MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. — After moving from the University of Florida to the University of Michigan, Jim McElwain won’t be moving nearly as far for his next coaching job.
McElwain, who was born in Missoula and became an all-state quarterback for Missoula Sentinel High School, will take over the program at Central Michigan after serving as the the Wolverines’ wide receivers coach this past season. He was introduced on Monday as Central Michigan’s football coach during a press conference in the John G. Kulhavi Events Center on the CMU campus.
McElwain brings 34 years of coaching experience to Central Michigan. Prior to joining the Michigan staff for the 2018 season, McElwain was the head coach at Florida. He finished with a 22-12 record in his tenure with the Gators, including two Southeastern Conference Eastern Division titles in 2015-16.
McElwain played collegiately at Eastern Washington from 1980-83 before getting into coaching. He coached with the Eagles until 1994 when he took over as Montana State’s offensive coordinator from 1995-99. MSU’s offense was ranked the No. 1 scoring offense in the Big Sky Conference in 1998, averaging 31.6 points per game.
