Former Central College all-American defensive lineman Mike Stumberg will serve on the officiating crew for the College Football Playoff National Championship in Atlanta on January 8th.

The Grundy Center native graduated from Central in 1989 and 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 of Pella was on the field for the 2015 championship contest in Arlington, Texas between Ohio State and Oregon, as well as a pair of Bowl Championship Series finals: the 2012 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 worked the Foster Farms Bowl in Santa Clara, California yesterday between Arizona and Purdue.

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