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Chris Creighton
Chris Creighton went 204–133 as a head coach, 1997–2026, at Ottawa, Wabash, Drake and Eastern Michigan. Wikipedia’s season articles record one season differently (2026, 4–3); by them his record is 204–132. Share
17 seasons our game records don’t credit to him come from the coach’s Wikipedia article: 1997–2000 at Ottawa; 2001–07 at Wabash; 2008–13 at Drake. They’re marked in the table.
- Record
- 204–133 career
- Seasons
- 30
- Schools
- 4
- Final AP top 10
- 0 seasons
- Born
- Feb 7, 1969
- Alma mater
- Kenyon 1991
- Best season
- 2022 9–4
Season by season
| Season | School | Record | Conference finish | Bowl | AP final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Ottawa * | 9–2 | T–1st | NAIA First Round L | ||
| 1998 | Ottawa * | 8–2 | 2nd | |||
| 1999 | Ottawa * | 6–3 | T–3rd | |||
| 2000 | Ottawa * | 9–2 | 1st | NAIA First Round L | ||
| 2001 | Wabash * | 8–2 | T–2nd | |||
| 2002 | Wabash * | 12–1 | 1st | NCAA Division III Quarterfinal L | ||
| 2003 | Wabash * | 7–3 | T–2nd | |||
| 2004 | Wabash * | 6–4 | T–4th | |||
| 2005 | Wabash * | 11–1 | 1st | NCAA Division III Second Round L | ||
| 2006 | Wabash * | 8–2 | T–1st | |||
| 2007 | Wabash * | 11–2 | 1st | NCAA Division III Quarterfinal L | ||
| 2008 | Drake * | 6–5 | T–4th | |||
| 2009 | Drake * | 8–3 | T–3rd | |||
| 2010 | Drake * | 7–4 | 3rd | |||
| 2011 | Drake * | 9–2 | T–1st | |||
| 2012 | Drake * | 8–3 | T–1st | |||
| 2013 | Drake * | 6–5 | T–4th | |||
| 2014 | Eastern Michigan | 2–10 | 6th (West) | |||
| 2015 | Eastern Michigan | 1–11 | 6th (West) | |||
| 2016 | Eastern Michigan | 7–6 | 4th (West) | Bahamas Bowl L | ||
| 2017 | Eastern Michigan | 5–7 | 5th (West) | |||
| 2018 | Eastern Michigan | 7–6 | T–2nd (West) | Camellia Bowl L | ||
| 2019 | Eastern Michigan | 6–7 | T–5th (West) | Quick Lane Bowl L | ||
| 2020 | Eastern Michigan | 2–4 | 5th (West) | |||
| 2021 | Eastern Michigan | 7–6 | T–4th (West) | LendingTree Bowl L | ||
| 2022 | Eastern Michigan | 9–4 | T–1st (West) | Famous Idaho Potato Bowl W | ||
| 2023 | Eastern Michigan | 6–7 | 3rd (West) | 68 Ventures Bowl L | ||
| 2024 | Eastern Michigan | 5–7 | T–9th | |||
| 2025 | Eastern Michigan | 4–8 | T–9th | |||
| 2026 | Eastern Michigan | 4–4 (Wikipedia: 4–3) |
Each season links to the team’s season page; bowls and playoff games link to the game. Conference finishes from the Wikipedia article’s record table. * A season our game records don’t credit to him; its record is the article’s.
How his teams did
| Kind of game | Games | Record | Won |
|---|---|---|---|
| Against ranked teams | 5 | 0–5 | 0% |
| Against top-10 teams | 1 | 0–1 | 0% |
| Against rivals | 24 | 8–16 | 33% |
| Conference games | 98 | 39–59 | 40% |
| Bowls and playoffs | 6 | 1–5 | 17% |
| Decided by 8 points or fewer | 68 | 33–35 | 49% |
| At home | 71 | 35–36 | 49% |
| On the road | 76 | 29–47 | 38% |
| At neutral sites | 5 | 1–4 | 20% |
| As our Elo’s favorite | 59 | 39–20 | 66% |
| As our Elo’s underdog | 93 | 26–67 | 28% |
His own 152 games on file, 2014–2026, as played (vacated wins counted, ties as half a win). Ranks are the AP poll going into the game; rivals are the ones either program’s Wikipedia article names; favorite and underdog by our own Elo rating, which reads only scores.
Against other head coaches
| Coach | Record | Their schools | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jason Candle 2016–2024 | 2–7 | Toledo | 9 | |
| Mike Neu 2016–2023 | 5–3 | Ball State | 8 | |
| Tim Lester 2017–2022 | 4–2 | Western Michigan | 6 | |
| Thomas Hammock 2019–2025 | 3–3 | Northern Illinois | 6 | |
| Chuck Martin 2015–2025 | 2–4 | Miami (OH) | 6 | |
| Jim McElwain 2019–2024 | 2–4 | Central Michigan | 6 | |
| Rod Carey 2014–2018 | 0–5 | Northern Illinois | 5 | |
| Joe Moorhead 2022–2026 | 3–1 | Akron | 4 | |
| John Bonamego 2015–2018 | 2–2 | Central Michigan | 4 | |
| Sean Lewis 2018–2022 | 2–2 | Kent State | 4 |
Chris Creighton’s record against the head coaches he met three or more times, from the games on file, as played.
Most-faced opponents
| Opponent | Games | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Central Michiganseries | 12 | 4–8 |
| Western Michiganseries | 12 | 4–8 |
| Toledoseries | 12 | 2–10 |
| Ball Stateseries | 11 | 6–5 |
| Northern Illinoisseries | 11 | 3–8 |
| Akronseries | 8 | 5–3 |
| Massachusettsseries | 7 | 5–2 |
| Buffaloseries | 7 | 2–5 |
Career
| Years | Team | Job | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991–92 | Concordia (IL) | Offensive coordinator | |
| 1993 | Limhamn Griffins | Head coach | |
| 1993–96 | Manchester (IN) | Offensive coordinator | |
| 1997–2000 | Ottawa (KS) | Head coach | |
| 2001–07 | Wabash | Head coach | |
| 2008–13 | Drake | Head coach | |
| 2014–present | Eastern Michigan | Head coach |
Every job as the infobox of his Wikipedia article lists it (CC BY-SA), assistant jobs included.
Coaching tree
Assistants who became head coaches
- Brian WardBowling Green, McPherson
- Tom AllenIndiana
- Tom LichtenbergOhio, Morehead State, Maine
- Brad McCaslinBenedictine (IL)
- Aaron KeenIllinois College, Washington University
- Kalen DeBoerFresno State, Washington, Alabama, Sioux Falls
Coached under him, later head coaches (6)
| Coach | With him | Head coach at | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brian Ward | Wabash, 2001–04: assistant head coach and defensive backs and special teams coach; Drake, 2011: defensive coordinator and linebackers coach | Bowling Green, McPherson | |
| Tom Allen | Wabash, 2007: special teams and defensive backs coach; Drake, 2010: defensive coordinator and linebackers coach | Indiana | |
| Tom Lichtenberg | Drake, 2008–09: assistant coach | Ohio, Morehead State, Maine | |
| Brad McCaslin | Drake, 2012–13: defensive coordinator; Eastern Michigan, 2014–15: defensive coordinator | Benedictine (IL) | |
| Aaron Keen | Eastern Michigan, 2014–16: special teams and tight ends coach; 2017–19: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | Illinois College, Washington University | |
| Kalen DeBoer | Eastern Michigan, 2014–16: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | Fresno State, Washington, Alabama, Sioux Falls |
Other assistants under him (10)
| Coach | With him | |
|---|---|---|
| Ryan Grubb | Eastern Michigan, 2014–16: offensive line coach | |
| Chuck Bullough | Eastern Michigan, 2016–18: defensive line coach | |
| Neal Neathery | Eastern Michigan, 2016–22: defensive coordinator | |
| Taver Johnson | Eastern Michigan, 2022: defensive pass game coordinator and safeties coach | |
| Ben Needham | Eastern Michigan, 2023–25: defensive coordinator | |
| Mike Piatkowski | Eastern Michigan, 2023–26: offensive coordinator | |
| Grant Heard | Eastern Michigan, 2024–26: wide receivers coach | |
| Cornell Brown | Eastern Michigan, 2025–26: defensive tackles coach | |
| Kasey Teegardin | Eastern Michigan, 2026: co-defensive coordinator | |
| Tate Omli | Eastern Michigan, 2026: defensive coordinator |
From coaches’ Wikipedia infoboxes (CC BY-SA) and each season’s article for its coordinators: an assistant’s seasons at a school count under its head coach in our records; jobs in the NFL and elsewhere, under the head coach whose own article lists the job that year. Names without a page here link to their Wikipedia articles.
Pay
| Year | School | Job | Contract pay | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Eastern Michigan | head coachbonuses up to $395,000; $35,000 in bonuses paid; buyout $950,000 | $442,420 USA Today | |
| 2016 | Eastern Michigan | head coachbonuses up to $310,000 | $434,840 USA Today | |
| 2015 | Eastern Michigan | head coachbonuses up to $310,000 | $425,000 USA Today | |
| 2014 | Eastern Michigan | head coachbonuses up to $310,000 | $425,000 USA Today |
USA Today’s coaches salary database (2014–17, from public-records requests to the schools; Rachel Ehlers’ copy): the season’s contract pay, school pay plus outside money, before bonuses.
Pay of public employees in their public job only: head coaches, and assistants in the seasons our records name them a coordinator, at public universities.
How he coached
Creighton’s teams went for it on 22% of fourth downs and on 39% of those where the model said go for it, passed on 52% of plays and took 25.1 seconds a play, 2014–2026.
| Season | Went for it on fourth | When the model said go | Pass rate | Seconds a play | EPA a play | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 11 g | 10 of 98 10% | 23% | 47% | 24.5 | −0.16 | |
| 2015 12 g | 17 of 87 20% | 37% | 52% | 22.6 | +0.05 | |
| 2016 13 g | 13 of 100 13% | 22% | 54% | 23.4 | +0.07 | |
| 2017 12 g | 17 of 106 16% | 37% | 53% | 24.8 | −0.05 | |
| 2018 13 g | 27 of 114 24% | 40% | 48% | 26.2 | −0.01 | |
| 2019 13 g | 25 of 93 27% | 42% | 55% | 24.8 | +0.11 | |
| 2020 6 g | 14 of 43 33% | 54% | 51% | 24.7 | +0.08 | |
| 2021 11 g | 23 of 86 27% | 43% | 58% | 25.4 | +0.05 | |
| 2022 11 g | 24 of 80 30% | 56% | 48% | 26.4 | +0.03 | |
| 2023 13 g | 20 of 102 20% | 48% | 50% | 28.3 | −0.12 | |
| 2024 11 g | 27 of 96 28% | 48% | 52% | 24.2 | −0.05 | |
| 2025 12 g | 18 of 90 20% | 32% | 52% | 24.7 | +0.12 | |
| 2026 8 g | 13 of 58 22% | 37% | 58% | 27.1 | −0.04 | |
| All 146 g | 248 of 1153 22% | 39% | 52% | 25.1 | +0.01 |
His seasons as a head coach from 2004 on, from ESPN’s play by play: fourth downs where he went for it out of every fourth-down decision; how often he went when SportsDataverse’s fourth-down model said going for it was the better call; the share of his offense’s plays that were passes; seconds of game clock per offensive play (lower is faster); and expected points added per offensive play (EPA, a measure of how much each play moved the offense toward points). The season in progress counts its games so far. SportsDataverse’s coach tendencies, from ESPN’s play by play; the EPA and the fourth-down model are SportsDataverse’s.