindling the bonds created in classrooms and off campus through extracurricular activities, that’s what brings people back.”
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Photo courtesy Central Michigan University’s Clarke Historical LibraryThe 1954 Homecoming court.
New events have been added to the homecoming lineup over the years, while others have fallen from the schedule. Homecoming week now features a series of activities such as the Maroon Cup, Rock Rally, and the popular Cardboard Boat Race across Rose Pond—offering current students the chance to compete in events to show CMU pride.
One honored tradition has held strong: The CMU Fight Song, composed by student Howard “Howdy” Loomis, first played at homecoming in 1934. The Marching Chips have fired up crowds with the school song ever since.
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Photo courtesy Central Michigan University’s Clarke Historical LibraryThe CMU Homecoming Queen and King in 1995.
Homecoming’s heyday came in 1946 following the end of World War II after a hiatus from 1943 to 1945 due to the war. The first Homecoming Queen was crowned at the initial post-wartime event.
The tumultuous 1960s prompted changes in priorities and a need to rethink homecoming’s purpose to reinvigorate excitement for the event. The focus shifted from current students to alumni with less emphasis on rallying school spirit and more about bringing alumni back to campus. The first pregame tailgate parties were hosted near the football stadium in the late 1970s.
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Photo courtesy Central Michigan University’s Clarke Historical Library1985’s CMU Homecoming Queen and King.
The first Homecoming King was elected in 1982. The concept of “campus royalty” was revised in 1997. The king and queen were replaced with Gold Ambassadors, switching the focus to recognize students for their service to the university and community.
Academic departments and student groups host a variety of opportunities for alumni to participate in on and off campus during homecoming. Graduates are invited to campus to share expertise with students as guest speakers in classes. Student organizations and fraternities and sororities host gatherings for past members to reunite.
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Photo courtesy Central Michigan University’s Clarke Historical LibraryCMU Homecoming 2008 court.
The Marching Chippewas, the largest and most visible student group on campus with 260 members, have served as musical ambassadors for the university and played a leading role in homecoming since the beginning. The band continues to head up the parade and leads the football team out of the tunnel onto the field to start the game.
The band takes its mission as the guardian of school spirit seriously. Dubbed the “spirit of the stadium” by the local newspaper, the name and duty has stuck overtime, says Jim Batcheller, CMU Marching Chippewas director.
Marching Chips alums return to homecoming in droves. Chances for former members to rejoin the band during the parade and halftime performances entice alums to come back. Celebrating its own 100th anniversary in 2022, the Chips welcomed more than 500 alumni to homecoming that year.
The Chips have an end-of-the-game tradition after home games. Marching from the stadium and encircling a beloved tree adjacent to Rose Pond, the band plays the fight song following a team win. This tradition started spontaneously in 1966 after an unexpected big win when the director marched the band out of the stadium to continue the celebration. The tree location has moved over the years, but the tradition lives on.
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Photo courtesy Central Michigan University’s Clarke Historical Library2018’s Homecoming court poses with President Davies.
Homecoming brings more than 20,000 people to the football stadium and thousands to Mt. Pleasant. It’s the largest alumni event every year. Through partnerships with organizations on campus and in the community, it’s become a well-oiled machine with planning beginning in March.
For Otteman, seeing the generations of alums returning and reconnecting is her favorite part of homecoming.
“It’s not uncommon to see third, fourth and even fifth generations of grads returning,” says Otteman. “Every year it’s a surprise to see who comes back that wasn’t expected. I’m always amazed to see who shows up and to see how much CMU meant to them.”
For more details on this year’s homecoming events taking place October 10 through 13, visit
Central Michigan University's Homecoming page.