‘It was a thrill of a lifetime’
Herb Deromedi talks about the team that won it all
Former CMU Athletic Director, head football coach and assistant coach Herb Deromedi stands with members of the 1974 division II championship football team circa 1974. (Courtesy photo | Clarke Historical Library)
The 1974 Central Michigan football team cemented itself into CMU’s history when it secured the Division II National Championship for the Chippewas.
Now, as the 50th anniversary of the national championship approaches, the team will be honored as the Grand Marshals for the 2024 homecoming game against Ohio University at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 12
The championship season helped CMU Athletics move up to Division I the next year and the Mid-American Conference.
The team was led by head coach Roy Kramer. Kramer has since been inducted into the CMU, MAC and the College Football halls of fame.
Alongside him for the '74 season was then-assistant coach Herb Deromedi, who is also in the College Football Hall of Fame.
After being the assistant coach, Deromedi moved to the head coach position for the Chippewas, holding that title for 16 years. As the head coach, he went 110-55-10 and ranks second in most wins by a football coach in the Mid-American Conference.
Deromedi also spent 11 years as CMU’s athletic director.
In an interview with Central Michigan Life, Deromedi talked about what it took to get to the national championship, what it meant to him and the impact CMU has had on him. Responses have been edited for clarity and length.
CM Life: What did it take to get to the national championship?
Deromedi: It was a team that was developed the year before. We had a nice season the year before, but we actually knew in ‘74 that we had some experienced, dedicated players. We lost our first game of the year ... to Kent State, and played pretty well but got beat.
And the amazing thing was that coach Kramer, instead of using it as a moral victory, saying that we played a good game against the Mid-American Conference team, because we weren’t in the Mid-American Conference yet. But basically he came in and really said that we should have won the game and really got after our players. And it worked, because from then on, we were undefeated.
We had everything that it takes to be good. We had an outstanding quarterback. Our offensive line was impressive. ...I could name you all the players that we had, but John Wunderlich was a defensive lineman that became an Academic All-American. And Richard Newsome is in our Hall of Fame.
When you put it all together, we just had the ingredients to be a championship team.
What does it mean to you to be named a Grand Marshal for this year's Homecoming alongside the rest of the 1974 team?
This is a special bunch. What a great honor for that team to be recognized as the marshals for the Homecoming. Coach Kramer, I mean, of course he was our head coach and myself and Jesse James, he was our defensive line coach. He also will be coming back to Mount Pleasant, to be a part of the activity.
What will you remember the most about that season and that team?
Not only (did) we (have an) outstanding regular season, but our first (playoff) game was against Boise State. ... We were able to host that game in our stadium. And I think we shocked that football team, because we gave up only one touchdown to a team that was one of the tops in offense in the nation at that time.
And (we) really just played an outstanding, tough, physical ball game, only to be followed up the following week when we beat a Louisiana Tech team. And if you check the teams that we played in the playoffs -- Boise, Louisiana Tech and Delaware -- all of those are … schools with excellent football tradition and yet, we dominated those teams as we played them, which led to the championship.
What was your experience working under Roy Kramer, and what did you learn from him as a coach?
I don’t think you have enough space to give all the type of credit that Roy Kramer deserves. He was instrumental in really defining what Central Michigan University football was to become. He was a major force in developing a program that would eventually be admitted to the Mid-American Conference.
When he started as our head football coach, we were only recognized as a small college. I mean, you have to know the history of football, but you had major college and small college, and Central Michigan was a small college.
People in the Mid American Conference, they were called major college programs. But he took a small college and was able to get our program into the Mid-American Conference, and then pretty much go from there.
How did being a part of that team impact your career?
It was a thrill of a lifetime, to be honest with you. I mean, it was our first exposure to be a part of a national championship. And everything from the quarter-final game against Boise to playing in Wichita Falls, Texas, against Louisiana Tech, and then eventually the championship game against Delaware.
In three straight weeks, those are memories that certainly will last a lifetime.
How have you seen Central Michigan Athletics change and grow throughout the years?
The program has, there's no question, it has just moved and continues to move forward. Has a great future, has an excellent football (head) coach … and the staff, which our student body should be excited about.
Yeah, I think everything is still ahead of us, and we should enjoy what the past has been, but at the same time, look forward to participating now and in a great time to be observing college football.
What has the CMU community meant to you?
It's been a major part of my life. I enjoyed high school coaching. I had about seven years of it, and was brought from being a high school coach to be a part of when Roy Kramer became the head coach. So since 1967 until the time that I retired before I became the athletic director, it's been a major part of my life. So it's absolutely meant the world to me.
The players, I can't say enough about the players. They are what makes a program, how they carry themselves, how they compete, how they represent the university. They've been a big part of my life. And in fact, today, I'm going to meet with one of my former quarterbacks, to watch his grandson play football. …
It has been everything a person could ask for. Mount Pleasant and the university (is) a great place to live, and I certainly enjoyed our time here.
