Four years from now, the Eagles are going to visit the newest home of
Jim McElwain.
Eastern Washington University and the University of Florida will play each other on Sept. 5, 2020, at 88,548 seat Steve Spurrier-Florida Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Fla., the two schools jointly announced on Wednesday (Sept. 7).
The first-ever game for the Eagles versus the Southeastern Conference will be against a Gators team currently coached by McElwain, a former Eagle. The Montana native spent 15 years in Cheney, Wash., from 1980-94 first as a player and then as a coach. He received his bachelor's degree in 1984 from EWU and also worked on his master's degree while an Eagle.
"This is pretty cool to be able to add Eastern Washington to the schedule," said McElwain. "I spent 15 years at Eastern and it is such a huge part of my life. I met my wife, Karen, there and all of my children were born there. I have so many great memories of my time at Eastern and I still have friends there to this day."
"We thank everybody involved, including Coach McElwain, for making it possible for us to play such a great SEC program," said Eastern head coach
Beau Baldwin. "It's a tremendous honor for us at Eastern Washington and we look forward to the opportunity to play Florida."
"We would like to thank Coach Mac, (Florida director of athletics) Jeremy Foley and (Florida executive associate AD) Chip Howard for their willingness to make this happen," said Eastern AD
Bill Chaves. "The ability to connect Eastern with one of its most successful alums is something unique that athletics can do. We cannot be more excited about the opportunity to play the Gators and the Southeastern Conference."
The game in 2020 continues the trend of playing upper-echelon teams in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision. Eastern beat Washington State 45-42 last Saturday (Sept. 3) in Pullman, Wash., marking the sixth-straight season EWU has played a team from the Pacific-12 Conference.
In 2017, Eastern is scheduled to visit Texas Tech (9/2/17), and EWU has also previously announced agreements to play in 2018 at Washington State (9/15/18) and in 2019 at Washington (8/31/19). The Eagles are now 10-24 all-time versus members of FBS, and have won two of its last four games versus FBS foes (Oregon State in 2013).
"The SEC is a conference our players see every week on TV and is talked about as arguably the premier conference in the country," added Baldwin. "To work toward playing on that stage, in that environment and in that stadium is something that will get their juices flowing to prep for that game. We're excited about that opportunity in 2020."
More About Jim McElwain . . .
Nicknamed "Jimmy Mac" when he was at Eastern, McElwain spent 15 seasons as a player and coach at Eastern Washington from 1980-94 before moving on to a highly-successful career as a major college offensive coordinator and head coach. He is currently head coach at Florida, leading the Gators to six-straight wins to open the 2015 season before finishing 10-4 overall. The Gators finished 7-1 in the SEC and lost to Alabama 29-15 in the league championship game and fell 41-7 to Michigan in the Citrus Bowl.
McElwain spent three previous seasons as head coach at Colorado State and was the 2014 Mountain West Coach of the Year and the AFCA Region 5 Coach of the Year. The Rams were 10-2 and had secured a bowl game in 2014 when it was announced McElwain was headed to Florida. The previous season, CSU was 8-6 and scored 18 points in the last four minutes of regulation to defeat Washington State 48-45 in the New Mexico Bowl. He took over a team that had just won three games in each of the three seasons prior to his arrival, but the Rams finished his debut season 4-8.
McElwain, a coaching veteran of more than 30 years, spent the 2008-11 seasons as offensive coordinator at Alabama, where he played a key role in leading the Crimson Tide to a 48-6 record and BCS national championships in 2009 and 2011. He also coached in the NFL with the Oakland Raiders (2006), and his other college stops included Fresno State (2007), Michigan State (2003-05), Louisville (2000-02) and Montana State (1995-99).
After graduating from Missoula's Sentinel High School in 1980, he played three seasons as a backup quarterback at Eastern, lettering twice and completing 22-of-47 passes for 270 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He attempted one pass as a freshman, then was 16-of-34 for 200 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in 1981. As a junior, he was 6-of-12 for 70 yards. His lone career start came in his sophomore season against Simon Fraser on Oct. 16, 1981, in place of injured starter Dan Daly. He completed 8-of-14 passes for 75 yards and a touchdown in the 50-14 win. In the next game at Western Montana, he completed 6-of-10 for 126 yards and two touchdowns in a 38-0 romp in a homecoming of sorts for him in Dillon, Mont.
He decided to forego his senior season to begin pursuit of his coaching career, and even served as a public address announcer in basketball. His first three years at Eastern were spent as a student and graduate assistant, then nine as a full-time coach. He spent his first 11 seasons on the staff of Dick Zornes, then spent the 1994 season under Mike Kramer as the school's quarterbacks/wide receivers coach. The Eagles were a collective 86-71-2 in his 15 years at EWU, including a 21-9 record as a player and 65-62-2 mark as a coach.
He helped Eastern rise from NAIA affiliation to NCAA Division I-AA (now NCAA Football Championship Subdivision) in 1984, and eventually admission into the Big Sky Conference in 1987. Eastern advanced to the FCS Playoffs in 1985 when the Eagles knocked off Idaho and head coach Dennis Erickson 42-38 in the first round. Eastern also advanced to the playoffs in 1992 after the Eagles won their first-ever Big Sky title, sharing the championship with Idaho.
McElwain earned his degree in education at EWU in 1984, then did his student teaching and coaching at Spokane's University High School under the late Dave Holmes. Holmes was a former EWU head coach from 1963-67 and was an inaugural inductee into the Eastern Athletics Hall of Fame in 1996.
While he was at Sentinel High School, McElwain earned All-State and all-conference honors as the State of Montana's leading passer. He was team captain and played in the Shrine Game in Montana. He also played basketball at Sentinel. McElwain was born March 1, 1962, in Kalispell, Mont.
He and his wife Karen, who is from Springdale, Wash., have two daughters and a son who were born while they resided in Cheney. Their daughter, JoHanna, was born in December 1990, and a second daughter, Elizabeth, was born in April 1993. Their son's name is Jerret.
Jim's parents, Frank and Marjorie, were two of his biggest supporters during his days in Cheney and are well-known residents of Missoula and the Flathead Valley. Both are University of Montana graduates -- Frank in 1948 and Marjorie in 1944. Frank moved his family from Kalispell to Missoula in 1962 where he taught mathematics, coached and served as athletic director at Missoula County High School. He eventually retired as an administrator for Missoula County Schools and he and Majorie lived year-around on Flathead Lake. Frank has since passed away. In the 1981-82 school year, Frank was given the Montana High School Association's James C. Haugen Meritorious Service Award. Frank was inducted into the Montana Officials Hall of Fame in 1994.
Jim McElwain's EWU Coaching Career
| Year |
School |
Coaching Assignment |
Head Coach |
Record/League |
| 1994 |
Eastern Washington |
Quarterbacks/Wide Receivers |
Mike Kramer |
4-7/2-5 |
| 1993 |
Eastern Washington |
Quarterbacks/Wide Receivers |
Dick Zornes |
7-3/5-2 |
| 1992 |
Eastern Washington |
Quarterbacks/Wide Receivers |
Dick Zornes |
%7-4/6-1 |
| 1991 |
Eastern Washington |
Quarterbacks/Wide Receivers |
Dick Zornes |
5-6/4-4 |
| 1990 |
Eastern Washington |
Wide Receivers |
Dick Zornes |
5-6/3-5 |
| 1989 |
Eastern Washington |
Wide Receivers |
Dick Zornes |
4-6/4-4 |
| 1988 |
Eastern Washington |
Wide Receivers |
Dick Zornes |
2-8-1/2-6 |
| 1987 |
Eastern Washington |
Quarterbacks/Wide Receivers |
Dick Zornes |
4-7/2-6 |
| 1986 |
Eastern Washington |
Quarterbacks/Wide Receivers |
Dick Zornes |
6-5 |
| 1985 |
Eastern Washington |
Graduate Assistant |
Dick Zornes |
^9-3 |
| 1984 |
Eastern Washington |
Graduate Assistant |
Dick Zornes |
7-2-1 |
| 1983 |
Eastern Washington |
Student Assistant/RB&WR |
Dick Zornes |
5-5 |
%Big Sky Conference Champions; Lost to Northern Iowa 17-14 in NCAA Football Championships Subdivision Playoffs.
^Defeated Idaho 42-38 (first round) and lost to Northern Iowa 17-14 (quarterfinals) in FCS Playoffs.
Playing Career at Eastern Washington
1980 - Quarterback - Attempted one pass; did not letter
1981 - Quarterback - 16-of-34, 200 yards, 3 touchdowns, 0 interceptions; Started against Simon Fraser on 10/16/81.
1982 - Quarterback - 6-of-12, 70 yards, 0 touchdowns, 0 interceptions
Education
Bachelor's degree in education, Eastern Washington University, 1984
Graduate of Sentinel High School in Missoula, Mont, 1980
