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1982 Regular Season
Chippewas vs. Indiana State |
Herb Deromedi was in his fifth season as head coach of Central Michigan Chippewas football in 1982, well on his way to becoming the program's winningest head coach. After a four-year stretch (1977-80), in which the Chippewas went 38-5-1 (30-4-1 MAC) and won two Mid-American Conference titles, Central slipped to 7-4 in 1981. 1982 was more of the same, as the Chippewas finished the 1982 season at 6-4-1 (5-3-1 MAC), finishing in fourth place in the conference.
Central's offense scored 228 points that season, ranked 58th in the nation with an average of 20.7 points per game. In an era where passing wasn't as prominent as in today's game, CMU's passing numbers were modest. Quarterback Bob DeMarco, a junior from Monroe, Michigan, led the team in passing, with 1,113 yards, 6 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Kermit Pitts was the backup that season. The sophomore from Flint Northern had 28 completions in 50 attempts for 376 yards and 2 touchdowns. The top two receivers were Jaime Jackson, senior from Troy, with 412 receiving yards on 23 receptions and 3 touchdowns. Stephen Jones, senior from Flint Beecher, had 20 catches for 340 yards and 2 touchdowns.
It was the ground game where Central got most of it's offensive production. The Chippewa ground attack was led by Curtis Adams. The sophomore runningback from Orchard View High in Muskegon led the running game with 1090 yards on 204 attempts for a 5.3 yards per carry average and 10 touchdowns. Fullback Mark Birnbaum, senior from Saginaw Swan Valley High, had 283 yards on 90 attempts and 2 touchdowns. Sophomore Tony Jones from Ypsilanti had 271 yards on 59 attempts and a touchdown. LaBron Oldham, junior from Ferndale, had 252 yards on 90 attempts.
On special teams, Novo Bojovic was 25-for-25 on extra points and 11-for-20 on field goals with 58 points. Dan Cawthorn averaged 33 yards per punt in 11 games, while Doug Roberts averaged 34 yards per punt in 7 games.
Central's defense was stronger, ranked 36th in the nation, as they allowed 189 points for a 18.1 per game average. Hudsonville senior Ray Bentley, in his final season in Maroon and Gold, had 5 interceptions on the season, returning one for a touchdown and was named the team's Most Valuable Player. Defensive back Jim Bowman had 5 picks as well for 33 yards. As a group, CMU had 20 interceptions.
All-MAC honors went to Curtis Adams, Ray Bentley and offensive guard Chris McKay.
This is a profile of Bentley, found on page 25. It's autographed, and there are numerous autographs throughout this program. Bentley would go on to a long professional career. He first played three seasons in the USFL, the first two with the Michigan Panthers. In 1983, the Panthers won the first USFL Championship, which remains the last professional football title in the state of Michigan. After the USFL folded, Bentley then played from 1986-91 with the Buffalo Bills, then concluded his pro career with the Cincinnati Bengals in 1992. Bentley was elected to the Central Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 1994. He currently is involved in high school football, is a TV analyst and is the author of children's books.
This is the roster for the Chippewas in 1982. Along with Bentley, Curtis Adams went on to play several seasons in the NFL. He was drafted in the 8th round of the 1985 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers. Adams went on to play four years with the Chargers. He had 907 rushing yards in 27 games and 7 touchdowns, and 76 receiving yards. Adams was elected to the Central Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 1995.
Kicker Novo Bojovic was Bentley's teammate in college and the pros The Titograd, Yugoslavia native immigrated to the United States when he was 14 and he attended high school at Hamtramck High. After his collegiate career, Bojovic signed with the Michigan Panthers, winning the 1983 USFL championship, and played with the franchise through it's 1985 merger with the Oakland Invaders. After a brief run with the St. Louis Cardinals, Bojovic then signed with the Detroit Drive of the Arena Football league, winning four Arena Bowl titles.
Jim Bowman was drafted in the second round of the 1985 draft by the New England Patriots. He was part of the 1985 AFC Champion Patriots team, and ended up playing four seasons in New England.
Head Coach Herb Deromedi would go on to coach the Chippewas through the 1993 season, retiring as the winningest coach in MAC history (since passed by Ohio's Frank Solich). After stepping down as coach, Deromedi was named Athletic Director at Central Michigan, a position he held through 2006. From 2016-19, he was part of the College Football Playoff Selection Committee. In 2007, he was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame. Recently, the field at Kelly-Shorts Stadium has been christened "Kramer/Deromedi Field" in honor of both Deromedi and Roy Kramer.
This program is 64 pages long, and is from the team's home opener against the Indiana State Sycamores. The Chippewas won this game, 35-10, in front of 15,822 at Perry Shorts Stadium. The original owner of this program must have attended a Meet the Players event, as it has numerous autographs on it, including from Bentley, Bojovic, DeMarco, Adams and Coach Deromedi. It also includes a poster featuring DeMarco and with "Chippewa Pride Pass It On" on it. There's also this sticker. The spear and feather on the helmet is almost identical to what the Washington Redskins had on their helmets in the 1960s. It will remain through the 1988 season, when it was retired as the school began to eliminate all stereotypical images while keeping the Chippewas name.
Local advertisements include C&O Sportswear (a must visit if you're in Mt. Pleasant), Dean Burger Sales and Service, The Doherty Motor Hotel, The Clock Fine Family Restaurant, and Dino's Pizza.
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