Two years ago, Central Michigan backup quarterback Brian Brunner and a couple teammates spent Christmas with Chippewas athletic trainer Phil Adler and his family in Troy. Brunner cherished the experience because he saw, in Adler's Jewish family, the same spirit of fellowship that transcends religions.
Last Christmas, Brunner went to dinner with Chips offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Mike Bajakian and wife Michelene at a restaurant in Greektown, then returned to the hotel to hang out with other players he called Christmas orphans.
Tonight, Brunner isn't sure what his plans are, other than phoning family members who hail from his hometown of Hubertus, Wis. But he added: I'm looking forward to spending time with whoever is up here and being with guys who have grown to be like my brothers.
Indeed, celebrating Christmas in Detroit has become a Central Michigan football tradition.
On Friday night at Ford Field, the Chips will play in their third straight Motor City Bowl. This year, they will face Florida Atlantic of the Sun Belt Conference.
Two years ago, CMU defeated Middle Tennessee State, 31-14. Last year, it lost to Purdue, 51-48, on a field goal on the final play of the game. Both years, the team set new Motor City Bowl attendance records, 54,113 and 60,624.
In the last few years, coming down here every year, I'd like to think we've developed this as our home bowl game,
Brunner said Wednesday after the Motor City Bowl luncheon at the Atheneum Hotel. I think that's evidenced by the amount of fans we get at the game. It's really special, my senior year, to finish up in Detroit in what's become our home bowl game.
While Brunner and many of his teammates are unable to join their immediate families during the holidays, it's a homecoming for others.
Junior receiver Jean Pitts' dad, for example, lives in Detroit.
A bunch of the teammates go there every year,
said fellow receiver Joe Bockheim, a senior. There have even been presents there waiting for us. It's as close as I'm going to get to home.
Tonight, Bockheim will again visit Pitts' family.
It feels like I'm part of the family now,
he said. I know all the aunts and uncles, all the names. It's not your traditional family Christmas, but this is my football family.
CMU athletic director Dave Heeke brought his entire family to Detroit, and they'll spend tonight at the Westin Book Cadillac, the team hotel.
As they say in athletics, if you're at home during Christmastime, that's usually not a good thing,
Heeke said. This is a tremendous opportunity for our program, going to three straight bowl games and being in southeast Michigan, which is a huge alumni area for us, and a lot of our students come from here.
