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'Our head coach lives in a barn': Why Jim McElwain fits right in at CMU

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- Jim McElwain lives in a barn and works in a trailer. The new digs at Central Michigan suit him just fine.

We'll circle back to the trailer in a bit. McElwain isn't the first major college coach, in the age of constant facilities enhancements, to be relocated to temporary office space. The barn, though, might be a first.

The idea was hatched in December, during a party at athletic director Michael Alford's house shortly after McElwain's hiring. Many of CMU's top donors attended, including Chuck McGuirk, a third-generation business owner whose family has supported the athletic program for decades (CMU plays basketball at McGuirk Arena).