The Eastern Rushmore

Granted, every person’s Mount Rushmore list is subjective, but this article will aim to maintain objectivity by using multiple tests to determine which players belong above the rest. This article will explore a player’s stats during his time at Eastern Michigan, along with the legacy he left behind, the achievements he earned, and how successful he was at the next level.

There are four spots for the four presidents whose legacies are always remembered and whose faces are set in stone. Those presidents in order by face are George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln.

Charlie Batch

In the George Washington spot of the Eastern Michigan Mount Rushmore list, we have to throw Charlie Batch in at number one.

Batch was the starting QB for the Eagles from 1994-97 and at the time owned almost every school passing record. Batch threw for 7,592 yards during his time in Ypsilanti and 53 touchdown passes. His 3,280 passing yards during his senior season are the greatest single-season passing total in school history even after tragedy struck his life. While Eastern was never particularly successful during Batch’s time on campus, he still led the MAC in passing efficiency in 1995 while earning All-MAC first team honors. In 1997, he led the MAC in total offense, averaging over 308 yards a game. His dominance in the MAC caught the eye of scouts in the NFL, and in the 1998 NFL Draft, Batch was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the second round with the 60th overall pick.

Batch quickly became a fan favorite because he was a local player who earned the starting spot and was the starter during his time with the Lions from 1998 to 2001. Batch was unfortunately injury-prone and quietly released in the 2001 offseason before signing for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2002. Batch is tenth all-time in passing yards for the Lions, throwing for over 9,000 yards in just four years even after missing multiple games due to injury.

During his time with the Steelers, Batch became a career backup first behind Kordell Stewart and Tommy Maddox, before Ben Roethlisberger was drafted in 2005. Batch became popular with Steeler fans due to growing up in nearby Homestead, Pennsylvania, and because of his constant charity work in the community.

Batch won six of his nine starts during his time with the Steelers, helping the team win two Super Bowls during his 11-year tenure, and ended his playing career with 11,085 passing yards, 61 TD passes, going 25-30 as a starter, with 9 fourth-quarter comebacks, and 11 game-winning drives.

But his legacy is not just on the football field; the Best of the Batch Foundation may be Batch’s greatest legacy, his own non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of children and families in disadvantaged communities by building character, self-esteem, and appreciation for education.

Batch has received multiple awards for his work, including the 2015 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Western Pennsylvania & West Virginia and the Pittsburgh Steelers' 2006 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award.

Batch graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a degree in criminal justice in 1997. He also received an honorary Doctor of Public Service Degree from Eastern Michigan in 2015.

Batch’s legacy continues to live on in all three phases of his life as a player in college, the NFL, and his community. His records and importance to Eastern Michigan University are why he is first on the Eastern Michigan Mount Rushmore.

Dave Pureifory

In the Thomas Jefferson spot shines Dave Pureifory, the dominant defensive lineman who terrorized opposing offenses as his time on the edge and in the interior. Unfortunately, many of Pureifory’s stats have been lost due to defensive statistics not being tracked and regulated until the 2000 college football season.

Pureifory played for Eastern Michigan while they were called the Hurons, earning 56 total tackles for loss during his playing career from 1968-71 and playing in all four seasons during his time in Ypsilanti.

During his freshman campaign in 1968, he recorded both a safety and an interception while helping the Hurons finish seventh in the final Associated Press (AP) poll of small colleges.

During his junior season, Pureifory led the team in tackles for loss with 25 before being selected to the NAIA first team on the 1970 Little America College Football Team.

The American Football Coaches Association selected Pureifory first-team College Division All-American during his junior and senior seasons while the Associated Press selected Pureifory second-team College Division All-America at the same time.

EMU was undefeated during the regular season in 1971. The Hurons' defense, led by Pureifory, only allowed one touchdown in their final five games before falling in defeat to Louisiana Tech in the school's first postseason game in school history.

Pureifory would then go on to be selected by the Green Bay Packers in the sixth round of the 1972 NFL Draft, playing 11 seasons in the NFL for Green Bay, Detroit, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati.

He was most successful with the Lions, where he helped anchor the “Silver Rush” alongside Bubba Baker. In his 63 starts for the Lions, Pureifory had 36 sacks, seven forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

Pureifory played 11 seasons in the NFL, recording 61 sacks and winning the Detroit Lions defensive MVP in 1980. Pureifory's name is important to the legacy of Eastern Michigan football.

EMU inducted him into its Athletic Hall of Fame in 1981, and the school has described him as one of the greatest players in program history.

He is also an important historical figure because he represents the era before EMU became an FBS program. His accomplishments came when Eastern was still competing at the College Division/NAIA level.

His dominance and quiet aggression give him a reason to be on the Eastern Rushmore.

Ron Johnson

A four year starter as a defensive back for the Eastern Michigan Hurons, Ron Johnson earns the Teddy Roosevelt spot on the Eastern Rushmore.

As a starter for Eastern Michigan from 1974-77, Johnson racked up 339 career tackles, with 167 of them coming solo. He was a two-time All-MAC winner and in 1977 was named AP Third-Team All-American.

This was just four years after Eastern had joined the MAC and two years after Eastern Michigan became an FBS school, meaning that Johnson was hanging with the best of the best as he displayed his talents on the field.

During that 1977 season, Johnson also made an appearance in the East-West Shrine All-Star Game and in the Senior Bowl post-season all-star game, being voted the North squad's defensive MVP in the Senior Bowl.

After that 1977 season, Johnson became the first Eastern Michigan football player to be drafted in the first round of an NFL draft, going 22nd overall to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1978. He would play seven seasons in the NFL, all with the Steelers, and help them win back-to-back Super Bowls in his first two seasons as a professional.

Johnson had three tackles during Pittsburgh's Super Bowl XIII win against the Dallas Cowboys. At the time, he was the first rookie cornerback ever to start for the winning team of the Super Bowl and was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team for his play. He was also credited with one tackle and three passes defended in the second Super Bowl win over the Los Angeles Rams.

Eight years after getting drafted to the NFL, Johnson was elected to EMU's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1986, and became a member of the inaugural class of the MAC Hall of Fame in 1988.

Probably the greatest defensive back in EMU history and one of the most historically important players the program has ever produced, Johnson has something only he can claim: he was an All-American at Eastern, a first-round NFL draft pick and a multiple-time Super Bowl champion.

This makes him arguably the most unique player on the Eastern Rushmore because of the legacy he left behind. It will stand tall and be hard to match as players come and go from the Eastern Michigan program, as they will have to be legendary at both levels of the game to even have a chance of making it.

Maxx Crosby

A four-year contributor and three-year starter along the defensive line for the Eastern Michigan Eagles, Maxx Crosby earns the spot on Eastern Rushmore reserved for the modern-day greats as he takes the great Abraham Lincoln’s spot on our list.

Playing for Eastern Michigan from 2015-18, Crosby established himself as one of the most disruptive defensive players in program history. He finished his career with 20 sacks, 41 tackles for loss, 33 quarterback hurries and eight forced fumbles. He was a two-time First-Team All-MAC selection and became one of the most feared pass rushers in the conference during his time in Ypsilanti.

Crosby's best season came in 2017 when he recorded 11 sacks, tying the Eastern Michigan single-season record at the time. He finished sixth nationally in sacks that season and became the first Eagle in the modern statistical era to record three sacks in consecutive games.

His impact was about more than just numbers. Crosby helped establish Eastern Michigan as a program capable of producing legitimate NFL-caliber talent during a period when the Eagles were beginning to build a new identity under head coach Chris Creighton.

After his senior season, Crosby was selected 106th overall by the Oakland Raiders in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. What followed has been one of the most successful professional careers ever produced by an Eastern Michigan football player.

Crosby quickly became one of the NFL's premier defensive ends. Through the 2025 season, he had accumulated 69.5 career sacks, 133 tackles for loss and 439 tackles while starting 104 of the 110 games he had played. He has also been selected to five Pro Bowls and established himself as one of the most dominant pass rushers of his generation.

But Crosby's legacy at Eastern Michigan extends well beyond what he accomplished between the lines. In 2020, he was inducted into the EMU Football Ring of Honor, cementing his place among the most influential players in program history.

Then, in 2023, Crosby and his wife, Rachel, donated $1 million to Eastern Michigan Athletics. In recognition of that contribution, the playing surface at Rynearson Stadium was named Crosby Field.

That might be the ultimate sign of a player's legacy. Crosby didn't simply leave Eastern Michigan and become successful. He came back and invested in the place that helped make him who he is.

Now, as an assistant general manager with the Eastern Michigan football program, Crosby has another opportunity to influence the program he once played for.

Crosby represents something unique on the Eastern Rushmore. He is one of the greatest defensive players in school history, one of the most successful Eagles at the professional level and one of the few former players whose name will literally live on every time Eastern Michigan plays a football game at home.

His playing career is not finished yet, meaning his place on this mountain could continue to rise. But even now, Maxx Crosby has already left behind a legacy no one can forget.

Walter Church - Honorable Mention

A four-year quarterback for the Eastern Michigan Hurons, Walter Church earns the honorable mention spot on the Eastern Rushmore because of the numbers he put up, the records he established, and his lasting impact.

Church played for Eastern Michigan from 1996-2000 and became one of the most productive quarterbacks in school history. By the time his college career was finished, Church had thrown for 9,142 yards, completing 807 of 1,441 passes. He also finished with 8,628 total offensive yards and 1,657 offensive plays.

Those numbers are even more impressive when put into the context of Eastern Michigan football at the time. Church became the program's all-time leader in passing yards and total offense, beating out Charlie Batch to earn those records, and setting records that would stand as a testament to his consistency and productivity throughout his four years in Ypsilanti.

Church's accomplishments began early. He was named MAC Freshman of the Year and eventually became a two-time team captain, demonstrating that his importance to Eastern Michigan went beyond his statistics. He wasn't simply the quarterback putting up numbers; he became one of the leaders of the program.

By the end of his career, Church had established himself as one of the most accomplished quarterbacks to ever wear the green and white. His 9,142 career passing yards remain a major part of Eastern Michigan's football record book and serve as a reminder of how productive he was during his time with the Eagles.

Church's professional career took a different path than many of the other players on Eastern Rushmore. Rather than becoming an NFL star, he continued playing professionally in the Arena Football League, af2, and United Indoor Football.

His professional career eventually brought him to the Peoria Pirates, where he helped lead the team to an Arena Cup championship in 2002.

While his professional accomplishments may not carry the same national recognition as an NFL career, Church's legacy at Eastern Michigan is based on what he accomplished when he wore the green and white. He was a record-setting quarterback, a team captain and one of the most statistically productive players in the history of the program.

That is what makes Church's place so interesting. His case is built almost entirely on what he did in Ypsilanti rather than what came afterward.

Players such as Charlie Batch went on to win Super Bowls. Ron Johnson became a first-round NFL draft pick and won two championships. Maxx Crosby became a five-time Pro Bowler. Church's legacy is different.

He left Eastern Michigan as one of the most accomplished quarterbacks the program had ever produced and spent the rest of his football career continuing to play the game he had dedicated his life to.

For a program that has produced more than a century of football players, Church's records, leadership and longevity at Eastern Michigan have kept his name in the conversation long after his final snap.

That is why Walter Church belongs on the Eastern Rushmore. He may not have had the NFL career of some of the other players on the mountain, but when it comes to what he accomplished as an Eastern Michigan quarterback, everyone is chasing his records.

Reflection

This is just a five-player list of some of the greatest players to ever wear the Eastern Michigan green and white. There are many more that could’ve had a spot on the mountain, but for now these legacies are what players, coaches, and fans will look to.

There are always records to chase and records to break, but no one can take away the history all of these players made during their time in Ypsilanti, and their legacies take the Eagles forward into a new generation of Eastern Michigan football.