2 Mikes with sound-alike names
What’s the difference between planning and zoning and planning a zone?
As it turns out, not a lot.
Mike Rumpf is a no-nonsense kind of guy who spends hours a day with his head in piles of documents, development plans, and designs while spit-firing important acronyms like MU-C, R1A and CBD with such ease as though he expects everyone to understand his language.
Then there’s Mike Rumph, also a no-nonsense guy who spends hours a day with his head in piles of documents, development plans and designs while spit-firing important codes like Cover 2, Man or Blitz with such ease as though he expects everyone to understand his language.
Rumpf, 54, is Boynton Beach’s director of planning and zoning. Rumph, 37, is a former Boynton Beach resident who is now the University of Miami Hurricanes’ cornerbacks coach.
And Rumpf knows all about Rumph.
“Oh, yes,” the city employee says with a hint of glee.
He laughs at how many times the voice on the other end of the phone asks him if he’s “the football guy” from Boynton.
Straight-laced, Rumpf always has told the truth, revealing to all callers that the former Atlantic High, University of Miami and NFL player is, unfortunately, not on the other end of the phone conversation.
Rumpf first heard about the football star when a friend had a son playing football alongside Rumph at Atlantic High in the late 1990s.
“His words were ‘get used to seeing your name in the newspaper because we got a local player that’s gonna go big.’ I said ‘oh, that’s cool. We’ll see.’”
To be fair, Rumpf has made plenty of his own headlines. Who do you think is involved in redeveloping the city’s downtown? And plus, Rumpf points out, he was a pretty good tennis Alexandra Seltzer player back in high school in Michigan and college at Grand Valley State University in Michigan. (Hey, he was even the Budweiser Athlete of the Week!).
But the connections don’t end there.
Coach Rumph hosted a football camp with the city and Director Rumpf said he often ended up with checks sent in from parents of the players. (No, he didn’t keep them.)
“I knew right away. It was good for a laugh though,” Rumpf said. “The first time I took it to recreation staff and said ‘Hey look at this I think it’s come to the wrong person.’”
Coach Rumph, however, wasn’t aware of his namesake when The Post asked him about it during training camp.
“From Boynton Beach? You’ve got to show me this,” Rumph eagerly said. “My uncle works for the water department. He’s been working for the city for 18 years. Is he a black Rumph or a white Rumph? Because we’ve got both, now. There’s some white Rumphs, too.”
A long time ago, the two almost met.
Baton twirling got in the way.
“I was invited to his draft party by our police chief back then because of our names,” Rumpf said. “My daughter had a baton competition event that Saturday so I couldn’t go and I was going to go.”
Rumpf admits he loves college football, although he roots for the University of Michigan, where he earned his master’s degree.
Still, he said he’d love to meet Rumph someday.
Here’s an idea: The teams have played each other twice. Michigan won in 1984 and Miami in 1988. How about a tiebreaker?