Vern Den Herder
Encyclopedia
Vern Wayne Den Herder was an American football
player who played twelve seasons for the Miami Dolphins
of the NFL. He played in three Super Bowls for the Dolphins. In 1996 he was selected to the College Football Hall of Fame
.
. There was no football team his first two years but he was a star in his junior and senior
seasons. He was a star in basketball
and added football his last two years.
, because of its reputation for education in sciences and its affiliation with the Reformed Church in America
. He was graduated cum laude with a major in chemistry
. At 6 in 6 in (198.12 cm) in height, he was the starting center
on Central's basketball team for four years and set the school scoring record. He played defensive end
in football. CBS
anchorman Harry Smith
was a teammate.
Den Herder made All-Iowa Conference in 1968, 1969, and 1970. In 1970, his senior season, he was team captain, Iowa Conference MVP
, and was named All-America
, college division, by the NAIA, the Football Coaches Association, and the Associated Press
. Furthermore he was coached by the late Ron Schipper
, himself a College Football Hall of Fame
r, at Central Iowa.
for most sacks in a single game with 5, as Stanfill had recently surpassed the previous total just two weeks earlier. Also, he unofficially led the Dolphins in sacks during the 1978 and 1979 seasons with 9. His unofficial total of 64½ sacks ranks fourth on the Dolphins sack list. In addition to his five-sack game in 1973, Den Herder recorded two four-sack games (September 22, 1974, at Buffalo Bills) and (November 11, 1979, vs. Baltimore Colts). He was voted by the NEA as the Dolphins MVP in 1979.
Coach Don Shula
called him "one of the most dependable players I've ever coached."
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player who played twelve seasons for the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
of the NFL. He played in three Super Bowls for the Dolphins. In 1996 he was selected to the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
.
High school
Den Herder attended high school in Sioux Center, IowaSioux Center, Iowa
Sioux Center is a city in Sioux County, Iowa, United States. The population was 6,002 at the 2000 census; a special census in 2005 counted 6,327 residents. The first report of Sioux Center's population from the 2010 census is 7,048...
. There was no football team his first two years but he was a star in his junior and senior
Senior Year
Senior Year can refer to:* Senior ; the final year in high school or college* Senior Year , the 2010 film by Filipino director Jerrold Tarog* The Lockheed U-2...
seasons. He was a star in basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and added football his last two years.
College career
Den Herder chose Central College at Pella, IowaPella, Iowa
Pella is a city in Marion County, Iowa, United States. The population was 9,832 at the 2000 census. Pella is the home of Central College as well as several manufacturing companies, including Pella Corporation and Vermeer Manufacturing Company.- History :...
, because of its reputation for education in sciences and its affiliation with the Reformed Church in America
Reformed Church in America
The Reformed Church in America is a mainline Reformed Protestant denomination in Canada and the United States. It has about 170,000 members, with the total declining in recent decades. From its beginning in 1628 until 1819, it was the North American branch of the Dutch Reformed Church. In 1819, it...
. He was graduated cum laude with a major in chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
. At 6 in 6 in (198.12 cm) in height, he was the starting center
Center (basketball)
The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well...
on Central's basketball team for four years and set the school scoring record. He played defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
in football. CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
anchorman Harry Smith
Harry Smith
Harry Smith may refer to:* Sir Harry Smith, 1st Baronet , British soldier* Harry Smith , British politician in Falkirk Burghs* Harry Smith , Canadian* Harry B...
was a teammate.
Den Herder made All-Iowa Conference in 1968, 1969, and 1970. In 1970, his senior season, he was team captain, Iowa Conference MVP
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
, and was named All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
, college division, by the NAIA, the Football Coaches Association, and the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
. Furthermore he was coached by the late Ron Schipper
Ron Schipper
Ron "Skip" Schipper was an American college football coach at Central College in Pella, Iowa from 1961 to 1996....
, himself a College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
r, at Central Iowa.
NFL career
As the NFL did not officially maintain sack records until 1982, he unofficially led the Dolphins in sacks in 1972 with 10½; Den Herder also unofficially led team in 1975 with a career high 11 sacks. He was named All-AFC in 1972 and went to Pro Bowl in 1973. In October 1973, he unofficially tied Bill StanfillBill Stanfill
William Thomas Stanfill is a former defensive end for the Miami Dolphins of the American Football League and then the NFL after the AFL-NFL merger of 1970.-High school years:...
for most sacks in a single game with 5, as Stanfill had recently surpassed the previous total just two weeks earlier. Also, he unofficially led the Dolphins in sacks during the 1978 and 1979 seasons with 9. His unofficial total of 64½ sacks ranks fourth on the Dolphins sack list. In addition to his five-sack game in 1973, Den Herder recorded two four-sack games (September 22, 1974, at Buffalo Bills) and (November 11, 1979, vs. Baltimore Colts). He was voted by the NEA as the Dolphins MVP in 1979.
Coach Don Shula
Don Shula
Donald Francis "Don" Shula is a former American football cornerback and coach.He is best known as coach of the Miami Dolphins, the team he led to two Super Bowl victories, and to the National Football League's only perfect season. Shula was named 1993 Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated....
called him "one of the most dependable players I've ever coached."