Topic summary

Western Michigan Broncos football

Western Michigan Broncos football
First season1906; 120 years agoAthletic directorVacantHead coachLance Taylor
3rd season, 20–19 (.513)LocationKalamazoo, MichiganStadiumWaldo Stadium
(capacity: 30,200)NCAA divisionDivision I FBSConferenceMACColorsBrown and gold
All-time record613–492–24 (.554)Bowl record3–10 (.231)Conference championshipsMCC: 1929
MAC: 1966, 1988, 2016, 2025
Division championshipsMAC West: 1999, 2000, 2015, 2016Consensus All-Americans2RivalriesCentral Michigan (rivalry)
Eastern Michigan (rivalry)
ToledoMascotBuster BroncoMarching bandBronco Marching BandWebsiteWMUBroncos.com

The Western Michigan Broncos football program represents Western Michigan University in the Football Bowl Subdivision of Division I and the Mid-American Conference (MAC). Western Michigan has competed in football since 1906, when they played three games in their inaugural season. In 1927, WMU joined four other schools (Central Michigan University, Eastern Michigan University, Ferris State University, and Wayne State University) to form the Michigan Collegiate Conference. Western Michigan then moved to its present conference in 1948. Prior to 1939, Western Michigan's athletic teams were known as the Hilltoppers.

WMU's main rival is the Central Michigan University Chippewas, and they play for the Victory Cannon. As of 2025, the Broncos have a 54–40–2 advantage in the series.

Western Michigan University has played in 12 bowl games in 3 different nations over the course of the programs history, including the inaugural International Bowl in 2007 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Broncos' first bowl victory came when they defeated Middle Tennessee, 45–31, in the 2015 Bahamas Bowl. In 2017, the Broncos became the first MAC representative in the legendary Cotton Bowl Classic at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX after completing the 2016 regular season undefeated as MAC champions (13–0, 8–0).