Central’s Stumberg to officiate football title game

Central Dutch Athletics

PELLA — Former Central College all-American defensive lineman Mike Stumberg ’89 will serve on the officiating crew for the College Football Playoff National Championship in Atlanta Jan. 8.

The Grundy Center native is in his fourth year as an official in the Big 10 Conference.

It marks the fourth time that a Central graduate has officiated the national title contest. Veteran Big 12 official Brad Van Vark ’78 of Pella was on the field for the 2015 CFP championship contest in Arlington, Texas as well as a pair of Bowl Championship Series finals: the 2012 BCS game featuring LSU-Alabama in New Orleans and the 2003 Ohio State-Miami double-overtime classic in Tempe, Arizona. Van Vark served as a back judge or side judge in those games but is now a referee. He’ll work the Foster Farms Bowl in Santa Clara, California Dec. 27, which features Arizona and Purdue. It’s his 18th consecutive postseason assignment.

Stumberg previously officiated the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas (2012), the Heart of Dallas Bowl (2013), the Orange Bowl (2014), the Big 10 title game (2015) and the Russell Athletic Bowl (2016).

Earlier, Stumberg served as an official with the Mid-American Conference (2012-13), the Missouri Valley (2002-11) and the Iowa Conference (1997-2001).

At Central, Stumberg was a consensus all-America pick and NCAA Division III player of the year award finalist in 1988 after helping lead the Dutch to the title game at the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl in Phenix City, Alabama, where they lost to Ithaca (N.Y.). The 1988 Iowa Conference MVP was a three-time first-team all-league honoree and helped Central compile a 44-5 record over four seasons, including a 37-2 regular-season mark.

He still holds Central records for season sacks (24), career sacks (65), season tackles for loss (27) and career tackles for loss (85).