2014 MAC Football Team Media Guides: Where to Get Them

Kick-off of another exciting MAC football season is upon us.  You need to get the latest on your favorite team and we're here to help.  Each school produces some form of a Media Guide that helps the writers and reports that cover the team.  Schools are producing less of the costly printed version of their media guides and opting to post them on their websites for online viewing.

The good news is that these attractive and informative publications are not just accessible by media members.  Fans can also download them and get the latest on players, coaches and depth charts.

Below is a listing of where you can find the online football media guides of all 13 MAC schools.  We have also included a quick review of each publication and a quick factoid found in each.

Enjoy!

 

Akron Zips

Pages: 123
Link:  Zips Media Guide

Review: Online version is in an eBook format which can make it harder to read.  Images don't jump out at you since they are all black and white other than the cover.

Factoid:  The PNC Wagon Wheel Challenge is based on a time-honored competition for a historic wooden wagon wheel trophy awarded originally in 1945 to the winner of the annual Akron-Kent State football game.

 

 

Ball State Cardinals

Pages:37
Link:  Cardinal Media Guide

Review: Another hard to read eBook edition.  Nicely designed with colorful images.  Players get shortchanged here as there are no player bios, only the roster list. 

Factoid:  The highest ranked team Ball State has ever played was #1 Oklahoma on October 1, 2011.  The Cardinals lost 62-6 to the Sooners who were ranked #1 by ESPN/USA Today.

 

Bowling Green Falcons

Pages: 175
Link:  Falcon Media Guide

Review:  It's good to be king!  Defending MAC champs have a great media guide to go with their championship team.  Very visual with color throughout.  Great coverage of facilities, tradition, former players in NFL, and current player awards.

Factoid:  BGSU defensive line coach Tom Freeman was the offensive line coach at Hawaii when Dino Babers was a player there (1979-83).

Buffalo Bulls

Pages: 96
Link: Bulls Media Guide

Review: Small package in terms of pages but nicely done.  Attractive and interesting cover!  Great photos and use of school color (blue) throughout. Well organized record book section with archived photos.

Factoid:  Sophomore defensive back Houston Glass was a standout track athlete in high school and earned All-American honors in the long jump after jumping a personal-best of 22'7".

 

Central Michigan Chippewas

Pages: 153
Link:  Chippewas Media Guide

Review:  Nicely designed interior pages but wish they had used color as they did on the first three pages.  Great page layouts where they profile the coaches and players.

Factoid:  In May of 2013, strength and conditioning coach Rick Perry was named a recipient of the prestigious certification of Master Strength of Conditioning Coach (MSCC) by the CSCCa, the highest honor presented in the strength and conditioning coaching profession.

 

 

Eastern Michigan Eagles

Pages: 216
Link:  Eagles Media Guide

Review:  Colorful guide despite the heavy use of grey as an accent color.  Nice documentation of their facility upgrades including new grey turf in their stadium.  Now if the team could just match the excitement of this publication.

Factoid:  One of the cornerstones of the Eastern Michigan University athletic program, Dr. Lloyd W. Olds, is the man responsible for the invention of the striped referee shirt used today.

 

Kent State University

Pages: 51
Link:  Golden Flashes Media Guide

Review:  Again, not sure what is happening here but the publication is called the Kent State Football 2014 Prospectus.  Smallest in conference by far and looks more like a high school piece.  But with challenges they have faced lately, not pointing fingers at all at the athletic department.

Factoid:  Redshirt sophomore wide receiver James Brooks played eight different positions in a game at South High School in Groveland, Florida.

 

Massachusetts Minutemen

Pages: 132
Link:  Currently not available online

Review: Well organized and straightforward.  Impactful photos of their games in the NFL's Gillette Stadium in Foxborough.  Nice infographic of alumni in the NFL.

Factoid:  Minutemen head coach Mark Whipple coached the Pittsburgh Steeler's Ben Roethlisberger and the Philadelphia Eagle's Donovan McNabb during his time with both NFL teams and he also served on the staff of the USFL's Arizona Wranglers under legendary head coach George Allen.

 

Miami RedHawks

Pages:  133
Link:  Currently not available online

Review:  It looks like they have updated last year's guide with a few pages on 2014 team.  The version we got from the Miami athletic department did not have a cover.  The publication is still not posted to their football website.

Factoid:  Miami University President Dr. David Hodge was an NCAA All-American and a member of the Macalester College Athletics Hall of Fame and remains the school's outdoor track and field record holder in the 880 (now 800 meters) with a time of 1:50.2.

 

Northern Illinois Huskies

Pages: 200
Link: Huskies Media Guide

Review:  Media Guide matches their program...successful.  Well organized and easy to navigate.  Player stats included with each bio.  Nice section on Huskies' history.

Factoid:  The 1951 Huskies-one of only four undefeated, untied teams in the school's football history-went 9-0-0, captured the Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Association title, and outscored the opposition 223-101.

 

Ohio Bobcats

Pages: 121
Link: Bobcat Media Guide

Review: Concise at 121 pages, three of which are dedicated to head Coach Frank Solich.  Solid but not spectacular.

Factoid: Senior running back Tim Edmond won the Iron Bobcat award  for offseason workouts after he bench pressed 381 pounds, squatted 528 pounds and power cleared 296 pounds.

 

Toledo Rockets

Pages: 231
Link:  Rockets Media Guide

Review:  Easy to read on screen because of the great font used throughout.  Great use of color images and a nice profile of the university make this a standout publication.

Factoid:  The Rockets have appeared on national TV 63 times, including five times in 2013 and 45 times in the last 10 years.

 

Western Michigan Broncos

Pages: 104
Link: Broncos Media Guide

Review:  Not sure what's happening here but title of publication is called 2014 Western Michigan Football Record Book.  The plain white cover sets the tone for a very stark guide visually.  The Twitter hashtag #rowtheboat is on every page!

Factoid:  Junior place kicker Andrew Haldeman has made a career high 47-straight extra points and has led the broncos in scoring in each of the last two seasons