The Grand Valley State Lakers football program, 1990–1999 represented Grand Valley State University (GVSU) during the 1990s in NCAA Division II college football as a member of the Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference (MIFC) from 1990 to 1998 and the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) starting in 1999. The team was led by head coaches Tom Beck (1985–1990) and Brian Kelly (1991–2003).
The team played its home games at Lubbers Stadium, named after former university president Arend Lubbers, located on GVSU's main campus in Allendale, Michigan.
1990
The 1990 Grand Valley State Lakers football team represented Grand Valley State University (GVSU) as a member of the Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference (MIFC) during the 1990 NCAA Division II football season. In their sixth and final year under head coach Tom Beck, the Lakers compiled a 10–2 record (9–1 in conference games), won the MIFC championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 412 to 162. They lost to East Texas State in the first round of the NCAA Division II playoffs.[1]
Beck stepped down as GVSU's head coach in February 1991 to become an assistant coach at Notre Dame.[2] Beck compiled a 50–18 record in six years as head coach.
Schedule
Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
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September 1 | at Saint Joseph's (IN) | No. 9 | Rensselaer, IN | W 58–16 | 1,000 | [3]
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September 8 | at Mankato State* | No. 9 | Mankato, MN | W 27–24 | 1,200 | [4]
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September 15 | Butler | No. 6 | | W 35–0 | 3,909 | [5]
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September 22 | at Indianapolis | No. 3 | Indianapolis, IN | W 30–12 | 2,244 | [6]
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September 29 | Saginaw Valley State | No. 3 | | W 23–7 | 5,268–5,468 | [7]
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October 6 | at No. 14 Northern Michigan | No. 3 | Marquette, MI | W 45–15 | 4,551 | [8]
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October 13 | Ferris State | No. 3 | | W 42–12 | 5,866 | [9]
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October 20 | No. 9 Ashland | No. 3 | - Lubbers Stadium
- Allendale, MI
| W 14–3 | 4,051 | [10]
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October 27 | at Hillsdale | No. 3 | Hillsdale, MI | L 34–38 | 5,000 | [11]
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November 3 | Wayne State (MI) | No. 8 | - Lubbers Stadium
- Allendale, MI
| W 35–15 | 3,953 | [12]
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November 10 | at Valparaiso | No. 6 | | W 55–0 | 1,238 | [13]
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November 17 | No. 7 East Texas State | No. 6 | | L 14–20 | 3,103 | [14]
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[15]
1991
The 1991 Grand Valley State Lakers football team represented Grand Valley State University (GVSU) as a member of the Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference (MIFC) during the 1991 NCAA Division II football season. In their first year under head coach Brian Kelly, the Lakers compiled a 9–3 record (8–2 in conference games), tied for second place in the MIFC, and outscored opponents by a total of 313 to 166.[1]
Kelly, at age 29, was announced as GVSU's new head coach in March 1991. He had been on the GVSU staff for five years and had been the defensive coordinator for the prior two seasons. He was GVSU's youngest head football coach and the first to have been promoted from within the GVSU staff.[16]
Schedule
Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
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September 7 | Saint Joseph's (IN) | | W 31–3 | 4,611 | [17]
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September 14 | at North Dakota State | | W 21–17 | | [18]
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September 21 | at Butler | Indianapolis, IN | L 0–33 | |
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September 28 | Indianapolis | - Lubbers Stadium
- Allendale, MI
| W 31–13 | |
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October 5 | at Saginaw Valley State | University Center, MI (Battle of the Valleys) | L 10–14 | |
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October 12 | Northern Michigan | - Lubbers Stadium
- Allendale, MI
| W 35–0 | |
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October 19 | at Ferris State | | W 28–6 | 1,950 | [19]
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October 26 | at Ashland | Ashland, OH | W 38–7 | |
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November 2 | Hillsdale | - Lubbers Stadium
- Allendale, MI
| W 9–6 | |
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November 9 | at Wayne State (MI) | Detroit, MI | W 59–28 | | [20]
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November 16 | Valparaiso | - Lubbers Stadium
- Allendale, MI
| W 36–3 | | [21]
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November 23 | at East Texas State | Commerce, TX (NCAA Division II first round) | L 15–36 | 3,000 | [22]
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1992
The 1992 Grand Valley State Lakers football team represented Grand Valley State University (GVSU) as a member of the Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference (MIFC) during the 1992 NCAA Division II football season. In their second year under head coach Brian Kelly, the Lakers compiled an 8–3 record (8–2 in conference games), finished in a three-way tie for second place in the MIFC, and outscored opponents by a total of 249 to 219.[1]
Schedule
1993
The 1993 Grand Valley State Lakers football team represented Grand Valley State University (GVSU) as a member of the Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference (MIFC) during the 1993 NCAA Division II football season. In their third year under head coach Brian Kelly, the Lakers compiled a 6–3–2 record (6–2–2 in conference games), finished in third place in the MIFC, and outscored opponents by a total of 271 to 227.[1]
Schedule
1994
The 1994 Grand Valley State Lakers football team represented Grand Valley State University (GVSU) as a member of the Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference (MIFC) during the 1994 NCAA Division II football season. In their fourth year under head coach Brian Kelly, the Lakers compiled an 8–4 record (8–2 in conference games), finished in second place in the MIFC, and outscored opponents by a total of 387 to 239.[1]
Schedule
1995
The 1995 Grand Valley State Lakers football team represented Grand Valley State University (GVSU) as a member of the Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference (MIFC) during the 1995 NCAA Division II football season. In their fifth year under head coach Brian Kelly, the Lakers compiled an 8–3 record (8–2 in conference games), finished in second place in the MIFC, and outscored opponents by a total of 407 to 211.[23]
Schedule
1996
The 1996 Grand Valley State Lakers football team represented Grand Valley State University (GVSU) as a member of the Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference (MIFC) during the 1996 NCAA Division II football season. In their sixth year under head coach Brian Kelly, the Lakers compiled an 8–3 record (8–2 in conference games), finished in second place in the MIFC, and outscored opponents by a total of 272 to 165.[23]
Schedule
1997
The 1997 Grand Valley State Lakers football team represented Grand Valley State University (GVSU) as a member of the Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference (MIFC) during the 1997 NCAA Division II football season. In their seventh year under head coach Brian Kelly, the Lakers compiled a 9–2 record (9–1 in conference games), tied with Ashland for the MIFC championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 330 to 237.[23]
Schedule
Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
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September 6 | at St. Francis (IL) | | W 37–29 | 1,000 |
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September 13 | Ashland | | W 31–20 | 3,900 |
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September 20 | at Ferris State | | W 21–18 | 6,619 |
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September 27 | at Wayne State (MI) | | W 45–30 | 2,496 |
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October 4 | Hillsdale | - Lubbers Stadium
- Allendale, MI
| W 14–12 | |
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October 11 | at Michigan Tech | | W 49–21 | |
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October 18 | Northern Michigan | - Lubbers Stadium
- Allendale, MI
| W 39–22 | |
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October 25 | at Saginaw Valley State | | L 27–30 | 4,200 |
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November 1 | Northwood | - Lubbers Stadium
- Allendale, MI
| W 24–20 | 2,193 |
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November 8 | at UC Davis* | | L 19–21 | 7,751 |
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November 15 | Indianapolis | - Lubbers Stadium
- Allendale, MI
| W 23–14 | 2,700 |
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1998
The 1998 Grand Valley State Lakers football team represented Grand Valley State University (GVSU) as a member of the Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference (MIFC) during the 1998 NCAA Division II football season. In their eighth year under head coach Brian Kelly, the Lakers compiled a 9–3 record (9–1 in conference games), won the MIFC championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 462 to 322.[23]
Schedule
Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
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September 3 | vs. Ashland | Grand Rapids, MI | W 42–35 | |
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September 12 | Northwood | | W 44–41 | 4,520 |
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September 19 | at Indianapolis | Indianapolis, IN | W 28–17 | |
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September 26 | Findlay | - Lubbers Stadium
- Allendale, MI
| W 50–7 | |
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October 3 | St. Francis (IL) | - Lubbers Stadium
- Allendale, MI
| W 40–2 | |
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October 10 | at Mercyhurst | | W 49–14 | |
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October 17 | at Saginaw Valley State | | W 37–36 | |
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October 24 | Northern Michigan | - Lubbers Stadium
- Allendale, MI
| L 14–17 | |
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October 31 | UC Davis | - Lubbers Stadium
- Allendale, MI
| L 38–40 | |
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November 7 | at Michigan Tech | - Sherman Field
- Houghton, MI
| W 43–23 | |
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November 14 | at Ferris State | | W 56–53 | |
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November 21 | at Slippery Rock | Slippery Rock, PA | L 14–37 | |
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1999
The 1999 Grand Valley State Lakers football team represented Grand Valley State University (GVSU) as a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) during the 1999 NCAA Division II football season. In their ninth year under head coach Brian Kelly, the Lakers compiled a 5–5 record (5–4 in conference games), tied for seventh place in the MIFC, and were outscored by a total of 273 to 259.[23]
Schedule
Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
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September 2 | vs. South Dakota State* | | L 20–35 | 5,673 |
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September 11 | at Northwood | | L 30–41 | 5,211 |
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September 18 | Indianapolis | | L 14–30 | 8,028 |
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September 25 | at Findlay | | W 37–9 | 2,500 |
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October 9 | Mercyhurst | - Lubbers Stadium
- Allendale, MI
| W 26–19 | 3,140 |
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October 16 | Saginaw Valley State | | W 31–7 | 4,323 |
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October 23 | at Northern Michigan | | L 13–51 | 3,890 |
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October 30 | at Ashland | | W 44–26 | 4,850 |
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November 6 | Michigan Tech | - Lubbers Stadium
- Allendale, MI
| W 21–7 | 2,775 |
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November 13 | Ferris State | | L 23–48 | 5,277 |
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References
- ^ a b c d e "Grand Valley State Yearly Results (1990-1994)". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
- ^ "GVSU starts search for coach". The Grand Rapids Press. February 20, 1991. pp. C1, C6 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ David Mayo (September 2, 1990). "Grand Valley, GRJC romp in openers: Lakers' debut in new league is a success". The Grand Rapids Press. pp. H1, H7 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Grand Valley St. 27, Mankato St. 24". St. Cloud Times. September 9, 1990. p. 6D – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Gretchen Flemming (September 16, 1990). "Grand Valley defense overwhelms Butler". The Grand Rapids Press. p. D4 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Kip Coons (September 23, 1990). "Grand Valley State shakes off U of I, 30-12". The Indianapolis Star. p. C4 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Gary Bond (September 30, 1990). "Grand Valley defense shuts down SVSU". The Grand Rapids Press. p. G5 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Bob Becker (October 7, 1990). "Grand Valley's wide-open attack too much for NMU, 45-15". The Grand Rapids Press. p. E4 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Brian VanOchten (October 14, 1990). "GVSU takes to air to land 42-12 win". The Grand Rapids Press. p. E5 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ David Mayo (October 21, 1990). "GVSU defense gets its due in win over Ashland". The Grand Rapids Press. p. G5 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Greg Johnson (October 28, 1990). "Win over GVSU charges Cameron". The Grand Rapids Press. p. G1 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Frank Campione (November 4, 1990). "GVSU rebounds to clinch share of crown". The Grand Rapids Press. p. D5 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Gary Bond (November 11, 1990). "GVSU romps, rile opposing coach and plans for playoff spot". The Grand Rapids Press. p. G5 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Gretchen Flemming, Bob Becker (November 18, 1990). "Mistakes sink Grand Valley in playoff game". The Grand Rapids Press. pp. F1, F5 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Final 1990 Division II Cumulative Football Statistics Report (Grand Valley State)". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
- ^ Gretchen Flemming (March 22, 1991). "GVSU football coach sticking with system". The Grand Rapids Press. p. C5 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Gretchen Flemming (September 8, 1991). "GVSU sails past opening foe into showdown vs. No. 1 team". The Grand Rapids Press. p. G4 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Kevin Schnepf (September 15, 1991). "Grand Valley drive erases Bison streak". The Forum. pp. F1, F2 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Gary Bond (October 20, 1991). "GVSU grinds out 28-6 victory over Ferris". The Grand Rapids Press. p. G5 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Gretchen Flemming (November 10, 1991). "GVSU charters 59-28 win over Wayne St". The Grand Rapids Press. p. F5 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Steve Kaminski (November 17, 1991). "Playoff bid likely for GVSU after 36-3 victory over Valparaiso". The Grand Rapids Press. p. D5 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "East Texas wins in NCAA II playoffs". San Angelo Standard-Times. November 24, 1991. p. 5D – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e "Grand Valley State Yearly Results (1995-1999)". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
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