While all of the media attention was appropriately directed at head coach John Bonamego during CMU Football Media Day on Friday, one wise man was taking things in from the shadows. Mose Rison has seen a lot in a coaching career that started in 1981 as a special teams coach at CMU. Rison has had assistant coaching stints at Navy, Rutgers, Stanford and the NFL's New York Jets. A head coaching position at North Carolina Central in 2007 gave Rison additional perspective before he returned to CMU as a receivers coach in 2012.
"It's good to be home", Rison said as he reflected on what has been a tumultuous six months for the CMU football program. "I have never seen anything like it," was Rison's observation concerning the surprising departure of former head coach Dan Enos, the subsequent hiring of Bonamego and the new head coach's battle with tonsil cancer.
"The hiring of coach Bonamego has really turned out to be a good thing. He has in a short time brought so much energy to the CMU football program, the athletic department and the university as a whole." Rison added that some of CMU's young players have risen to the challenge of assuming leadership roles in the face of adversity. Rison has seen sophomore wide receiver Cory Willis "flying all over the place" and sophomore corner Amari Coleman become a leader and force for CMU at a position that has been considered a liability for the Chips.
Junior quarterback Cooper Rush has been enthused by the arrival of Bonamego and senior center Nick Beamish has become "an outstanding offensive center in the mold of CMU great Wesley Gamble", according to Rison. The ability of Rush and Beamish to be team leaders is critical to CMU's chances for success in 2015.
As for the changes and uncertainties Rison has experienced in the last six months, Rison said, "It's life. You have to embrace it."