Memories of perfection
By Tim Gallagher, Journal staff writer | Posted: Sunday, February 03, 2008
Vern Den Herder, 59, of Sioux Center, Iowa, is shown with his ring from Super Bowl VII. The Dolphins beat the Redskins, 14-7, to finish an undefeated season, the first and only -- to this point -- undefeated campaign in NFL history. (Photo by Tim Gallagher)
SIOUX CENTER, Iowa -- Miami Dolphins' Bill Stanfill and Vern Den Herder ended Super Bowl VII by sacking Washington Redskins quarterback Billy Kilmer.
'Twas a fitting end for the National Football League's lone undefeated season. Two members of the "No Name Defense" combined to crush a legend, putting a stamp on league history.
"We knocked his helmet off," said Den Herder, a Sioux Center native who resides in his hometown. "That play kind of signified our season."
Much has been made of that perfect 1972 campaign. You'll hear about it today as the New England Patriots attempt to become the second team to finish an NFL season without a loss. The Patriots play the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII, which starts at 5:17 p.m.
Will Den Herder mind sharing his team's record of perfection with another squad? That's what I wanted to know. It prompted me to show up uninvited on Den Herder's doorstep Wednesday afternoon. I rang the lower of two doorbell buttons. You need two when one of the home's occupants is 6 feet 6 inches tall.
Den Herder, wearing jeans and flannel shirt, looked down on me and laughed when I told him I don't often make "cold calls" like this.
"Sure you don't!" he said sarcastically.
Then the man who turned down several recent interview requests from national and regional media outlets invited me in. We talked for 90 minutes in his living room, an area adorned with family photos, Christmas decorations and not one reminder of the NFL.
Of course, we talked football. I sensed it had been a while since he did.
"Am I proud of what we did in going 17-0?" Den Herder asked. "Of course I am. There's immense pride in having done that. And if the Patriots win on Sunday, I'll congratulate them on going undefeated.
"And I'll still be proud of what we did."
To me, that storyline became secondary. I'd heard enough of it. So had Den Herder, who bristles when his Dolphins are portrayed as old men hanging on to past glory, not wanting to share perfection. Den Herder said his teammates are simply proud of what they accomplished and, to a man, they're successful in their post-football lives, working as attorneys, business owners, broadcasters and, yes, a farmer.
For the record, Den Herder, the farmer of the bunch, looked years younger than I envisioned. A rickety old football player? Hardly. He appeared 39, not 59.
Central, not Nebraska
Vern Den Herder, the son of the late Alvin and Katherine Den Herder watched and played sandlot football as a boy in this Sioux County community. His first love, however, was basketball as Sioux Center High School didn't have a football team until the fall of his sophomore year, 1964.
His size, competitive nature and sharp mind made Den Herder a force on both the gridiron and basketball court. As a senior in 1967, he considered a football scholarship from the University of Nebraska and a basketball scholarship from both Iowa State University and Drake University.
He chose tiny Central College in Pella, Iowa.
"My desire from the time I was in junior high was to be a veterinarian," he said. "And I wanted to go to veterinary school after four years of college. I also wanted to play both basketball and football."
The big colleges wouldn't allow him to play both. So Den Herder headed to Central, which boasted a top-flight science curriculum. He starred in both sports for the Flying Dutchmen and still holds conference basketball records in rebounding.
The spring of his senior year, 1971, the Miami Dolphins drafted the defensive end in the ninth round. He had a choice: Vet school or football?
In mid-summer he married Diane Norman, a Central classmate from Fulton, Ill. Together, they decided he would give football training camp a try as he waited to gain admission into the veterinary science program at Iowa State.
Two weeks before the Dolphins trimmed their roster for the final time, the dean of the veterinary school at Iowa State called to ask Den Herder if he would enroll.
"I had already survived a couple of cuts with the team," he said. "I didn't know if I could live with myself knowing I had come so close and not given it my best shot. So, I gave up my spot at veterinary school."
Two weeks later he made the team and negotiated his first NFL contract, signing for a $14,000 salary and a $1,000 cash bonus.
"Thank goodness we did well in the playoffs that year because my shares of the playoff victories more than doubled my salary," he said.
A 'Super' loss
His rookie season ended with a loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl VI. On the airplane home from the Super Bowl, Coach Don Shula spoke with Den Herder, advising him to get stronger and improve his pass-rushing technique to consistently contribute.
Den Herder followed Shula's instruction and earned a starting assignment when veterans Jim Riley and Bob Heinz suffered injuries the following fall. As the Dolphins' victories piled up, so did Den Herder's sack production. He led the team in quarterback sacks in 1972 with 10.5, earning all-pro accolades for a team that finished the regular season with a spotless 14-0 mark. His 1972 salary came to $16,000.
More important, the Dolphins won two playoff games and earned a repeat berth in Super Bowl VII.
That "No Name Defense" comprised of people like Den Herder stymied the Redskins in the Super Bowl. The Redskins' only touchdown that day came on a botched field goal by the Dolphins. Shula's team prevailed 14-7 when Den Herder helped sack Kilmer as the final gun sounded.
Still wears the ring
Den Herder still wears his first Super Bowl title ring, which features 16 diamonds on the outside, one for each victory leading up to the Super Bowl. A giant diamond in the middle symbolizes the Super Bowl triumph.
The ring bears his name, his jersey No. 83, the words "Perfect Season" and "Winning Edge," the motto Shula used for the team.
The Dolphins repeated as Super Bowl champs the following year, knocking off the Minnesota Vikings in Houston. Den Herder remained a Dolphin for 12 seasons, ending his career in a loss against the Washington Redskins in the 1983 Super Bowl.
Back to Sioux Center
Den Herder, then 34, retired from football, came back to Sioux Center, bought a house (the one he and Diane still live in) and became part-owner of a cattle feeding operation.
That following spring he began farming full time on land he bought during his playing days.
"I planted corn that first spring and had never done it before," said Den Herder, whose father toiled in the trucking trade. "Planting went real slow that spring because I kept getting down off the tractor to see if the seeds were going in the soil the way they were supposed to."
That fall, he showed up at an implement dealership and bought a combine. He drove it off the lot and back to the farm. It was the first time he'd ever driven a combine.
That anecdote comes with a laugh that often accompanies a story. He and Diane raised two children (they wanted to raise their kids in the Midwest, not Miami) and now have three grandchildren. The former cattle feeder got out of the livestock business in 2001 and now raises crops only. Diane teaches biology at Sioux Center High School.
His health? "Other than some occasional neck pain, I feel fine," he said.
Church night tonight
And while he loved playing football and is thankful for his piece of American sports history, Vern Den Herder doesn't sit around reliving the glory days of three decades past. The man who put the combine in "Drive" following football still looks ahead, raving about Sioux County's progressive business climate and pondering what can be done for aging football players who cannot purchase health insurance. He recently traveled to Minneapolis to appear at a benefit for former Minnesota Vikings star Wally Hilgenberg, a native Iowan who suffers with Lou Gehrig's disease.
Football was a big part of this big man's life. It is now a passing interest, something to watch occasionally each fall before harvest.
Will the two-time Super Bowl champion watch today's game?
"I'll watch some of it," Den Herder said, looking at two action photos of him from the 1973 title game. "But if I have other things to do, I'll do them."
He and Diane will likely attend a service at First Reformed Church this evening, part of their Sunday routine.
The snow continued to fall softly outside, covering the front walk at Den Herder's house. In minutes, Den Herder said, he'd be off to the high school to pick up his wife. Temps that morning had dipped to 8 below zero, so he gave her a ride to school.
Seeing it was time to go, I thanked this Northwest Iowa legend for taking time to see me. I apologized again for showing up on his doorstep in the middle of the afternoon.
Any skepticism he had initially was long gone, thank goodness.
"I'm glad you did," he said with a smile and sincere handshake. "I really enjoyed it."
So did I.
'Twas a fitting end for the National Football League's lone undefeated season. Two members of the "No Name Defense" combined to crush a legend, putting a stamp on league history.
"We knocked his helmet off," said Den Herder, a Sioux Center native who resides in his hometown. "That play kind of signified our season."
Much has been made of that perfect 1972 campaign. You'll hear about it today as the New England Patriots attempt to become the second team to finish an NFL season without a loss. The Patriots play the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII, which starts at 5:17 p.m.
Will Den Herder mind sharing his team's record of perfection with another squad? That's what I wanted to know. It prompted me to show up uninvited on Den Herder's doorstep Wednesday afternoon. I rang the lower of two doorbell buttons. You need two when one of the home's occupants is 6 feet 6 inches tall.
Den Herder, wearing jeans and flannel shirt, looked down on me and laughed when I told him I don't often make "cold calls" like this.
"Sure you don't!" he said sarcastically.
Then the man who turned down several recent interview requests from national and regional media outlets invited me in. We talked for 90 minutes in his living room, an area adorned with family photos, Christmas decorations and not one reminder of the NFL.
Of course, we talked football. I sensed it had been a while since he did.
"Am I proud of what we did in going 17-0?" Den Herder asked. "Of course I am. There's immense pride in having done that. And if the Patriots win on Sunday, I'll congratulate them on going undefeated.
"And I'll still be proud of what we did."
To me, that storyline became secondary. I'd heard enough of it. So had Den Herder, who bristles when his Dolphins are portrayed as old men hanging on to past glory, not wanting to share perfection. Den Herder said his teammates are simply proud of what they accomplished and, to a man, they're successful in their post-football lives, working as attorneys, business owners, broadcasters and, yes, a farmer.
For the record, Den Herder, the farmer of the bunch, looked years younger than I envisioned. A rickety old football player? Hardly. He appeared 39, not 59.
Central, not Nebraska
Vern Den Herder, the son of the late Alvin and Katherine Den Herder watched and played sandlot football as a boy in this Sioux County community. His first love, however, was basketball as Sioux Center High School didn't have a football team until the fall of his sophomore year, 1964.
His size, competitive nature and sharp mind made Den Herder a force on both the gridiron and basketball court. As a senior in 1967, he considered a football scholarship from the University of Nebraska and a basketball scholarship from both Iowa State University and Drake University.
He chose tiny Central College in Pella, Iowa.
"My desire from the time I was in junior high was to be a veterinarian," he said. "And I wanted to go to veterinary school after four years of college. I also wanted to play both basketball and football."
The big colleges wouldn't allow him to play both. So Den Herder headed to Central, which boasted a top-flight science curriculum. He starred in both sports for the Flying Dutchmen and still holds conference basketball records in rebounding.
The spring of his senior year, 1971, the Miami Dolphins drafted the defensive end in the ninth round. He had a choice: Vet school or football?
In mid-summer he married Diane Norman, a Central classmate from Fulton, Ill. Together, they decided he would give football training camp a try as he waited to gain admission into the veterinary science program at Iowa State.
Two weeks before the Dolphins trimmed their roster for the final time, the dean of the veterinary school at Iowa State called to ask Den Herder if he would enroll.
"I had already survived a couple of cuts with the team," he said. "I didn't know if I could live with myself knowing I had come so close and not given it my best shot. So, I gave up my spot at veterinary school."
Two weeks later he made the team and negotiated his first NFL contract, signing for a $14,000 salary and a $1,000 cash bonus.
"Thank goodness we did well in the playoffs that year because my shares of the playoff victories more than doubled my salary," he said.
A 'Super' loss
His rookie season ended with a loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl VI. On the airplane home from the Super Bowl, Coach Don Shula spoke with Den Herder, advising him to get stronger and improve his pass-rushing technique to consistently contribute.
Den Herder followed Shula's instruction and earned a starting assignment when veterans Jim Riley and Bob Heinz suffered injuries the following fall. As the Dolphins' victories piled up, so did Den Herder's sack production. He led the team in quarterback sacks in 1972 with 10.5, earning all-pro accolades for a team that finished the regular season with a spotless 14-0 mark. His 1972 salary came to $16,000.
More important, the Dolphins won two playoff games and earned a repeat berth in Super Bowl VII.
That "No Name Defense" comprised of people like Den Herder stymied the Redskins in the Super Bowl. The Redskins' only touchdown that day came on a botched field goal by the Dolphins. Shula's team prevailed 14-7 when Den Herder helped sack Kilmer as the final gun sounded.
Still wears the ring
Den Herder still wears his first Super Bowl title ring, which features 16 diamonds on the outside, one for each victory leading up to the Super Bowl. A giant diamond in the middle symbolizes the Super Bowl triumph.
The ring bears his name, his jersey No. 83, the words "Perfect Season" and "Winning Edge," the motto Shula used for the team.
The Dolphins repeated as Super Bowl champs the following year, knocking off the Minnesota Vikings in Houston. Den Herder remained a Dolphin for 12 seasons, ending his career in a loss against the Washington Redskins in the 1983 Super Bowl.
Back to Sioux Center
Den Herder, then 34, retired from football, came back to Sioux Center, bought a house (the one he and Diane still live in) and became part-owner of a cattle feeding operation.
That following spring he began farming full time on land he bought during his playing days.
"I planted corn that first spring and had never done it before," said Den Herder, whose father toiled in the trucking trade. "Planting went real slow that spring because I kept getting down off the tractor to see if the seeds were going in the soil the way they were supposed to."
That fall, he showed up at an implement dealership and bought a combine. He drove it off the lot and back to the farm. It was the first time he'd ever driven a combine.
That anecdote comes with a laugh that often accompanies a story. He and Diane raised two children (they wanted to raise their kids in the Midwest, not Miami) and now have three grandchildren. The former cattle feeder got out of the livestock business in 2001 and now raises crops only. Diane teaches biology at Sioux Center High School.
His health? "Other than some occasional neck pain, I feel fine," he said.
Church night tonight
And while he loved playing football and is thankful for his piece of American sports history, Vern Den Herder doesn't sit around reliving the glory days of three decades past. The man who put the combine in "Drive" following football still looks ahead, raving about Sioux County's progressive business climate and pondering what can be done for aging football players who cannot purchase health insurance. He recently traveled to Minneapolis to appear at a benefit for former Minnesota Vikings star Wally Hilgenberg, a native Iowan who suffers with Lou Gehrig's disease.
Football was a big part of this big man's life. It is now a passing interest, something to watch occasionally each fall before harvest.
Will the two-time Super Bowl champion watch today's game?
"I'll watch some of it," Den Herder said, looking at two action photos of him from the 1973 title game. "But if I have other things to do, I'll do them."
He and Diane will likely attend a service at First Reformed Church this evening, part of their Sunday routine.
The snow continued to fall softly outside, covering the front walk at Den Herder's house. In minutes, Den Herder said, he'd be off to the high school to pick up his wife. Temps that morning had dipped to 8 below zero, so he gave her a ride to school.
Seeing it was time to go, I thanked this Northwest Iowa legend for taking time to see me. I apologized again for showing up on his doorstep in the middle of the afternoon.
Any skepticism he had initially was long gone, thank goodness.
"I'm glad you did," he said with a smile and sincere handshake. "I really enjoyed it."
So did I.
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