MOUNT PLEASANT – Former Central Michigan University head football coach and director of athletics Herb Deromedi has been elected to the College Football Hall of Fame.

Deromedi will be honored at the National Football Foundation’s 50th Annual Awards Dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City on December 4. He will formally be enshrined at the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind. in July 2008.

“My first reaction was simply, 'Wow,'" Deromedi said. "I am humbled, honored and proud to receive this honor. I’m proud to be included among an elite group of coaches who have distinguished themselves through their commitment and achievements in the profession. To be recognized as a part of the history of intercollegiate football is a special thing.

“There are so many people I need to thank: Central Michigan University for giving me an opportunity, my assistant coaches who I always felt were partners in the program, all the players and my wife Marilyn, who has been with me the whole time and supported me while I had the chance to do something that I loved.”

Deromedi is one of 14 members of the 2007 induction class. He is the first representative of CMU to be elected to the College Football Hall of Fame and the second head coach to be recognized primarily for his work in the Mid-American Conference (Doyt Perry, Bowling Green, 1955-64).

Two individuals who played in the MAC have been enshrined in South Bend: Toledo defensive tackle Mel Long (1969-71) and Miami linebacker Bob Babich (1966-68). Other coaches in the hall who had served as head coaches in the MAC include Woody Hayes (Miami, 1949-50), Ara Parseghian (Miami, 1951-55), Bo Schembechler (Miami 1963-68), Don Nehlen (Bowling Green, 1968-76) and Don James (Kent State, 1971-74).

The College Football Hall of Fame numbers just over 800 members. Only 173 coaches are currently enshrined.

Deromedi (110-55-10 overall) is the winningest coach in both CMU and MAC history. His 90 MAC wins are also a conference record. He guided the Chippewas to three MAC titles during his 16-year tenure and was twice named MAC Coach of the Year. When he left CMU’s sideline, Deromedi ranked 15th nationally among active coaches in terms of winning percentage (.657).

Deromedi joined Roy Kramer’s staff at CMU as an assistant in 1967. He was promoted to defensive coordinator in 1969, a position he held when the Chippewas won the NCAA Division II national championship in 1974.

Deromedi succeeded Kramer as head coach in 1978, becoming the 16th head football coach in school history. He served as head coach at CMU from 1978-93, leading the Chippewas to MAC titles in 1979, 1980 and 1990. He was named MAC Coach of the Year in 1980 and 1990 and is the only coach to win a MAC title in three different decades.

Two of the most significant wins in school history came with Deromedi on the sideline. He oversaw CMU’s 20-3 win at No. 18 Michigan State in 1991, then returned to East Lansing and led the Chippewas to a 24-20 win over the Spartans in 1992.

A total of 71 Chippewas earned All-MAC first team honors under Deromedi, including future NFL players Curtis Adams, Ray Bentley, Jim Bowman, Brock Gutierrez, Gary Hogeboom, Robert Jackson and Scott Rehberg.

Deromedi has served on the NCAA Football Rules Committee (chair in 2003), the Michigan Chapter of the National Football Foundation, the NCAA Division I Strategic Planning Cabinet and the NCAA Football Issues Committee.

He is a member of the Royal Oak High School Hall of Fame, the Central Michigan University Athletic Hall of Fame and the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame.

Deromedi’s 10 years as director of athletics at CMU were highlighted by an extensive upgrade of the campus’s athletic facilities. CMU won a total of 34 MAC championships during his tenure and claimed the MAC Institutional Academic Achievement Award eight times in a nine-year span.


2007 Football Bowl Subdivision College Football Hall of Fame Class