Chris Creighton has coached every Eastern Michigan home game on gray turf.

Tomorrow, EMU will begin replacing that one with a new one. Same gray that you know and love, but this time there finally won’t be a track around the perimeter. Today makes this a good time to reflect back on the teams that have been rostered since Creighton’s start in 2014, and we’ll do just that by looking at some of the best to ever step on the gray turf.

Before Creighton, EMU was led by Ron English. While he was able to at least get EMU to a 6-6 record in 2011 and show that a bowl-eligible season was attainable, he fell short in maintaining that level of success year in and year out. Many other coaches also fell short of doing so leading this team.

Creighton began his EMU career as a first-time FBS-level coach who had previously won at FCS and NAIA levels, got his first shot with EMU in 2014 and failed to make it out of the bottom of the MAC West division in his first two seasons.

Since then, Creighton’s helped take EMU to six bowl games over the last eight seasons, and got the long-awaited bowl win in 2022 over San Jose State. EMU’s finished with a winning record four times over the last 10 years after the program had only one in the previous 20.

Creighton currently holds a 52-68 record (31-47) as EMU’s coach, and is 191-114 all-time with his stops at Ottawa, Wabash, and Drake.

It’s been 10 years, EMU’s getting a new and improved gray turf with Maxx Crosby’s name on it. I suppose now’s a good time as any to put together the All-Chris Creighton Era Team (so far) to celebrate.

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Glass only had one season as the full-time starter, but in 2019 he led EMU to an exciting Quick Lane Bowl against Pitt while breaking the school’s single-season record for total yards of offense (3,597) and touchdowns thrown (24). Roback, a Ron English recruit who ended up having a lot of success under former offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer, still holds the school’s career records for total yards of offense (8,876) and TD thrown (57). Powell, a one-year graduate transfer who made EMU his last of three stops, helped EMU capture its long-awaited bowl win in 2022 and had a respectable stat line even if his playing time was limited to just nine games: 64.7% passer with 16 TD and 8 INT and a 144.3 passer rating.

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Graduating with the program’s all-time touchdowns rushed record (41), Evans is one of two EMU running backs to reach the 1,000 yards rushed in a season under Creighton’s tutelage. Evans had 1,166 yards rushed (15 TD, 4.7 avg.) in 2022, and Jackson had 1,088 yards rushed (14 TD, 5.2 avg.) in 2015. Evans also has the best single-game rushing mark of the Creighton era; his 258-rushing yard performance at Arizona State in 2022 ranks third in program history.

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I’ve always felt like Bailey was the safest and most-reliable option on the field in his two years with the offense. Beydoun, a former walk-on, became the first EMU player since 1997 to have a 1,000-yard season receiving in 2021 and more career receptions than anybody else on this list. Drummond is the only other EMU receiver in this time to have over 2,000 yards receiving, and is one of the rare guys who have gotten to play out their true freshman at this position. Sexton hardly ever a mismatch on the field, but he was always the hardest-working player out there, and I’m of the belief that it’d be hard to ever lose a game if you could play 11 Mathew Sextons every play.

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Cannon and Odukoya were teammates together who combined for 60 games played at EMU. Cannon was more of the receiving threat (no gloves necessary) and Odukoya, who is still with the Tennessee Titans, was regarded as one of the better blocking tight ends in the conference. Kilby, who only played in the 2016 season, was 6-foot-7 and DeBoer loved to make sure he was part of the passing attack. His single-season production has been tough to beat ever since he transferred to Southern Illinois.

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Of course, O-line had to be the most difficult position to figure out since there aren’t countable and dividable statistics to use and help settle some arguments. Thankfully, All-MAC lists gave some perspective on how coaches thought of these guys.

Wylie actually played right tackle while Gardner played the left side in college, but since Wylie has already played as a shut-down lineman in the Super Bowl to land him a big contract with Washington, he gets to have left tackle responsibilities here. It’s hard to argue against Sow and Dooley — the two men who have played more EMU football than anybody else in history — being on this list, especially when the former was drafted last year by, and started for, the New England Patriots. Leatiota was a 3-year starter after coming in from junior college, and finished as a 2-time All-MAC honoree and team captain. Van Hoeven, with the added year of eligibility through 2020, has played the most at this position and ended up, arguably playing the best at this position. Per PFF, he was graded as the #32 run blocker nationally in his final season.

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Crosby’s an obvious one here. Helps that he’s actually helping prompt this post by the $1 million donation by he and his wife (and former EMU soccer player) Rachel to replace the old turf with a new, updated gray surface. All games played at Rynearson Stadium will be played on Maxx Crosby Field. O’Connor and Ramirez, of course, two guys who have also reached the NFL (both with Tampa Bay) and the latter being the school’s first-ever MAC Defensive Player of the Year, get to be honored here. I have a personal rule where I can’t select four defensive ends to make up an entire D-line; Price, who is still currently on the team, gets the nod here for being an interior guy whose current career stats stack up better than a lot of others that’ve come through the program.

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The Kline + Sparacio duo can’t be broken up here, especially since they’ve graduated as the program’s best-tackling combination of linebackers had 280 total stops last season, and were each among the nation’s best in the subject.

We’re also going to cheat with Beck in here, who ended up moving from safety to linebacker later in his career just as other safeties behind him were starting to blossom. He’s eighth in school history with 180 solo stops.

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EMU’s had a good run of having All-MAC safeties from 2017 through 2020, three of which earning First Team recognition across different seasons, and two three-time all-conference winners. Calhoun’s 198 solo tackles is third-most in EMU history by any defender, and certainly the most in the Creighton era.

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Throughout their respective seasons at cornerback, McGill has led the team’s position in interceptions (5) and Shine leads in pass breakups (26), but Pace isn’t too far from either one of those guys (4 INT & 23 PBU). Scott, who really only played the 2022 season, has come through in bigger spots, like the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, than others.

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The kicking department has seen a lot of success over the years. Ryland, now with the New England Patriots, left a legacy currently chased by Gomez. They’re both tied for the school’s longest field goal record of 55 yards. Ryland’s also responsible for big game-winning kicks over the likes of Purdue and Illinois.

Tomasek, by average, has already surpassed what Julien did before him. Not only is he out-punting Julien internally, but he’s already been recognized as the league’s top punter twice.