Roy Kramer

Bio

Roy Kramer won an impressive 71.8 percent of his games during his 11 seasons heading the Central Michigan program, including the 1974 Division II National Championship. Kramer compiled an 83-32-2 record in his 11 seasons with the Chippewas. He was named 1974 NCAA National Coach of the Year after guiding the Chippewas to a 12-1 record and the national championship. In addition to the 1974 national title, Kramer twice led the Chippewas to IIAC titles in 1967 and 1968. At CMU, Kramer produced one First Team All-American and three First Team Academic All-Americans. He coached 38 First Team All-Conference selections, and he played an integral role in Central Michigan's 1975 move to Division I-A as a member of the Mid-American Conference. In 2022, Central Michigan recognized his contributions to the Chippewa program by officially naming its football venue Kramer/Deromedi Field at Kelly/Shorts Stadium. After his coaching career, Kramer served as the athletics director at Vanderbilt University from 1978-1990 and as SEC Commissioner from 1990-2002. He expanded the SEC from 10 to 12 members with the additions of South Carolina and Arkansas. His creation of the SEC Football Championship Game made the SEC the first conference to have a title game. During his time at the SEC, he also assisted in the creation of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS), the precursor to today's College Football Playoff system.

Career Highlights

• 1974 Division II Coach of the Year