The Eagles are the football team of Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan. They compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the NCAA and play in the West Division of the Mid-American Conference (MAC).
📜 Eastern Michigan Eagles Football
Eastern Michigan University, then known as Michigan State Normal School, fielded its first football team in 1891. The team did not have an official nickname, but were identified as the Normalites or the Men from Ypsi. The team played in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association from 1892 until 1925.
In 1929, the team held a contest to determine an official nickname, and the winning suggestion was the Hurons. The Hurons competed in the Michigan Collegiate Conference from 1927 until 1930, before an 18-year independent spell. In 1950, Eastern Michigan joined the Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, remaining a member until 1961.
In 1976, the team joined the MAC, and their first conference title was won 11 years later.
A 1988 report by the Michigan Department of Civil Rights suggested that colleges should remove any logos or team names that use Native American imagery. Eastern Michigan chose the new nickname Eagles and began competing under that name in 1991.
The Eagles play their home games at Rynearson Stadium.
