.jpg) Creighton in 2013 | |
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | Eastern Michigan |
| Conference | Mid-American |
| Record | 61–83 |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | (1969-02-07)February 7, 1969 (age 57) San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | |
| Playing career | |
| 1988–1990 | Kenyon |
| Position | Quarterback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1991–1992 | Concordia (IL) (OC) |
| 1993 | Limhamn Griffins |
| 1993–1996 | Manchester (IN) (OC) |
| 1997–2000 | Ottawa (KS) |
| 2001–2007 | Wabash |
| 2008–2013 | Drake |
| 2014–present | Eastern Michigan |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 200–129 |
| Bowls | 1–5 |
| Tournaments | 0–2 (NAIA playoffs) 5–3 (NCAA D-III playoffs) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 2KCAC (1997, 2000) 4NCAC (2002, 2005–2007) 2PFL (2011–2012) 1MAC West (2022) | |
| Awards | |
| KCAC Coach of the Year (1997) 3xNCAC Coach of the Year (2002, 2005, 2007) | |
Christopher William Creighton (born February 7, 1969) is an Americanfootball coach and former player. He is currently the head coach atEastern Michigan University, a position he has held since the2014 season. Creighton has served as the head coach at three other schools:Ottawa University (1997–2000),Wabash College (2001–2007), andDrake University (2008–2013).
Creighton played quarterback atKenyon College where he established severalNorth Coast Athletic Conference records (since broken). As the head coach at Wabash in the early 2000s, he turned the school into a national contender at theNCAA Division III level. At Drake, he shared back-to-backPioneer Football League conference titles. Creighton holds the unusual distinction of having won football games on three different continents.
In 1993, he played professionally for the Limhamn Griffins, a Swedish club team, and won theSuperserien league championship as the team's quarterback.
In 2011, he coached Drake inan exhibition game in theSheikh Amri Abeid Memorial Stadium inArusha,Tanzania, defeating aMexican all-star team. In addition, he coached Wabash in exhibition games inAustria andPanama.
Creighton was born on February 7, 1969, and grew up inSan Francisco. He attended his firstOakland Raiders game at the age of eight. Creighton remained a "diehard" Raiders fan even as his playing and coaching career pulled him east.[1][2] His family moved toSeattle, where Creighton attendedRoosevelt High School and playedquarterback on the football team.[3] For college, Creighton choseKenyon College inGambier, Ohio, where he played quarterback from 1988 to 1990. In 1989 Kenyon won a share of theNorth Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) title, Kenyon's first and as of 2020[update] only conference championship. In 1990 Creighton's 29 touchdown passes set an NCAC record which stood until 2001 whenWabash College's Jake Knott–playing under Creighton–eclipsed it.[4] His 48 passing touchdowns over his two years as a starter were also an NCAC record until Kenyon's Brad Hensley surpassed it in 1994.[5] Kenyon inducted Creighton into its athletic hall of fame in 2008.[6] While at Kenyon, Creighton studied abroad inEcuador, kindling an interest in developing countries.[7]
In 1993, he signed to play professionally for Limhamn Griffins in Sweden's top leagueSuperserien. As the team's quarterback, Creighton led the Griffins to win the Swedish league championship.
Following graduation in 1991, Creighton becameoffensive coordinator (OC) atConcordia University Chicago underJim Braun while working on his master's degree, which he completed in 1993.[8][6] In the spring of 1993, he received an opportunity to play quarterback forSweden's Limhamn Griffins, where he also served as a coach. The Griffins won theSuperserien championship.[9]
Creighton returned to the United States in the fall of 1993 to become offensive coordinator atManchester College inNorth Manchester, Indiana, underDale Liston. Still in Sweden when the job became available, Creighton applied for it over the phone.[8] Creighton spent four seasons at Manchester, continuing underDave Harms after the latter replaced Liston following the 1994 season.[10] His offenses set ten new school records during his tenure.[11]
Creighton's first head coaching job was atOttawa University inOttawa, Kansas, from 1997 to 2000. Ottawa competed as part of theNational Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). He succeededDave Dallas, who had taken the head coaching job atKansas Wesleyan University.[12] In those four seasons, Creighton's teams went 32–9 and won theKansas Collegiate Athletic Conference championship in 1997 and 2000. He was the head football coach for theOttawa University Braves and ranked fourth in school history in total wins and first in winning percentage (.780).[13] Creighton, who has a life-long interest inmountain climbing, took his seniors on mountain-climbing trips. Creighton explained that the trips encouraged personal growth: "You're doing something that maybe you didn't think you could do...I just think you grow as a person in those situations."[14]Steve Ryan, then an assistant coach, carried over the practice of mountain hikes when he became head coach atMorningside College. Ryan credited the hikes with improving the senior leadership of the team.[15]
Creighton departed Ottawa after the 2000 season to become the head coach atWabash College, replacingGreg Carlson. Wabash, like Kenyon and Manchester, competed inNCAA Division III.[16] The move returned him to the NCAC, and his first game was against Manchester and his mentor, Dave Harms.[10] Creighton was at Wabash from 2001 to 2007, and turned the program into a "national championship contender."[9] His career coaching record at Wabash was 63–15, ranking him third in school history in total wins and fifth in winning percentage (.808).[17] In 2002, Creighton led Wabash to an undefeated season and its first playoff appearance since 1977, earning him NCAC coach of the year honors.[18] He would also be named NCAC coach of the year in 2005 and 2007. On departing Wabash for Drake after the 2007 season, Creighton called his years at Wabash "the best years of my life, both on the field and off."[19] Under Creighton, Wabash played exhibition games inAustria, losing (against theVienna Vikings) and winning inPanama.[7]
While head coach at Wabash, Creighton began a practice of writing to national championship-winning coaches to seek their advice on building a successful team. One such coach,Ohio State'sJim Tressel, later called Creighton "one of [his] favorites", and acted as a reference for Creighton when the latter applied for the Drake job.[20][21][9]
On December 22, 2007, Creighton was named the head football coach atDrake University inDes Moines, Iowa, replacing interim head coachSteve Loney. Drake, a member of the non-footballMissouri Valley Conference, played football in thePioneer Football League, aFootball Championship Subdivision (FCS) conference whose members do not awardscholarships for football.[21] Creighton coached at Drake from 2008 to 2013, compiling a record of 41–22. Although NCAA regulations prevented Creighton from leading mountain climbing trips such as those he had at Ottawa, an unofficial tradition of climbingPikes Peak developed during his tenure.[14] In 2011 Creighton's interests in developing countries and mountain climbing intersected when he helped organize the2011 Kilimanjaro Bowl, the first football game to be played on theAfrican continent. Drake defeated a team of Mexican all-stars 17–7, giving Creighton a victory on his third continent.[9] During the trip, which also included variousservice-learning activities, Creighton led his players on a six-day hike upMount Kilimanjaro.[22][23] Under Creighton, Drake shared the Pioneer League title in 2011 and 2012.[24]
On December 11, 2013, Creighton was named the head football coach atEastern Michigan University inYpsilanti, Michigan, replacingRon English. Eastern Michigan competed in theMid-American Conference (MAC) of theFootball Bowl Subdivision (FBS). It was Creighton's first job at that level of competition.[24] Creighton inherited a difficult situation. Eastern Michigan had not had a winning season since 1995 nor gone to abowl game since 1987. English had gone 11–46 over the past five seasons; in his first two seasons, Creighton won only three games. Amid public criticism, including calls by the faculty union and student government in early 2016 for the school to move down to FCS, the university reaffirmed its commitment to Creighton and staying in FBS.[25]
In 2016, Creighton led Eastern to a 7–5 regular season record, its first winning season in twenty years. Eastern was invited to the2016 Bahamas Bowl, its first postseason appearance since the1987 California Bowl. It was also the sixth different country in which Creighton had coached a game.[26][7] That season included a victory overRutgers, Eastern's first victory over a "Power Five" opponent. By the 2018 season, average attendance at home games had increased from 4,000 to 15,000.[27] The improved performance protected the football program in early 2018 when budget cuts eliminated four other sports, amid ongoing controversy within the campus community as to whether the program, successful or no, was worth funding.[28]
Creighton's performance at Eastern, regarded as one of, if not the "toughest place to win in Division I football", attracted attention from other programs.[29]Following the 2018 season, Creighton was a rumored candidate for the head coach job atTemple University that eventually went toRod Carey.[30] Creighton's was one of several names floated during the intermittent negotiations betweenGreg Schiano and Rutgers which culminated in Schiano's return.[31] In 2019, Eastern finished 6–7 after losing to theUniversity of Pittsburgh in theQuick Lane Bowl; it was the first time Eastern had qualified for the postseason in back-to-back years.[32] Creighton assumed the role of offensive coordinator for the 2020 season afterAaron Keen, OC for the last three seasons and on the staff since 2014, departed to become head coach atWashington University in St. Louis.[33][34]
Creighton is married to his wife, Heather. They have three children.[21] Creighton is aChristian. At the age of 16 he joinedTeen Missions International, an interdenominationalChristian mission organization. Creighton credits the organization with eliminating his use of profanity, unusual in the coaching ranks.[35]
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ottawa Braves(Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference)(1997–2000) | |||||||||
| 1997 | Ottawa | 9–2 | 7–1 | T–1st | LNAIA First Round | ||||
| 1998 | Ottawa | 8–2 | 6–2 | 2nd | |||||
| 1999 | Ottawa | 6–3 | 5–3 | T–3rd | |||||
| 2000 | Ottawa | 9–2 | 9–0 | 1st | LNAIA First Round | ||||
| Ottawa: | 32–9 | 27–6 | |||||||
| Wabash Little Giants(North Coast Athletic Conference)(2001–2007) | |||||||||
| 2001 | Wabash | 8–2 | 6–1 | T–2nd | |||||
| 2002 | Wabash | 12–1 | 7–0 | 1st | LNCAA Division III Quarterfinal | ||||
| 2003 | Wabash | 7–3 | 4–2 | T–2nd | |||||
| 2004 | Wabash | 6–4 | 4–3 | T–4th | |||||
| 2005 | Wabash | 11–1 | 7–0 | 1st | LNCAA Division III Second Round | ||||
| 2006 | Wabash | 8–2 | 6–1 | T–1st | |||||
| 2007 | Wabash | 11–2 | 7–0 | 1st | LNCAA Division III Quarterfinal | ||||
| Wabash: | 63–15 | 41–7 | |||||||
| Drake Bulldogs(Pioneer Football League)(2008–2013) | |||||||||
| 2008 | Drake | 6–5 | 4–4 | T–4th | |||||
| 2009 | Drake | 8–3 | 6–2 | T–3rd | |||||
| 2010 | Drake | 7–4 | 6–2 | 3rd | |||||
| 2011 | Drake | 9–2 | 7–1 | T–1st | |||||
| 2012 | Drake | 8–3 | 7–1 | T–1st | |||||
| 2013 | Drake | 6–5 | 5–3 | T–4th | |||||
| Drake: | 44–22 | 35–13 | |||||||
| Eastern Michigan Eagles(Mid-American Conference)(2014–present) | |||||||||
| 2014 | Eastern Michigan | 2–10 | 1–7 | 6th(West) | |||||
| 2015 | Eastern Michigan | 1–11 | 0–8 | 6th(West) | |||||
| 2016 | Eastern Michigan | 7–6 | 4–4 | 4th(West) | LBahamas | ||||
| 2017 | Eastern Michigan | 5–7 | 3–5 | 5th(West) | |||||
| 2018 | Eastern Michigan | 7–6 | 5–3 | T–2nd(West) | LCamellia | ||||
| 2019 | Eastern Michigan | 6–7 | 3–5 | T–5th(West) | LQuick Lane | ||||
| 2020 | Eastern Michigan | 2–4 | 2–4 | 5th(West) | |||||
| 2021 | Eastern Michigan | 7–6 | 4–4 | T–4th(West) | LLendingTree | ||||
| 2022 | Eastern Michigan | 9–4 | 5–3 | T–1st(West) | WFamous Idaho Potato | ||||
| 2023 | Eastern Michigan | 6–7 | 4–4 | 3rd(West) | L68 Ventures | ||||
| 2024 | Eastern Michigan | 5–7 | 2–6 | T–9th | |||||
| 2025 | Eastern Michigan | 4–8 | 3–5 | T–9th | |||||
| Eastern Michigan: | 61–83 | 36–58 | |||||||
| Total: | 200–129 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
