Central College Athletics

Mike Stumberg '89
Football

Stumberg ranks among the most dominant defensive players in Central's storied football history. He arrived at Central undersized but with a rare mix of strength and a sprinter's speed that made him a nightmare for pass protectors. A defensive end as a freshman, Stumberg moved to a starting spot at defensive tackle the following year and eventually developed into a 6-foot-2, 230-pound nose guard as a senior in 1988.

Stumberg shattered Central's pass sacks records with numbers that have not been even approached since, posting 65 career sacks (solo and assisted sacks were not distinguished at the time), including 28 in 1987 and 24 in 1988. He had 296 tackles overall, with 102 in 1987 and 109 in 1988, making a record 37 tackles for loss in 1987 with 85 career tackles for loss. He twice notched a record five sacks in one game and made seven tackles for loss against Luther College in 1987.

A nominee for Domino's Division III Player of the Year Ward in 1988, he was a consensus all-America pick, landing on teams chosen by the American Football Coaches Association, the Associated Press, Football News and Pizza Hut. He was the Iowa Conference MVP as well as a three-time first-team all-conference pick. A Central co-captain in 1988, he received the O'Donnell Award as the team's top freshman in 1985, the Lankelma Award as the team's outstanding underclass player in 1986 and the Heerema-Schilder Blanket as team MVP in 1987 and 1988.

Stumberg was a member of four NCAA playoff teams and three conference championship squads. The Dutch were 44-6 during his career with only two regular-season losses in that span, posting four straight 11-win seasons and a 29-2 league mark.

He helped lead Central to three 1988 playoff wins and a berth in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl game in Phenix City, Alabama, where the Dutch dropped the title game to Ithaca College (N.Y.). The Dutch reached the national semifinals in 1985 and 1987. He is the third member of those squads to enter Central's Athletics Hall of Honor, joining wide receiver Rick Perry '89 and linebacker Scott Lindell '87.

Following graduation, he signed a free-agent contract with the NFL's Seattle Seahawks but after a promising start suffered an injury during training camp, ending his playing career.

Stumberg returned to the national championship field Jan. 8, 2018 as a member of the officiating crew for the College Football Playoff finale in Atlanta featuring the University of Alabama and the University of Georgia. He was an Iowa Conference official from 1997-2001 before working in the Missouri Valley (2002-11) and the Mid-American Conference (2012-13). Since 2014 he has served as a Big 10 Conference official. He worked the 2015 Big 10 title game and has officiated six major bowl games, including the Cheez-It Bowl in Phoenix last December.

He also serves as a claims manager for Nationwide Insurance and lives in his hometown of Grundy Center.