Central Michigan bowl trip to Detroit means a holiday homecoming for many Chippewas

Mt. Pleasant — Central Michigan offensive Jim Chapin knows this game well, all the way back to its roots in the Pontiac Silverdome. 

Chapin, a Troy native who went to Dexter High School and the University of Michigan, has been to nearly every iteration of this game. And the iterations have been many: The Cherry Bowl, The Motor City Bowl, The Little Caesar’s Pizza Bowl and the QuickLane Bowl have all come and gone, now replaced by the GameAbove Sports Bowl. 

And while he understands the fraught nature of the claim, he includes himself and the other southeast Michiganders under the banner of “being from Detroit,” at least as far as out-of-staters are concerned. 

“I definitely claim Detroit, and I've been around so many places over the years that, living in Washington or South Dakota or Pennsylvania, or California, if I said Troy, Michigan, they would say Detroit,” Chapin said. “I'd just say, ‘Yeah.’ 

“My dad grew up in Bay City. My mom grew up in Traverse City, but my grandparents grew up in Royal Oak. My mom was an elementary school teacher at Royal Oak. My dad worked in Allen Park, Dearborn for 30 plus years. So I think Metro Detroiters are Detroiters. And so for sure I've been to this game probably 20 plus times, maybe more than that.”

The now-annual tradition of a Boxing Day bowl game in Detroit is a staple of the college football bowl season, and presents a homecoming opportunity for a number of Central Michigan (7-5, 5-3 MAC) coaches and players. It’s also a valuable and meaningful setting for the program and university, playing at the site of the MAC championship game and in a population center that enrolls plenty of students at CMU. 

All told, 41 Chippewas are from Michigan and 16 are from southeast Michigan, along with Chapin and defensive coordinator Sean Cronin (who moved to Cincinnati when he was young.) So along with a chance to play a 13th game and cap off a successful 2025 season in a showdown with Northwestern (6-6, 4-5 Big Ten) on Dec. 26 at Ford Field, the many local Chippewas plan to enjoy a trip back to their usual stomping grounds. 

“It is definitely nostalgic,” senior defensive back Brandon Deasfernandes (Belleville) said. 

It also means managing the distribution of tickets. Some, like senior defensive back Brandon Deasfernandes (Belleville) it’s a rather small cohort coming to see him play, so he’s making due with his allotment of tickets. 

Others, like senior linebacker Jordan Kwiatkowski (Sterling Heights Stevenson), are expecting friends, family — basically anyone but the family pets. 

“I got about 35 tickets,” Kwiatkowski said. 

Or there’s defensive lineman Michael Heldman (Romeo) and an error that led to a magnanimous moment. 

“They actually didn't know we were getting free tickets,” Heldman said of his family. “So they all, we were planning on being home for Christmas, but you know, we were playing in Detroit so they ended up all getting a bunch of tickets.”

That put Heldman in a position to play Santa Claus a few weeks early, passing off his allotted tickets to teammates who needed them. 

“So I just gave mine to everyone else who needed them,” Heldman said. “But they didn't know we had free tickets. So they're just like, ‘All right, we're gonna buy a bunch.’”

Chapin, too, expects a platoon of supporters to be at the game. 

“Friends that I grew up with, my family, my fiance's family,” Chapin said. “Like, it's gonna be a pretty big rendezvous, which is pretty neat. I've never had anything quite like this one.”

With the game being played around Christmas, Central Michigan’s staff plans to give the players off a good chunk of the afternoon and evening on Christmas Eve, using downtime to explore the city and spend a few hours with parents and other family and friends. 

And that’s when many of the players are eying a chance to grab a bite from their favorite area eateries. 

Deasfernandes loves the shawarma from Bucharesti Grill and Sweetwater Tavern’s iconic wings. Chapin plans to get some home cooking while visiting various family. 

And Kwiatkowski and Heldman shouted out favorite places that happen to be owned and operated by close family friends. 

For Kwiatkowski, it’s L George Coney Island, run by Angelo and Nue Marku, by the intersection of W Six Mile Rd. and Schaefer Highway, a spot that Detroit Lions wideout Jameson Williams has also visited.  

“That's a good place, good food spot,” Kwiatkowski said. “I recommend everyone to go to it. Shoutout Angelo Marku and Nue Marku. Those guys have my respect. That's family to me. They do a great job with that restaurant. I know it's very popular down there and great food.”

And for Heldman, who is from further afield in Romeo, about an hour north of downtown Detroit, it’s K Block’s BBQ, founded by Brian Knoblock, that holds a spot in his heart. And his connection to it comes via his high school theater teacher, Kendra Knoblock.

“Really good barbecue restaurant,” Heldman said. “Her husband really was a cook for a long time and really big into the restaurant industry. So he's been around good foods. So they created their own little thing and she's, you know, she was a theater teacher, she retired recently but like, she knows how to sell things so business is going strong.”

Aside from being a mini homecoming, Ford Field is a place of significance, both for the program and individuals. 

It’s the site of the MAC championship game, a setting the Chippewas are keen to find themselves in during coming years. And for the players from Michigan or Detroit, more specifically, it’s some place they either played in their youth, or dreamed of playing in high school. 

Also the host site for the MHSAA football finals, none of Deasfernandes, Kwiatkowski or Heldman played for a state title during their high school careers. Deasfernandes did play some youth football titles late in grade school and middle school, but that was the last time he played on that turf. 

Plus, playing in an NFL stadium is a reminder of what these guys likely began chasing earlier in the football careers in Romeo, Belleville and Sterling Heights. 

“In high school we came up short, one game,” Deasfernandes said. “Junior year we came up short, two games. So being at this age and kind of developing how I am, I'm more than ecstatic to even be playing there.”