2002 Grand Valley State Lakers football team

The 2002 Grand Valley State Lakers football team was an American football team that won the 2002 NCAA Division II national championship.

2002 Grand Valley State Lakers football
NCAA Division II champion GLIAC champion
NCAA Division II Championship Game, W 31–24 vs. Valdosta State
Conference	Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Record	14–0 (9–0 GLIAC)
Head coach	Brian Kelly (12th season)
Offensive coordinator	Jeff Quinn (14th season)
Home stadium	Lubbers Stadium
Seasons ← 2001 2003 →

2002 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 1 Grand Valley State $^		9	–	0					14	–	0
No. 15 Saginaw Valley State ^		8	–	2					9	–	3
No. 19 Findlay		8	–	2					9	–	2
Northwood		7	–	3					7	–	4
Northern Michigan		6	–	4					6	–	5
Ferris State		4	–	5					5	–	5
Indianapolis		4	–	6					5	–	6
Hillsdale		4	–	6					4	–	7
Michigan Tech		3	–	7					3	–	7
Wayne State (MI)		3	–	7					3	–	8
Ashland		2	–	8					2	–	9
Mercyhurst		1	–	9					2	–	9
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from AFCA poll

The team represented the Grand Valley State University in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) during the 2002 NCAA Division II football season. In their 12th season under head coach Brian Kelly, the Lakers compiled a 14–0 record (9–0 against conference opponents), outscored opponents by a total of 654 to 231, and won the GLIAC championship.^[1] The team advanced to the playoffs and won the national championship by defeating Valdosta State in the championship game.^[2]

The team played its home games at Lubbers Stadium in Allendale Charter Township, Michigan.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 7	No. 6 UC Davis*	No. 1	Lubbers Stadium Allendale, MI	W 24–17	12,361	[3]
September 21	at Wayne State (MI)	No. 1	Tom Adams Field Detroit, MI	W 49–14	2,445
September 28	Hillsdale	No. 1	Lubbers Stadium Allendale, MI	W 44–19	10,031
October 5	at Michigan Tech	No. 1	Sherman Field Houghton, MI	W 56–14	2,056
October 12	Northern Michigan	No. 1	Lubbers Stadium Allendale, MI	W 51–14	9,560
October 19	at No. 3 Saginaw Valley State	No. 1	Harvey Randall Wickes Memorial Stadium Saginaw, MI	W 23–18	11,234
October 26	Northwood	No. 1	Lubbers Stadium Allendale, MI	W 33–14	6,544
November 2	at Mercyhurst	No. 1	Saxon Stadium Erie, PA	W 62–24	300
November 9	Indianapolis	No. 1	Lubbers Stadium Allendale, MI	W 50–13	6,064
November 16	No. 19 Findlay	No. 1	Lubbers Stadium Allendale, MI	W 63–19	6,278	[4]
November 23	No. 10 C.W. Post*	No. 1	Lubbers Stadium Allendale, MI (NCAA Division II first round)	W 62–13	4,233	[5]
November 30	No. 6 IUP*	No. 1	Lubbers Stadium Allendale, MI (NCAA Division II quarterfinal)	W 62–21	3,705	[6]
December 7	No. 7 Northern Colorado*	No. 1	Lubbers Stadium Allendale, MI (NCAA Division II semifinal)	W 44–7	5,215	[7]
December 14	vs. No. 2 Valdosta State*	No. 1	Braly Municipal Stadium Florence, AL (NCAA Division II Championship Game)	W 31–24	9,783	[2]
*Non-conference game Rankings from American Football Coaches Association Poll released prior to the game

References

1. "Grand Valley State Yearly Results". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on April 1, 2015. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
2. Bob Johnson (December 15, 2002). "Grand Valley No. 1 in Div. II". Battle Creek Enquirer. p. 1D – via Newspapers.com.
3. Don VanderVeen (September 8, 2002). "No. 1 Grand Valley prevails". Detroit Free Press. p. 12D – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Grand Valley routs Findlay". Lansing State Journal. November 17, 2002. p. 5C – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Anes throws six TD passes as Grand Valley wins easily". Lansing State Journal. November 24, 2002. p. 5C – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Grand Valley cruises, 62-21". Lansing State Journal. December 1, 2002. p. 7C – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Grand Valley State bombs N. Colorado". The Herald-Palladium. December 8, 2002. p. 6D – via Newspapers.com.