Little
Caesars Pizza Bowl to Have Partisan CMU Crowd
Photo
by Lars Hjelmroth
From
left to right: The Little Caesars Pizza Bowl Mascot, Western
Kentucky Interim Head Coach Lance Guidry, Central Michigan
Head Coach Dan Enos, and former Michigan Head Coach Lloyd
Carr now retired and a LCPB Board Member.
by
Raymond Rolak
Sports
Editor
|
DETROIT
-- The Little Caesars Pizza Bowl will be held on Wednesday,
December 26, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. Detroit’s Ford Field. 2012
marks the bowl’s eleventh year at Ford Field, after five
years at the Pontiac Silverdome. The bowl will again be televised
nationally on ESPN.
This kick-off luncheon was part of the Detroit Sports Broadcasters
Association’s December meeting schedule and has become an
annual introduction of the bowl coaches to the Detroit area media.
Western Kentucky (7-5) will be in their first Bowl Game, Central
Michigan (6-6) will be making their third Little Caesars Pizza
Bowl appearance. This year will mark the Chippewas’ first
return to Detroit since their battle with Florida Atlantic in
the 2008 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl. Both head coaches expressed
their appreciation to Ken Hoffmann and the LCPB Committee for
the selection of their respective teams.
CMU running back and Detroit native son, Zurlon Tipton, who has
had quite a season for the Chippewa’s said, “We want
to represent Central Michigan and come out with a win. Nothing
else matters. This isn’t a vacation. We will be all business.
Coach (Dan) Enos will have us ready. It will be great playing
in front of family and friends.” Tipton was awarded the
CMU Herb Deromedi Most Valuable Player Award and he is currently
averaging 115.9 yards-per-game.
Hoffmann praised George Perles for his vision in this the 16th
edition of the LCPB. Vicky Foley, President of the Detroit Sports
Broadcasters Association thanked emcee Tim Moore and Hall of Fame
Football Coach Lloyd Carr for presenting Detroit in such a wonderful
light.
Western Kentucky Interim Head Coach Lance Guidry couldn’t
have expressed any better how pleased he is to bring his team
to Detroit for the Holidays. Following the 2010 season, Guidry
led Miami University to a win in the 2011 GoDaddy.com Bowl as
the interim head coach. In 2012, he will attempt to lead WKU to
a win in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl as the Hilltoppers' interim
head coach. “I want to be 2-0 not 1-1,” said Guidry.
“We’re thrilled to be invited and headed back to the
Little Caesars Pizza Bowl. We’ve had a wonderful relationship
with this bowl in the past,” said Central Michigan Athletics
Director David Heeke. “We’re excited to go to Detroit
and a tremendous football event. We expect Chippewa fans to once
again come out in support of our university.”
Western Kentucky had three players showcased; defensive tackle
Jamarcus Allen, three time Captain Jack Doyle and running-back
Antonio Andrews. Andrews is close to breaking the NCAA single
season rushing mark.
The three were pleasantly surprised by football pioneer and 1948
Cotton Bowl star Wally Triplett. Triplett, who played at Penn
State graciously answered questions and posed for social media
photos with the three Hilltoppers.
While in Detroit, the WKU trio was planning their bowling squad
for the team outing at Thunderbird Lanes in Allen Park. The event
and pizza party is one of the highlights of the LCPB experience
in Detroit. Allen, a three year starter from Orlando said with
a giant smile that he was a bit concerned with snow potential.
Central Michigan senior offensive tackle Eric Fisher has been
selected to Sports Illustrated All-America Second Team and to
the Associated Press All-America Third Team.
Mid-American Conference teams have been 6-9 and Sunbelt Conference
teams have been 2-1 in the LCPB. CMU is on a roll, winning their
last three games in the MAC this year.
Again the Little Caesars Pizza Corporation will send their “Love
Kitchen” to Mt. Pleasant, Michigan and to Bowling Green,
Kentucky to feed the less fortunate for the Holidays. They expect
to feed over 1,600 meals according to Little Caesars President
and CEO David Scrivano.
