Central College Athletics

Vern Den Herder '71
Football, men's basketball

Den Herder played 13 years as a defensive end for the NFL's Miami Dolphins (1971-83).

The Sioux Center, Iowa native turned down a Division I basketball scholarship to play both football and basketball while majoring in chemistry at Central College. Den Herder had played only one year of high school football, but earned all-America honors in 1969 and 1970. Den Herder was also a four-year starter in basketball, setting the career school scoring record and every rebounding record in the book, including an amazing 29 in one game.

Den Herder passed up an opportunity to attend veterinary school to play for the Dolphins, where he became a key component of the famed "No-Name Defense," which helped Miami post a perfect 17-0 record in winning the 1972 NFL crown. He was one of the first two NCAA Division III players ever inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1996.