2003 Grand Valley State Lakers football team

2003 Grand Valley State Lakers football
NCAA Division II champion
NCAA Division II Championship Game, W 10–3 vs. North Dakota
Conference	Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Record	14–1 (9–1 GLIAC)
Head coach	Brian Kelly (13th season)
Offensive coordinator	Jeff Quinn (15th season)
Defensive coordinator	Chuck Martin (1st season)
Home stadium	Lubbers Stadium
Seasons ←  2002 2004  →

2003 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 1 Saginaw Valley State $^		10	–	0					12	–	1
No. 4 Grand Valley State ^		9	–	1					14	–	1
Northwood		6	–	4					6	–	5
Ferris State		5	–	5					6	–	5
Findlay		5	–	5					6	–	5
Indianapolis		5	–	5					6	–	5
Michigan Tech		5	–	5					5	–	5
Mercyhurst		4	–	6					5	–	6
Hillsdale		4	–	6					4	–	7
Northern Michigan		3	–	7					3	–	8
Wayne State (MI)		2	–	8					3	–	8
Ashland		2	–	8					2	–	9
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from AFCA poll

The 2003 Grand Valley State Lakers football team was an American football team that won the 2003 NCAA Division II national championship.

The team represented the Grand Valley State University in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) during the 2003 NCAA Division II football season. In their 13th season under head coach Brian Kelly, the Lakers compiled a 14–1 record (9–1 against conference opponents), outscored opponents by a total of 551 to 200, and finished second in the GLIAC. ^[1] The team advanced to the playoffs and won the national championship by defeating North Dakota in the championship game. ^[2]

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

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 6	9:00 p.m.	at UC Davis *	No. 1	Toomey Field Davis, CA	W 9–6 OT	6,447
September 13	7:00 p.m.	Ferris State	No. 1	Lubbers Stadium Allendale, MI (Anchor–Bone Classic)	W 40–10	12,627
September 20	7:00 p.m.	Wayne State (MI)	No. 1	Lubbers Stadium Allendale, MI	W 50–14	10,054
September 27	7:00 p.m.	at Hillsdale	No. 1	Frank "Muddy" Waters Stadium Hilllsdale, MI	W 37–24	2,500
October 4	7:00 p.m.	Michigan Tech	No. 1	Lubbers Stadium Allendale, MI	W 48–17	10,034
October 11	1:00 p.m.	at Northern Michigan	No. 1	Superior Dome Marquette, MI	W 50–20	3,357
October 18	7:00 p.m.	No. 5 Saginaw Valley State	No. 1	Lubbers Stadium Allendale, MI (Battle of the Valleys)	L 20–34	12,832
October 25	12:00 p.m.	at Northwood	No. 7	Hantz Stadium Midland, MI	W 33–14	1,933
November 1	7:00 p.m.	Mercyhurst	No. 6	Lubbers Stadium Allendale, MI	W 51–6	6,678
November 8	1:00 p.m.	Indianapolis	No. 4	Lubbers Stadium Allendale, MI	W 53–10	3,500
November 15	1:00 p.m.	at Findlay	No. 4	Donnell Stadium Findlay, OH	W 44–0	591
November 22	12:00 p.m.	at No. 19 Bentley *	No. 4	Bentley University Football Stadium Waltham, MA (NCAA Division II first round)	W 62–13	4,433
November 29	12:00 p.m.	at No. 1 Saginaw Valley State*	No. 4	Harvey Randall Wickes Memorial Stadium Saginaw, MI (NCAA Division II quarterfinal)	W 10–3	9,267	[3]
December 6	1:00 p.m.	at No. 3 Texas A&M–Kingsville *	No. 4	Javelina Stadium Kingsville, TX (NCAA Division II semifinal)	W 44–7	10,500
December 13	4:05 p.m.	vs. No. 7 North Dakota *	No. 4	Braly Municipal Stadium Florence, AL (NCAA Division II Championship Game)	W 10–3	7,236	[2]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from American Football Coaches Association Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

References

1. "Grand Valley State Yearly Results". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on April 1, 2015. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
2. "Grand Valley claims second straight title". Detroit Free Press. December 14, 2003. p. 12C – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Grand Valley advances to Division II semifinals". The Kalamazoo Gazette. Associated Press. November 30, 2003. p. E4 – via Newspapers.com.