Grand Valley State Lakers football The Grand Valley State Lakers football team represent Grand Valley State University ( GVSU ) in NCAA Division II football . After a national runner - up finish in 2001 , losing to the University of North Dakota in the national championship game , GVSU completed the 2002 season with a perfect 14 – 0 record by defeating Valdosta State University , and winning the school ' s first - ever NCAA Division II national football championship . GVSU followed that success with a second national championship in 2003 with a 13 – 1 record , avenging the 2001 loss and defeating North Dakota in the championship game . GVSU was knocked out from the playoffs in 2004 by North Dakota in the now realigned playoff regions in the Northwest Regional Finals . In 2005 and 2006 GVSU won back - to - back National Championships , finishing both seasons undefeated . In 2007 the Lakers ran their win streak to 40 games , setting the NCAA Division II record for longest consecutive win streak ; this streak ended a loss to Northwest Missouri State in the 2007 National Semi - Final Game . In the 21st century , GVSU ' s win percentage ( . 880 , 147 – 20 ) and average margin of victory have outpaced such teams as the University of Southern California , the University of Texas , and Ohio State University ; NCAA Division III ' s Mount Union College has outpaced GVSU with a win percentage of . 960 ( 167 – 7 ) . Since inception , GVSU ' s overall winning percentage is . 729 ( 339 – 125 – 3 ) , trailing only Michigan , Notre Dame and Old Dominion among teams from all NCAA divisions . Their all time home record is 127 – 31 – 1 . History . 1970s . Grand Valley began football in the 1970s and has been one of the most successful of all collegiate squads to take the field during that time period . Laker football has been a key element of Grand Valley ' s rise from a small college to a regional university . President Arend D . Lubbers began the push for a team when he arrived in 1969 . In the fall of 1971 , the Lakers kicked off their first varsity season . " It was clear that Grand Valley was changing from a commuter college , to a residential school in need of activities such as music , drama and athletics , " Lubbers recalled . GVSU launched its football program with a junior varsity schedule in 1970 and became a varsity sport in 1971 . Robert " Rip " Collins , a successful high school coach at Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills High School , became the programs first head coach . Success didn ' t come quickly for the Lakers as it took almost three years for them to win their first football game . Coach Collins was unable to get the program off to a successful start after going 0 – 13 and being outscored 534 – 58 in 1971 and 1972 . E . James Harkema took over as head coach in January 1973 , coming to GVSU from Northern Illinois where he was an offensive backfield coach . Also awaiting Harkema was a brand new football field constructed in 1972 which featured the first " Prescription Athletic Turf " ( PAT ) football playing surface in the country . It was ironic that Harkema began his GVSU career in the fall of 1973 opening against his alma mater , Kalamazoo College , where he had won 10 varsity letters and led the Hornets to six Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association championships . John Mahan rushed 26 times for 158 yards and Steve Brems added 122 more to lead GVSU to its first football victory in its season opener at home , a 27 – 14 win . Defensive tackle Bryce Berth and offensive guard Tom Tefft were named the offensive and defensive players of the game . Showing the program was heading in the right direction , the Lakers did it again the next week beating Chicago - Circle 40 – 8 in a night game played at Soldier Field in Chicago , Illinois . Mahan rushed for 147 yards and Brems added 138 more . Grand Valley outscored their opponents 259 – 120 and posted their first winning season at 6 – 3 . 1973 marked the start of the great football tradition at Grand Valley , and during the next 10 years under Harkema they would post a 68 – 29 – 1 record , win three Great Lakes Conference football championships and make one trip the NAIA playoffs . 1973 also marked the beginning of the multitude of individual national honors coming to GVSU players with the first NAIA All - America n Honorable Mention ( AAHM ) awarded to offensive guard Tom Tefft . 1974 marked the first conference play for Grand Valley with the forming of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference . GVSU went 6 – 3 and finished third in that inaugural year . Offensive guard Ron Stallard became the second individual Laker honored as he was awarded NAIA AAHM status at the end of the season . Some Laker followers feel that the 1975 team , with a 7 – 2 – 1 record , may have set the standards for many years to come . After dropping a hard fought road opener to Wayne State University , which also included the loss of their starting quarterback for the season . They beat Ferris State for the first time 38 – 0 , defeated Saginaw Valley State University and Hillsdale and tied Northwood . If not for a questionable , trick play in the closing minutes by Northern Michigan University resulting in a 21 – 17 road loss , GVSU would have been invited to their first post season in the NAIA playoffs ( that honor would come to the 1978 Laker team ) . 1976 would be the year Grand Valley would receive national attention . The game that put Grand Valley on the map was the season finale against Northern Michigan University . The Wildcats came into Allendale as the defending NCAA Division II National Champions , boasting an 18 - game winning streak , ranked No . 1 in Division II and fresh off an 82 – 7 win over University of Nebraska - Omaha . And , as they were the team which ended the Lakers chances from going to the NAIA National Playoffs the year prior . GVSU was seeking some payback on their home field . The Lakers , playing 21 seniors built up a 24 – 0 lead and went on to shock the Wildcats 31 – 14 before a large crowd , which included many top recruites . Winning this game allowed Grand Valley to sign many top All - State players which started their push to national attention . Harkema had traditionally built his teams on defense and a solid running game , but in 1977 with the transfer of quarterback Roy Gonzalez from the University of Wyoming , a solid offensive line and using many talented freshmen , Harkema went to the air and won their first ever Great Lakes Conference Championships , ultimately winning three in the next five years . The 1977 team went 7 – 3 and had one NAIA All - American , offensive tackle Gary Evans and eight NAIA AAHM athletes : Roy Gonzalez - QB , Daryl Gooden - DT , Mack Lofton - DE , Tim Maki - LB , Roger McCoy - PK , Clint Nash - WR , Joe Pollard - S and Rusty Steffens - OG . Gonzalez was followed by quarterbacks David Quinley , Steve Michuta and Jeff Lynch , who gave GVSU the most feared passing attack in the Grand Lakes Conference . They had been blessed with talented receivers like Clint Nash , Rick Cunningham , Michael Woods , Rob Rubick , Jeff Chadwick and Bill Luckstead as the Lakers averaged seven wins a year from 1977 – 1982 . In 1978 , with Quinley at the controls , the Lakers suffered early losses to Northern Michigan and Bowling Green State , but bounced back to win eight straight games including a repeat of the GLIAC title and an NAIA Playoff victory over Wisconsin - LaCrosse . The team ultimately lost to Elon College in the NAIA Semi - Finals on a wet , muddy field in North Carolina . The team finished 9 – 3 and secured the winningest season in GVSU History at the time . The team celebrated two NAIA All - Americans in Bob Beaudrie - C and Joe Pollard - DB and four AAHM , Wade Bent - LB , Ron Essink - OT , Roger McCoy - PK and Rick VanEss - FB . This was the highlight of the first decade of football for Grand Valley State . Two players that stood out and won individual national honors : All - American Ron Essink - OT ( NCAA DII / NAIA / Kodak ) who went on to have an outstanding career in the NFL as a starting tackle with the Seattle Seahawks , and NAIA AAHM Mark Szczytko - DT . 1979 also saw the completion and dedication of the new stadium and track complex named after its president , Arend D . Lubbers , on September 15 . The stadium was built around the existing PAT field and had permanent seating for 4 , 146 fans . 1980s . The second decade of the program saw a continuation of its winning ways . 1980 , 1981 and 1982 seasons were more of the same for GVSU finishing 7 – 3 , 7 – 2 and 7 – 3 – solid seasons with solid players . Those years saw some outstanding players come through the program including : Kurt Fredericks , NCAA D - II AAHM at linebacker and Steve Michuta , NCAA D - II AAHM at quarterback . The end of the 1982 season brought several new things to GVSU : a new Fieldhouse that replaced the Dome , giving some of the finest Division II facilities in the Midwest , and the departure of Coach Harkema who left to rebuild the program at Eastern Michigan University . Bob Giesey , Ball State assistant , replaced Harkema and was hired in December 1982 . Giesey ' s team lost the final two games of the 1983 season by one point each and finished the year at 4 – 6 , the first losing season in over a decade . The following year GVSU went 0 – 10 in " 84 " and managed only 99 points for the whole season . Giesey resigned and Athletic Director Dr . George MacDonald began a nationwide search which culminated with the hiring of Tom Beck , a Chicago native , who came to Grand Valley from the Chicago Blitz of the United States Football League and who had turned losing programs into winning ones at Illinois Benedictine and Elmhurst College . It took Coach Beck three games to get back on track in 1985 . Faced with a 14 - game losing streak , Beck made some key personnel changes . Beck moved Guy Schuler in as starting QB and moved wide receiver Ray Buckner to tailback , linebacker Sylvester Johnson to fullback , and defensive tackle Brian Mulcahy to middle linebacker . The Lakers went out and defeated Evansville 28 – 14 and finished the year 6 – 5 . The next five years would see explosive offenses , outstanding players and solid coaching which would result in trips to the NCAA Division II playoffs , as well as the Lakers becoming a fixture in preseason and postseason rankings . Beck ' s 1986 team posted a 9 – 2 record , but that was only an inkling of things to come . Three players obtained national honors : Dean Clem , AP AAHM at OG , Brian Mulcahy , LB – Football News AAHM , and Guy Schuler AP AAHM at QB . 1987 and 1988 ended in the same result with a pair of 7 – 4 seasons . Four players obtained national honors : Mark Prins , OT was both AP and Football News AAHM in " 87 " and Football News AA in " 88 " ; while Guy Schuler again was named AP AAHM and Frank Miotke was a Football News AAHM for his first time . In 1989 the Lakers posted their first undefeated season with an 11 – 0 record and the final Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference ( GLIAC ) Championship . GV led Division II in total offense , averaging 480 . 9 yards per game and also in points with 44 . 5 / game . One of the highlights of the 1989 season was a GVSU record breaking 91 – 0 victory over Valporaiso . The Lakers jumped out to a 63 – 0 halftime lead as they rolled up 731 yards in total offense . Freshman kicker Miguel Sagaro from Spain set a Division II record when he connected on 65 of 66 extra points for the season and sophomore fullback Eric Lynch scored 21 touchdowns . Lynch became the Lakers first Harlon Hill candidate and finished 6th in the voting and later went on to have an outstanding career with the Detroit Lions . Grand Valley finished third in the final 1989 Division II regular season poll and earned the first of three consecutive playoff berths , losing to Indiana , PA 34 – 24 on a frigid November afternoon highlighted by 11 inches of snow on the ground . That team had four players earn national awards : Todd Tracey , DT – AA ( NCAA D2 / Kodak ) , Dave Beebe , OG – AA ( Football Gazette / AP ) , Mark Smith , OT – AA ( GTE / COSIDA ) and Miguel Sagaro , PK – AAHM , Football Gazette . 1990s . In 1990 , Grand Valley , along with GLIAC members Ferris State , Hillsdale , Northern Michigan , Saginaw Valley and Wayne State , joined forces with the schools from the Heartland Conference which included Ashland University , Butler , University of Indianapolis , St Joseph ' s College and Valparaiso to form the Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference ( MIFC ) . The Lakers continued their winning ways , posting a 22 - game regular season winning streak before falling at Hillsdale , 38 – 34 . GV won the inaugural MIFC crown , finished with a 10 – 2 record and lost to East Texas State , 20 – 14 in the playoffs . That 1990 season saw five Lakers win national recognition : Chris Tiede , OC – AA Football Gazette ; Jim Cramer , DT – AA Football Gazette ; Eric Lynch , FB – AA Football Gazette ; Mike Flannery , CB – AA Football Gazette and Charles Sippial , LB – AA Football Gazette . The winter following the 1990 season , Coach Beck left to become an assistant at Notre Dame and Athletic Director Mike Kovalchik filled the position with 28 - year old Laker assistant Brian Kelly , a graduate of Assumption College , who continued to lead the Laker ' s to success on the gridiron . He posted his 20th and 30th wins faster than any of his predecessors , and upon his departure posted a 118 – 35 – 2 record with two National Championships in thirteen seasons of competition . Kelly ' s first season was a roller coaster ride as the Lakers began by defeating defending Division II National Champion North Dakota State , 21 – 17 , in Fargo , North Dakota , breaking the Bison 25 game home winning streak as the Lakers became the first team to score a rushing TD in 38 quarters . The following week Grand Valley was shut out in the Butler Bowl . Kelly ' s 1991 team went on to post a 9 – 3 record , losing to East Texas State in the playoffs , 36 – 15 . The 1991 team had eight players earn national awards at the conclusion of the season with five AA and three AAHM . Chris Tiede and Eric Lynch earned AA honors for the second year – Tiede from the AP , Football Gazette & Kodak – Lynch from the Football Gazette ; Todd Wood , DB – AA ( GTE / COSIDA ) ; Mark Smith , OT – AA ( GTE / COSIDA ) ; Jim Cramer , DT – AA Football Gazette ; Jack Hull , QB – AAHM Football Gazette ; Bill McGory , OG – AAHM Football Gazette and Bob Michell , TE – AAHM Football Gazette . Grand Valley shared its second MIFC crown with Butler , Ferris and Hillsdale in 1992 with an 8 – 3 record . The 1993 season saw the Lakers slide a bit posting a 6 – 3 – 2 record with key losses to Indiana ( PA ) , Ashland and Hillsdale . Kelly and the Lakers bounced back in 1994 with a return trip to the playoffs and finished with an 8 – 4 record and a first round playoff loss . They started and ended that 1994 season with losses to Indiana ( PA ) , regular season opener and first round of playoffs . The Lakers then posted back - to - back 8 – 3 seasons in " 95 " and " 96 " , finishing second in the MIFC both years , but no playoff games either season . They again started each season with games against non - conference national competition but both ended in losses – " 95 " - Indiana ( PA ) and " 96 " - SW Texas State . Multiple Lakers over those years earned All - American or AAHM status . 1992 – Miguel Sagaro , PK – AA Football Gazette ; Jamarl Eiland , FB – AAHM Football Gazette ; Jorgen Gustafsson , OT – AAHM Football Gazette ; Brian Tazic , QB – AAHM Football Gazette . 1993 – Hardie Farr , SS – AA ( CM Frank / AP ) ; Youssef Sareini , WR – AA Football Gazette ; Jorgen Gustafsson , OT – AAHM Football Gazette ; Dan McLean , CB – AAHM Football Gazette ; Mike Sheldon , OG – AAHM Football Gazette ; 1994 – saw two repeats – Mike Sheldon , AA ( AFCA / CM Frank / Football Gazette ) and Youssef Sareini , AAHM ( CM Frank / Football Gazette ) ; Darnell Jamison , FB – AAHM CM Frank ; Kwame McKinnon , QB – AAHM CM Frank and Tim Postema , LB – AAHM CM Frank . 1995 – Four players were awarded AAHM for a second year they were Darrell Jamison , Kwame McKinnon Tim Postema and Rich Hurley , OL – AA CM Frank ; Kevin Gee , OL – AA CM Frank ; Matt Potter , DL – AAHM CM Frank ; Paul Siembida , DB – AAHM CM Frank and the most honored from this class was Diriki Mose , WR – AA ( AFCA / Football Gazette / CM Frank / CoSIDA / Daktronics ) . 1996 – saw one player win multiple All - American awards after earning AAHM honors the year before – Matt Potter , AA ( AFCA / Football Gazette / AP / CoSIDA / Daktronics ) while Doug Kochanski , PK earned AAHM honors from the Football Gazette . GVSU earned a share of the conference crown in 1997 with a 9 – 2 overall record and finished the regular season 9 – 1 with only a 30 – 27 loss to Saginaw Valley State in overtime . Their second loss came at the end of the season in GVSU ' s first matchup with University of California - Davis ( 19 – 21 ) . This loss knocked GVSU out of the playoffs even though they won the conference . Conference AD ' s selected Ashland , despite losing to GV 31 – 20 earlier in the season , to represent the conference in the playoffs . 1997 saw Jason Graves , defensive back earn AAHM honors from ( Football Gazette / CoSIDA / Daktronics ) and Jeff Fox quareterback , earning AAHM from the Football Gazette . Quarterback Jeff Fox led the Lakers to their second straight MIFC title and back into the playoffs in 1998 with a 9 – 1 conference mark . They again lost to Cal - Davis ( 38 – 40 ) finishing the regular season 9 – 2 overall . Fox became Grand Valley State ' s first - ever Harlin Hill Award Finalist ( Division II Heisman ) as he rewrote the GVSU single - season and career offensive record books . The Laker season was ended by Slippery Rock , again in the first round of the playoffs , 37 – 14 . Jeff Fox was awarded AA status from CoSIDA / Daktronics / Football Gazette as did Billy Cook , Spcl Teams – AA Football Gazette . With the graduation of several top players and the mounting losses to top national teams Kelly decided to go with a youth movement for the 1999 season . Kelly recruited hard and told these players they would play their first year if they came to GVSU . These were some of the top recruits in the State , however the inexperience showed as the Lakers stumbled to a 5 – 5 finish and seventh in the newly re - created GLIAC . One player earned national recognition – Dan Gibbons , DT – AA ( CoSIDA / Daktronics / Football Gazette ) . 2000s . Grand Valley Football entered its most successful period during the 2000s ( decade ) . The year 2000 saw the Lakers start their season slowly losing their first three games to South Dakota State , Saginaw Valley State and Northwood . But this sophomore - dominated team regrouped and finished by winning 7 of 8 remaining games , posting a 7 – 4 record . 2001 . In 2001 , the dividends of valuable experience in the young players showed as the Lakers not only won their first ever Division II playoff game , but advanced to the 2001 National Championship . Behind a potent offensive attack , Grand Valley State posted a perfect 10 – 0 regular season ( September 11 , 2001 game was canceled ) with an average of 58 . 4 points per game and 48 . 0 points average margin of victory . GVSU ' s march to the championship game was not easy , however , as quarterback and Harlon Hill Finalist Curt Anes , was injured in the Lakers ' first playoff game . Grand Valley responded with a first round 42 – 14 victory over Bloomsburg , a 33 – 30 second round win over Saginaw Valley State , and a semi - final win over Catawba College , 34 – 16 . One of the backup quarterbacks used during this run was actually a wide receiver brought in to run an option style offense when the other young backup ran into difficulty . In the championship game against North Dakota , the Lakers took a 14 – 10 lead with 2 : 46 left in the game , but the Fighting Sioux responded with a last minute drive of their own to take the title , 17 – 14 . Grand Valley finished the season 13 – 1 overall and set the school record for most wins in a single season . Curt Anes set a single season TD record of 48 and a . 697 completion percentage record . David Kircus set a single game touchdown reception record of 5 against Ferris State University . 2001 saw five Lakers win national awards – David Kircus , WR – All - American ( AFCA / D2Football / Daktronics / Football Gazette ) ; Curt Anes , QB – All - American ( Daktronics / Football Gazette ) ; Dale Westrick , OT – All - American ( Daktronics / Football Gazette ) ; Dan Vaughn , DT – All - American ( Football Gazette ) ; and Mike Wilford , OL – All - American Honorable Mention ( D2football . com ) . 2002 . " Finish What We Started " was the motto of the 2002 season . Curt Anes returned from a devastating knee injury to guide GVSU to a perfect 10 – 0 record ( Ferris State game canceled ) in the regular season . The Lakers opened at home against a tough non - conference opponent , California - Davis ( which was in its last year of Division II competition ) and won 24 – 14 . The Lakers went on to defeat three ranked teams en route to the undefeated season . The playoffs began with a convincing 62 – 13 win over Long Island University - C . W . Post . Then came a matchup against longtime nemesis Indiana University of Pennsylvania . GVSU entered the game 0 – 6 against the Indians all - time , however , the Lakers scored on their first eight possessions in the first half and built a 50 – 7 halftime lead . The Lakers cruised to a 62 – 21 win and advanced to the NCAA D - II Semi - Finals . Grand Valley State again jumped out to an early lead and never looked back with an impressive 44 – 7 victory over University of Northern Colorado ( also in its last year of Division II competition ) . The win advanced GVSU to the NCAA D - II National Championship game for the second straight year . The top - ranked Lakers squared off against second - ranked Valdosta State . GVSU led 17 – 6 at the half and 24 – 6 midway through the fourth quarter . However , VSU scored 18 unanswered points to tie the game with just over three minutes remaining . GVSU committed some uncharacteristically bad plays and turned the ball over to give the Blazers the opening to come back . Curt Anes , who won the Harlon Hill Trophy as the D - II Player of the Year less than 24 hours earlier , utilized his All - American receiver David Kircus to drive the Lakers 68 yards in 2 : 05 for a TD to give GVSU the 2002 NCAA DII National Championship . Anes hit Kircus on a 10 - yard pass for the winning score , finishing the season with a perfect 14 – 0 record , and was also ranked No . 1 in the AFCA poll each week of the 2002 season . The 2002 team had eleven players earn post season national honors , four of which were repeat winners – Curt Anes – Harlin Hill Award , All - American ( AFCA / D2Football / Daktronics / Football Gazette ) ; David Kircus – All - American ( AFCA / AP / D2Football / Football Gazette / Daktronics ) ; Dale Westrick – All - American ( D2Football / Football Gazette / Daktronics ) and Dan Vaughn – All - American ( Football Gazette / AP / D2Football ) others include ; Keyonta Marshall , DT – All - American ( Football Gazette / D2Football / Daktronics ) ; Scott Mackey , DB – All - American ( Football Gazette / AP / D2Football / Daktronics ) ; Reggie Spearman , RB – All - American ( Football Gazette / D2Football / Daktronics ) ; Orlando Williams , LB – All - American ( Football Gazette / Daktronics ) ; Phil Condon , TE – All - American ( D2Football ) ; Terrance Banks , WR – All - American ( Football Gazette ) and Tom Hosford , OC – All - American Honorable Mention ( Football Gazette ) . Dan Torres receives Special Player of the Year award with 8 carries and 8 fumbles to his name . 2003 . Following 2002 , the 2003 motto was " Tradition Never Graduates . " Gone from the 2002 team were 25 seniors that concluded their careers with back - to - back appearances in the NCAA D - II Championship game . The 2003 campaign started with a road win over perennial power and now Division I - AA , UC - Davis . GVSU limited the high - powered offense of the Aggies to just two field goals , while GVSU ' s All - American kicker David Hendrix , booted three field goals , the final one coming in overtime . The defense did the job the following week as well as they scored two TD ' s en route to a 40 – 10 victory over rival Ferris State . Additional wins built GVSU winning streak to 20 games and the conference streak to 29 games . A date with fourth - ranked Saginaw Valley State was next on the ledger . A GVSU and GLIAC record crowd of 12 , 832 attended the anticipated contest at Lubbers Stadium in Allendale . After suffering a concussion ( which was not discovered until later ) , GVSU starting quarterback Freshman Cullen Finnerty had several turnovers and miscues in the second half . The Cardinals capitalized to claim a 34 – 20 victory . GVSU regrouped and notched a 33 – 14 victory at Northwood to build momentum toward another playoff run . However this playoff run had to be done on the road as GV entered the playoffs seeded third in the Northeast Region . The Lakers opened with a 65 – 36 win at Bentley College that set up a rematch with SVSU in the Regional Final . The game was a defensive struggle as neither offense could find scoring opportunities . Scott Mackey , GV ' s All - American DB picked off a pass late in the second quarter to score the games only TD and give GVSU a 10 – 3 win . The National Semi - Finals saw another new foe for GVSU : Texas A & M - Kingsville . GVSU ' s offense and defense dominated the game and GV won 31 – 3 and was off to their third straight NCAA D - II National Championship . A familiar foe was to meet Grand Valley : North Dakota . The game was sure to be a defensive battle as both teams rode their defenses to the title game . GVSU was leading 3 – 0 in the third quarter , but UND was driving into Laker territory looking for the lead when Lucius Hawkins made the play of the game . Hawkins forced the Sioux QB to fumble , and Lucius returned the ball 59 yards to the North Dakota 20 - yard line . All - American Running Back Michael Tennessee scored three plays later and gave GVSU a 10 – 0 lead . GVSU led 10 – 3 in the closing minutes as North Dakota was driving . Senior linebacker Mike Hoad picked off a pass on the Laker 10 - yard line to preserve the win and give GVSU back - to - back NCAA D - II National Championships . The 2003 GVSU senior class etched their names in the record books by becoming just the second team ( the other being the University of North Alabama ) in NCAA D - II history to make three consecutive trips to title game . The Laker seniors were 47 – 2 in their final 49 games and tallied a four - year GLIAC record of 34 – 4 . 2004 . The 2004 season opened the era of a new mentor as Brian Kelly left following the 2003 season to take the head coaching job at Central Michigan University . Chuck Martin became the fifth head coach in the history of the Laker football program . Martin won more games ( 10 ) than any of the four previous head coaches in their first year at the helm . GVSU went 8 – 2 in the regular season finishing 2nd in the GLIAC ( Michigan Technological University won its first GLIAC title that year ) . They also played in front of the largest crowd ( 50 , 123 ) in their history when they played against Michigan Tech in Michigan Stadium at the University of Michigan in the " Bash at the Big House " . However , since they were the lowest - seed ( 6th ) in the Northwest region ( the GLIAC had been moved out of the NE after other conferenced lobbied the NCAA ) , GV had to go on the road in the playoffs , again . They played the NSIC champion Winona State University at their field and won a hard fought game 16 – 13 . In the second round , Grand Valley was able to beat Northwood , avenging a regular season loss , winning 10 – 7 . Grand Valley appeared in their fourth straight Regional Final against a new , growing rival : North Dakota . In a hard fought game that the Lakers let slip away late in the fourth quarter ( 15 – 19 ) , GV ended Coach Martin ' s first season at 10 – 3 . The 2004 Laker senior class concluded their careers with a 51 – 5 record , including two National Championships and three title game appearances . The 51 wins by the Lakers senior class tied the D - II record for wins in a career . DT Keyonta Marshall became GVSU ' s first - ever three time All - American and now enjoys an NFL career with the Philadelphia Eagles . Grand Valley State continued to set single - season attendance records with a single - game average of 10 , 799 in 2004 . Several players earned honors after the season : Keyonta Marshall , DT – AA ( AFCA / AP / Football Gazette / Daktronics / D2Football / College Sports Report ) ; Scott Greene , PK – AA ( AP / D2Football / Collage Sports Report ) ; DeJuane Boone , DB – AA ( Football Gazette / Daktronics ) ; Lucius hawkins , DB – AA ( Football Gazette / Daktronics / D2Football / Collage Sports Report ) ; Demonte Collins , WR – AAHM D2Football . 2005 . Because GV was unable to advance to the national title game the previous season , the 2005 season came with much anticipation and concern . Coach Martin did not implement the offense that GV had been accustomed to under the previous headcoach . However , Martin led the Lakers to their second undefeated season in history , going 13 – 0 and defeating Northwest Missouri State University , ranked 21st in the nation coming into the tournament , lowest ever in Division II football . Chuck Martin ' s 23 – 3 record over his first two years as a head coach sets the records for Grand Valley Head Coaches in most wins in their first two seasons ( 23 ) , and best winning percentage ( 0 . 885 ) . Lubbers Stadium also saw numerous improvements , including a new football complex with home and visiting locker rooms , and expanded seating , bringing the official capacity of Lubbers Stadium to nearly 9 , 000 . However , crowds of over 10 , 000 have frequently packed Lubbers Stadium to watch important games and the attendance record was broken twice during this season . The current record of 14 , 557 people was set when No . 1 Grand Valley State defeated rival Ferris State in the first game of the season . 2005 also saw the first year of the much - needed new scoreboard . Daktronics Inc . installed a new scoreboard , complete with digital video display at the North end of Lubbers Stadium . Several players from the 2005 squad won national awards . Leading the way was junior defensive end Michael McFadden who was a consensus All - American and the National Defensive Player of the Year . 2006 . The Lakers had an undefeated 2006 season , winning the GLIAC title , and the NCAA Division II National Championship , ranked No . 1 throughout the season and finishing with a ( 15 – 0 ) record . In the national title match , the Lakers again faced undefeated and second - ranked Division II rivals , Northwest Missouri State University , which finished the season with a ( 14 – 1 ) record . Senior quarterback Cullen Finnerty became the winningest quarterback in NCAA All - Division history , with a career record of 51 – 4 , and was named to the 2006 American Football Coaches Association All America Team . He finished the 2006 season with a 15 – 0 record , completing 195 of 343 passes for 3 , 220 yards and 41 touchdowns , and leading the nation in quarterback efficiency with 169 . 32 . He also rushed for 580 yards and 8 touchdowns himself , for a total offense of 3800 yards and 49 touchdowns on the season . Finnerty was awarded second place for the Harlon Hill Trophy Award , just prior to the national championship match in Florence , Alabama . During that game , held Saturday , December 16 , 2006 , Finnerty ran the ball for 115 yards , leading the Lakers through an exciting game to a 17 – 14 victory . Finnerty , WR [ Eric Fowler ( http : / / en . wikipedia . org / wiki / Eric _ Fowler ) ] , OL Brandon Barnes , DL Mike McFadden , LB Anthony Adams , and CB Brandon Carr each earned Daktronics First Team All American honors . Additionally , senior defensive end Michael McFadden tied the NCAA All - Division record for consecutive games with a quarterback sack ( 17 ) , and broke the Division II quarterback sack record ( 33 . 5 ) for a career . McFadden also won the Gene Upshaw award that is given to the best defensive lineman in D - II for the second year in a row . The 2006 senior class produced a career record of 52 – 4 over 4 seasons . Coach Chuck Martin improved his 3 - season record as the head coach to 38 – 3 ( 0 . 927 winning percentage ) , and to 86 – 9 overall ( . 905 ) since joining the GVSU coaching staff as an assistant in 2000 . Steve Brockelbank was the offensive coordinator for the second year as well as the assistant head coach . 2007 . The Lakers claimed the GLIAC crown with a 9 – 0 conference record this season . This was GVSU ' s third straight conference title and the first time in school history the team has won three GLIAC titles in a row . GVSU also set the DII Football record for longest consecutive win streak at 40 games . December 8 : GVSU ' s win - streak was snapped when they lost at Northwest Missouri State in the Division II National Semifinal game at Bearcat Stadium that was known as the " Ice Bowl " because it was played during the Mid - December 2007 North American Winter storms that would destroy more than 100 trees at Northwest ' s Missouri Arboretum campus . Grand Valley was ranked # 1 and was undefeated and Northwest was ranked # 5 and had lost one game but hosted the game because of strength of schedule . It began as a close game with Grand Valley leading 13 – 10 at halftime . The Lakers were able to pull within one , 17 – 16 , late in the third quarter on Justin Trumble ' s third field goal . After NWMSU kicker Tommy Frevert made one from 22 yards early in the fourth quarter and Xavier Omon scored on an 11 - yard pass 2½ minutes later , the Bearcats were up 27 – 16 . Five plays later , Omon broke loose for a 98 - yard touchdown run with just over 9 minutes remaining . Final score : GVSU 16 , NWMSU 34 . Game totals : GV ' s Brad Iciek threw for 273 yards and a touchdown and an interception on 23 of 42 passing . Xavier Omon ran for 292 yards and four touchdowns . GVSU ended the season with a 12 – 1 record . 2008 . GVSU was 11 – 0 on the season until they lost to Minnesota - Duluth by a score of 19 to 13 in the Division II quarterfinals ; ending GVSU ' s season at 11 – 1 . Minnesota - Duluth had a record of 12 – 0 entering the game . GVSU claimed their fourth consecutive GLIAC championship . 2009 . The Lakers lost their first GLIAC game in nearly five years , falling to the Hillsdale Chargers 27 – 24 in the Chargers ' homecoming game , yet still won the GLIAC outright for a fifth straight year . Grand Valley then received a first round bye in the playoffs only to face Hillsdale once again . After defeating Hillsdale , University of Minnesota Duluth , and Carson - Newman , the Lakers eventually fell to Northwest Missouri State University in the national championship game 30 – 23 . Danny Richard , Nick McDonald and Jacob McGuckin were named first team All - American while Cameron Bradfield and Justin Victor took home second team honors and Quarterback Brad Iciek was a Harlon Hill finalist . 2010 . Matt Mitchell took over as head coach with Chuck Martin leaving to join Brian Kelly ' s staff at Notre Dame . Mitchell had previously served as defensive coordinator under Martin . GVSU won their 6th GLIAC championship in a row and advanced to the second round of the playoffs to finish with a 11 – 2 overall record . On offense the Lakers were led by Kyle McMahon who had 2616 yards passing and 583 yards rushing and a total of 37 touchdowns . On the ground in addition to McMahon , Justin Sherrod had team leading 1052 yards and to go along 12 total Tds , Norman Shuford pitched in 661 yards and Left Tackle Cameron Bradfield led a strong offensive line and was named All - American . Greg Gay lead the team in receiving yards and Jovonne Augustus led in receiving touchdowns . Justin Victor and Zach Breen were the top tacklers on defense with 120 and 101 respectively . Luther Ware led in sacks and Rob Carlisle and Matt Baker were tops with four interceptions a pice . 2011 . Despite a slow start , which included losing their first three conference games , the Lakers still managed an 8 – 3 overall record , winning their last seven games . That streak qualified Grand Valley State as having the longest winning streak in Division II football at the end the season . GVSU lead the GLIAC in many categories including scoring offense , total and rushing offense . The Lakers were led on offense by quarterback Heath Parling who lead the nation in passing efficiency with a rating of 180 . 35 , to go along with 2415 yards and 34 touchdowns . On the ground the load was shared between Hersey Jackson , Mike Ratay , Norman Shuford and Chris Robinson , each having at least one game where they led the team in rushing . Charles Johnson led the receivers with 1030 yards and 15 touchdowns . Defensively Brad Howard lead the team with 79 tackles . Andre Thomas finished second in the GLIAC in tackles for loss and sacks . Erik Thompson lead the team with five interceptions , two of which he brought back for touchdowns . He also returned two kickoffs for touchdowns . 2012 . The Lakers again finished the season 8 - 3 . The offense was very explosive once again leading the GLIAC in scoring offense . Starting QB Heath Parling went down in the thrid game with a torn ACL but Isiah Grimes picked right up where he left off as he lead the nation in passing efficency at 178 . 07 and passed for 2213 yards and 22 TDs in 7 games as the starter . Kirk Spencer lead the team in rushing yards 978 to go with 5 tds . Michael Ratay had 603 yds rushing and lead the team in rushing TDs with 12 . He was also second in receiving tds with 3 . Chris Robinson chipped in 361 yards and 6 tds before tearing his ACL in the fourth game . Charles Johnson again lead the team in receiving with 1199 yards and 16 tds . Charles Hill lead the defense with 91 tackles and 11 . 0 tfls . Brad Horling had 89 tackles and Luther Ware had 74 . Ware and Matt Judon paced the defense in sacks with 3 . 5 a piece . Reggie Williams was tops in interceptions with 4 to go with one punt return td and one kickoff return td in 8 games played . Lakers in the NFL . Brandon Carr – CB – Dallas Cowboys Dan Skuta – LB – San Francisco 49ers Nick McDonald – OL – New England Patriots Cameron Bradfield – OL – Jacksonville Jaguars Charles Johnson - WR - Green Bay Packers Tim Lelito - OL - New Orleans Saints