Central Michigan coach Jim McElwain is retiring, sources told CBS Sports. 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. The Chippewas, 4-7, end the season Nov. 30 at Northern Illinois.
The decision to retire was McElwain's own, sources said. In his sixth season at Central Michigan, McElwain is 33-35. He led the Chips to two bowl games.
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.
