Central Michigan University Athletics
Find Out What's Happened to the 1974 CMU Football Team
10/7/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 7, 2004
Editor's Note: The CMU sports information staff made an attempt to contact every member of the 1974 Division II championship football team. This is what we came up with:
Chris Allen, assistant coach/offensive line
Chris lives in Long Beach, Cal., and is retired. He and wife, Nancy, have been married for 45 years and they have two children. Following CMU, he coached at Ball State, Arizona, Southern California, Wake Forest, NFL Europe and the XFL. He enjoys reading, doing NFL evaluations and playing golf.
Gary Baginski, TB, 6-0, 185, Sr.
Scott Belt, OG, 6-4, 235, Sr.
Currently in his seventh year as Superintendent of Schools for Port Hope (MI) Community Schools. He and wife, Maureen, have been married for 33 years and have two sons, Justin (who was born on Nov. 2, 1972, the Thursday before our first game ever at Perry Shorts Stadium), and Derk (27) and two grandchildren.
Mark Bennett, DE, 6-3, 205, Sr.
Mark lives in Newport Richey, Fla., where he is an independent real estate contractor. He and his wife of 21 years, Debbie, have three daughters. He likes to swim and exercise in his spare time.
Henry Binkowski, DT, 6-2, 220, Jr.
Hank lives in Edmond, Okla., where he owns 10 Buy-For-Less grocery stores. He's traveled Europe extensively and enjoys spending time with his daughter and working out.
Robert Blair, TE, 6-5, 215, Sr.
Robert lives in Fraser and is the principal at Warren Lincoln High School. He and wife, Beverly, have been married for 29 years and we have three sons. His oldest son Jesse, was a wide receiver for the CMU from 1999-2002.
Stephan Bograkos, DB, 5-11, 170, Sr.
Steve lives in Denver, Colo., where he owns a beverage catering business. He and wife, Debbi, have been married for 21 years and have two teenage daughters. He enjoys playing golf in his free time.
Jim Bone, MG, 5-11, 205, Fr.
Jimmy Bonnell, DB, 6-1, 190, Fr.
Jack Brady, C, 6-2, 215, So.
Jack and his wife, Denise, live in Harrison Township where he is self-employed.
Victor Brown, LB, 6-1, 200, Jr.
Teaches English in Saudi Arabia.
Timothy Cashen, TB, 6-0, 180, Jr.
Edward Clark, C, 6-2, 195, So.
Curtis Clemens, OT, 6-6, 245, So.
Curtis lives in Grand Rapids where he is the president and owner of two businesses, Sunshine Systems Inc., and Blythefield Memory Gardens.
Jim Cole, graduate assistant
Jim has been coaching at Alma College for 23 years, the last 14 as the head coach. His teams won MIAA crowns in 1999 and 2002. He also returned to CMU in 1990 as a volunteer coach and helped the Chippewas win the MAC title.
Jerry Crews, MB, 6-0, 190, So.
Jerry lives in Birmingham, Mich., and works for Viking Appraisal.
Robert Crooks, OT, 6-2, 230, Sr.
Robert lives in Irvine, Cal., where he is a sales rep for Ricoh. He has two children, one a daughter who attends UCLA.
Bob Crowell, DL, 6-7, 240, Fr.
Bob and his wife, Patrice, live in Farmington Hills where he is an interior design consultant at Art Van. They have four children -- Robert (32), Elizabeth (30), Eric (30) and Michael (21).
J.M. Cvengros, UB, 6-1, 198, Fr.
John Decker, graduate assistant
Ed Demuth, OL, 6-4, 230, Fr.
Herb Deromedi, defensive coordinator
The winningest coach in Mid-American Conference history with a 16-year record of 110-55-10, Deromedi has been CMU's athletics director for the past 10 years and is responsible for the vast improvement of the Chippewa facilities. Herb and wife, Marilyn, live in Mount Pleasant.
Greg Drypen, QB, 5-11, 175, Fr.
Richard Dunham, UB, 6-2, 210, So.
Dick lives in Williamston and is the Superintendent of the Laingsburg Community Schools. He was also an assistant coach at Albion College when it won the Division III National Championship in 1994. He and his wife, Sheila, have two children -- Sara Joblonski (28) and Lisa Dunham (26).
Mike Ennis, manager
Paul Pleszar. DB, 6-0, 175, So.
Paul and his wife, Sheri, live in Rancho Mirage, Cal. He is the president/owner of Par-Tee Golf. They have two children -- Olivia (12) and Christian (6).
Dr. William Fishbaugh, team physician
William lives in Charlotee, N.C., with his wife, Maruerite. He is retired.
Lonnie Ford, SB, 6-4, 190, So.
Lonnie lives in Southfield and teaches art education in the Oak Park School District. He also serves as the middle school track coach at Detroit Country Day. He's currently working on a doctorate in education leadership and enjoys scuba diving. He has three children -- Nicodemus (28), Nadia (26) and Lonnie II (24).
John Fossen, SB, 6-1, 190, Jr.
John is a communications specialist with Ford Motor Company in Dearborn, and lives in Farmington Hills.
Mike Franckowiak, QB, 6-3, 215, Sr.
Long-time stockbroker in the New York City area.
Robert Fuller, TE, 6-5, 235, So.
Wesley Gamble, C, 6-0, 220, Jr.
Mike Gray, FB, 6-0, 185, Fr.
Larry Hall, DE, 6-2, 215, Fr.
Larry resides in Grand Haven with his wife, Doree, and two children.
Gene Harris, SE, 6-3, 195, Sr.
Gene lives in Lake Orion and is a sales manager for Illinois Tool Works. He has three grown daughters and enjoys working out in his spare time.
James Heethuis, LB, 6-0, 200, Sr.
Lives in Traverse City and for the past 25 years he has worked for Bristol-Myers Squibb as a executive sales manager.
Jerry Hodges, MG, 6-0, 210, So.
Jerry lives in Flint where he works in the surgical lounge at Hurley Hospital. He and wife, Mary, have a son, who is captain of the Flint Kearsley High football team, and a daughter.
Walter Hodges, TB, 6-0, 190, So.
Nicknamed "Smoke," Walter now lives in the Flint area where he works in construction. His fondest memories are of the camraderie of that team, how it put personal goals aside for the good of the group. Walter and his wife, Kristen, have five children -- Christopher (30), Carin (27), Kelley (25), Jessica (23) and Austin (21).
Robert Hollandsworth, OG, 6-3, 230, Sr.
Rob lives in St. Charles, Ill., where he is group vice-president for Dean Foods in the Midwest Region. He and his wife, Lorraine, have been married for 30 years and have two boys and a girl. His hobbies include golf and travelling.
Edward Jackman, UB, 6-1, 210, So.
Fred Jacobson, OT, 6-0, 230, Sr.
Fred is a retired school teacher (30 years in the L'Anse Cruese school system) who lives in St. Clair Shores. He coached football for 20 years at L'Anse Creuse North High and loves to bird hunt.
Jesse James, assistant coach/def. line
Jesse lives in Rock Island, Ill., where he is an insurance agent for State Farm. In his free time, he enjoys playing racquetball.
Michael Johnson, DL, 6-2, 208, Fr.
Michael is a school administrator for the Grand Ledge Public Schools. He received his doctor's degree from Michigan State, and likes to golf and run in his free time.
James Jones, DB, 6-2, 180, Jr.
Jim is currently a drafting and architect teacher at Saginaw Authur Hill High where he used to coach football, basketball and track. Jim and wife, Nancy, have been married for 30 years and they have three children -- Kristy (30), James (25) and Katie (22) -- and are expecting their second grandchild in December. In his spare time, Jim enjoys golfing.
Jesse Jones, DB, 6-1, 170, Sr.
Thomas Kangas, DE, 6-4, 220, Sr.
Thomas resides in Cadillac but winters in Arizona and Nevada. He's a retired high school administrator, coach and teacher who is currently pursuing a professional poker career.
Frederic Kenny, DB, 6-1, 190, So.
Frederic is a regional vice-president for Jefferson Pilot Financial in Muskegon.
John Kloc, OG, 6-2, 225, So.
Steve Knickerbocker, DB, 6-3, 197, Fr.
Steve lives in Cooper, Texas where he works at Home Depot in the kitchen design center. He enjoys spending time with his twin four-year-old sons.
Roy Kramer, head coach
After posting a record of 83-32-2 in 11 seasons as head coach at CMU, Kramer became the AD at Vanderbilt and eventually the commissioner of the Southeastern Conference. He's considered the father of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS). He is retired now and lives in the Knoxville, Tenn., area with his wife, Sara Jo.
Fred Kreger, DL, 6-3, 205, Fr.
Fred lives in Grosse Pointe Park. He is a general manager for VernDale Products, Inc. He and wife, Rhondi, have two children, Christa (24) and Justin (22).
Gregory Krogol, MG, 6-0, 215, So.
Dennis LaFleur, LB, 6-0, 205, Sr.
Denny lives in Mount Pleasant with his wife of 30 years, Kristi. He is a physical education teacher at West Middle School. He was an assistant football coach at CMU for 21 years and was the head coach at Mount Pleasant High for four years. He has two sons, Matt (a graduate assistant in football for CMU) and Mike (a QB for MPHS).
Peter Lefere, DB, 5-10, 165, So.
Peter is a supervisor in a shop plant, and he helps coach high school football. He and his wife, Nancy, have four children -- Erin (23), Conor (22), Alison (19) and Colleen (16).
Shawn McCarthy, SB, 5-10, 165, So.
Shawn works for Dow Chemical in Atlanta, Georgia.
James McColgan, manager
Jim lives in Grand Rapids where he is the CEO/owner of Source Right. He and wife, Kim, have two children -- Chloe (12) and Chandler (8).
Donald McNeal, OG, 6-3, 245, Sr.
Don and his wife, Kismet, live in Oak Park where he is a youth specialist/social worker at Oakland County's Children's Village. He enjoys fishing and church activities in his free time.
Matthew Means, SE, 6-5, 205, Sr.
Matt is a salesman and lives in Caledonia.
Mark Miller, TE, 6-2, 215, Jr.
Mark lives in Commerce Township and has been a residential builder for 26 years. He is the co-owner of a building company with his father in-law and enjoys playing golf, basketball and watching his daughters play sports. He and wife, Susie, have two children -- Kalle (22) and Tarrin (19).
Rick Millitello, LB, 6-1, 200, Fr.
Alex Moslimani, DB, 6-1, 175, Jr.
Rodney Murphy, DE, 6-0, 210, So.
John Neuman, DT, 6-3, 245, Jr.
Deceased
Richard Newsome, MG, 6-2, 220, Sr.
Rick is currently the Chief of Police in Trenton and has been with that police department for 29 years. He was inducted into the CMU Athletic Hall of Fame in 1994.
Don Peddie, assistant coach/offensive backs
Don resides in Mount Pleasant and teaches in the physical education and sport department at CMU. He's retired from coaching football after 31 seasons, including 16 at CMU (all 16 seasons at CMU resulted in winning records). He enjoys jogging and swimming in his free time.
Ted Plonkey, OG, 6-1, 225, So.
Dennis Proctor, SB, 6-3, 195, Sr.
Dennis lives in Haslett. He's a retired school teacher from the Perry school system. He and wife, Connie, have been married for 29 years and have two children. He enjoys woodworking, stainglass making, house building, weightlifting, traveling and mountain biking.
Thomas Ray, DB, 5-11, 175, Sr.
Thomas lives in Lakeland, Fla. He is the director of information services for Polk County Public Schools. He and wife, Donna, have been married for 24 years and they have four children. His hobbies include scuba diving, bike riding, exercising and golf.
Ronald Reardon, OT, 6-3, 245, Jr.
After spending many years in athletics at Sturgis High, Ron is now the athletic director at nearby Chippewa Hills High. His son, Josh, is a long snapper on the CMU football team. He and wife, Sue, live near Remus.
Thomas Richardson, LB, 6-1, 210, Jr.
Tom lives in Washington, Ind., where he has been the bank president at Federal Savings for the past 14 years. He and his wife of 27 years, Jenni, have a son, Jeff, who is a sophomore at Southern Indiana. Tom enjoys reading and traveling in his free time.
Mose Rison, TB, 6-1, 180, Fr.
Mose and wife, Marilyn, have two daughters. He is the offensive coordinator at Livingstone College in North Carolina.
Pedro Rodriguez, LB, 6-0, 200, Fr.
Ronald Rummel, QB, 6-0, 185, Fr.
Ron lives in Fenton where he is a sales manager for Liquid Molding Systems, a company that manufactures silicone flow control valves. He enjoys spending time with his wife, Alison, and three children -- Chelsea (14), Kaja (12) amd Hannah (10). Together they enjoy their family cottage in northern Michigan.
Ed Rykulski, DB, 5-11, 185, Fr.
Don Schick, manager
William Schmidt, LB, 5-10, 210, Jr.
William lives in Kawkawlin and is a manager in employee relations for General Motors Corporation in Saginaw.
Wayne Schwalbach, TB, 6-3, 209, Fr.
Wayne lives in Howard City and works for an oil service company and runs an oil rig. He was inducted into the UP Hall of Fame in 1998 because of his accomplishments in football and track at Escanaba High. He is an avid bow hunter.
Thomas Screws, QB, 6-1, 175, Fr.
Joseph Sierzenga, LB, 6-0, 210, Jr.
Deceased
Steve Smallbone, LB, 6-2, 208, Fr.
Donald Smith, DE, 6-2, 195, So.
Norman Smith, UB, 6-0, 200, Fr.
Norm lives in Mount Pleasant and is part-owner of O'Kelly's Sports Bar and Grill and Wayside Central. He has three children.
Tim Sopha
Deceased
Dennis Starnes, LB, 6-1, 206, Fr.
Denny and his wife, Mary, live in Mount Pleasant where he is the principal at Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart. He has two sons and a daughter.
Mark Stewart, DE, 6-3, 225, Sr.
Dennis Swenson, assistant coach/secondary
Dennis recently retired after coaching for more than 40 years. He lives in Houston, Texas where he was coach and AD at Sam Rayburn High.
James Szilagyi, DB, 5-11, 175, So.
Jim lives in Birmingham where he is a regional sales manager for GPS Industries. He has three children -- Jaclyn (17), Brian (14) and Lauren (11). In his spare time, he enjoys coaching his kids' athletic teams and playing golf.
Michael Syzmarek, OT, 6-3, 225, Jr.
Michael lives in Austin, Texas where he is an Area Athletic Coordinator. In his spare time, he loves to go hunting.
Edward Till, TE, 6-4, 200, So.
Edward and his wife, Susan, live in Grosse Pointe and owns International Destination Management, a ground transportation company. In his free time, he enjoys golf. They have two children -- Jaclyn (19) and Daniel (17).
Houston Tipton, DB, 5-9, 175, Jr.
Houston has been a Flint police officer for 27 years. He also was a part of a squad that won the 2003 senior softball national title.
Jeff Visnor, OL, 6-3, 218, Fr.
Jeff owns a design and building construction company with 45 employees in Conover, Wis. He also coached football at Three Lakes High School for nine seasons.
Lyle Voelz, OL, 6-3, 240, Fr.
Lyle lives in Sylvania, Ohio and he is a turn-around project manager for Sunoco. He and wife, Laura, have been married for 25 years and they have one daughter, Charlie. His daughter is into equestrian which takes up much of his spare time.
Michael Woroniecki, UB, 5-10, 190, Jr.
Michael Woroniecki has been married to Rachel, his CMU cheerleader sweetheart, for 41 years. They travel the world with their six grown children sharing the love of Jesus in prisons, schools, city centers, orphanages and with the homeless and veterans. Through creative means such as music and performing arts, Michael created a therapeutic and inspirational show to communicate the love and forgiveness of a perfect Father for all those who suffer. Michael enjoys long distance running, writing music, spending time with his family and watching his Fighting Irish!
John Wunderlich, DE, 6-2, 205, So.
William Yeagley, DE, 6-2, 205, Fr.
Bill lives in Mount Pleasant where he is the Director of Public Safety. He and his wife, Debbie, have three children -- Michael (15), Sarah (13) and Matthew (9). Bill enjoys outdoor activities and is active in his local church.
David Ziolkowski, DL, 6-2, 211, Fr.
David lives in Brighton and works in software sales. He is a single-digit golfer and is a devoted family man.
