Fansided

Central Michigan coach John Bonamego sleeps with rivalry trophy

By Brad Berreman

MOUNT PLEASANT, MI - SEPTEMBER 1: John Bonamego head coach of the Central Michigan Chippewas during the game against the Presbyterian Blue Hose at Kelly/Shorts Stadium on September 1, 2016 in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
MOUNT PLEASANT, MI - SEPTEMBER 1: John Bonamego head coach of the Central Michigan Chippewas during the game against the Presbyterian Blue Hose at Kelly/Shorts Stadium on September 1, 2016 in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /
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After beating Western Michigan on Wednesday night, Central Michigan head coach John Bonamego kept the rivalry trophy very close to him.

Rivalry trophies in college football are as historical, and at times incredibly gimmicky, as they are prevalent. MAC rivals Central Michigan and Western Michigan have been competing for the Victory Cannon since 2008, so there’s not a ton of history compared to trophies competed for in the Power 5 conferences. Western Michigan had a three-game winning streak in the rivalry heading into Wednesday night’s game.

The Broncos were well on their way to making it four straight wins in the rivalry, before the Chippewas scored 21 unanswered points to go home with a 35-28 win. It was also the first win over Western Michigan for Central Michigan head coach John Bonamego, now in his third season. The win also put the team on the verge of bowl eligibility, at 5-4 with three games to go in the regular season.

So the Victory Cannon will call Mount Pleasant home for the next year. But before it surely finds a more permanent, secure place somewhere in Central Michigan’s football facility, until the 2018 game against Western Michigan, it apparently had a very intimate resting spot with Bonamego after Wednesday night’s victory.

https://twitter.com/MommaBono/status/926121830502498304

Bonamego’s wife Paulette posted the above picture on her Twitter account, with the Victory Cannon fully on display between the coach and where she slept in a hotel bed. It’s possible, if not very likely, there was some planning, staging and lack of random occurrence here. But there seems to have been enough space for two people and the trophy in the bed, within reason, comfortably or otherwise.

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Theoretically pushing your wife aside to sleep with a trophy is a bold move on Bonamego’s part. But she seemed to understand the symbolism of it, so the coach is probably still in good graces.

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