Jim McElwain retires: Central Michigan coach’s 40-year career included stops at Florida, Colorado State

Central Michigan coach Jim McElwain is retiring, the school announced Wednesday. The 62-year-old is ending a 40-year career that included coaching stops at Colorado State and Florida before his run at Central Michigan. McElwain will lead the Chippewas, 4-7, for their final game on Nov. 30 at Northern Illinois.

The decision to retire was McElwain’s own, sources told CBS Sports. In his sixth season at Central Michigan, McElwain is 33-35. He led the Chips to two bowl games. 

“My wife Karen and I have cherished every moment of our football journey,” McElwain said in a statement. “We want to express our deepest gratitude to the all the players who have welcomed us into their lives, and the incredible coaches and support staff at every stop along the way—it has been a true privilege to work alongside all of them. The lifelong friendships that were created mean the world to us.”

McElwain recently became the subject of an NCAA investigation regarding Connor Stalions’ perceived presence on the sidelines at last year’s CMU opener against Michigan State. 

McElwain rose to national prominence in 2007 as Fresno State’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Those Bulldogs averaged 33 points per game and won nine games. He left for Alabama the next season in the same capacity under Nick Saban. 

In four seasons with the Crimson Tide, McElwain was part of two national championships. During that time, McElwain called plays for the likes of Heisman winner Mark Ingram, along with Julio Jones, Greg McElroy and A.J. McCarron.

That success led to McElwain’s first head coaching job at Colorado State, where he went 22-16 in three seasons. Riding his Alabama success, McElwain returned to the SEC at Florida, where he won a pair of SEC East titles from 2015-17. 

He got sideways with Florida administration in 2017, saying publicly there had been death threats made against him and his players; the threats could not be substantiated. McElwain and Florida eventually parted ways after a 42-7 loss to Georgia that year. His 34-game stay at Florida was the shortest for a non-interim coach in 80 years.  

McElwain ends his coaching career with a 77-63 overall record heading into the Northern Illinois. He signed a five-year contract in 2022.