The Grand Valley State Lakers football program, 1970–1979 represented Grand Valley State College (renamed Grand Valley State University in 1988) during the 1970s in NAIA and NCAA Division II college football as a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC). The team was led by head coaches Rip Collins (1970–1972) and Jim Harkema (1973–1982).
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.
1970
In 1970, Grand Valley State launched its football program with six non-varsity games.
Rip Collins was hired in March 1970 as the school's first head football coach and an assistant professor of physical education. Collins had been on the faculty of Ottawa Hill High School since 1950.
Schedule
1971
The 1971 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 1971 NAIA Division II football season. In their second year under head coach Rip Collins, the Lakers compiled a 0–7 record and were outscored by a total of 338 to 27.
The team inaugurated GVSU's varsity football history. Collins was the program's first head coach, and he had two assistants, Jim Scott and Riley Swinehart.
In the team's first official game, the Lakers lost to Grand Rapids Junior College. In their first game against rival , the Lakers were defeated by a 57-0 score, the widest margin of victory to that date in Ferris State football history against a four-year school.
The team did not have a home football field.
Schedule
1972
The 1972 Grand Valley State Lakers football team represented Grand Valley State College (GVSC) as an independent during the 1972 NAIA Division II football season. In their third and final year under head coach Rip Collins, the Lakers compiled a 0–6 record and were outscored by a total of 199 to 71.
Collins resigned as GVSC's head football coach at the end of the 1972 season. He retained his post as a professor of physical education. While Collins' 1970 won one junior varsity game in 1970, his teams lost 13 consecutive intercollegiate varsity games in 1971 and 1972.
The Lakers played their first home game on their new football field on October 22, a loss against Findlay. The field was equipped with portable bleachers with the capacity to seat nearly 3,000 fans.
Schedule
1973
The 1973 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 1973 NAIA Division II football season. In their first year under head coach Jim Harkema, the Lakers compiled a 6–3 record (0–2 in conference games), finished in last place out of three teams in the GLIAC, and outscored opponents by a total of 259 to 120.
Harkema, at age 30, was hired as the head football coach in January 1973 following the resignation of Rip Collins at the end of the 1972 season. Harkema had been a multisport athlete at Kalamazoo College, accumulating 10 varsity letters. He had most recently been an assistant football coach at Northern Illinois University.
Schedule
1974
The 1974 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 1974 NAIA Division II football season. In their second year under head coach Jim Harkema, the Lakers compiled a 6–3 record (1–2 in conference games), tied for last place out of four teams in the GLIAC, and outscored opponents by a total of 225 to 87.
Schedule
1975
The 1975 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 1975 NAIA Division II football season. In their third year under head coach Jim Harkema, the Lakers compiled a 7–2–1 record (3–1–1 in conference games), tied for second place in the GLIAC, and outscored opponents by a total of 264 to 96.
Schedule
1976
The 1976 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 1976 NAIA Division I football season. In their fourth year under head coach Jim Harkema, the Lakers compiled an 8–2 record (3–2 in conference games), finished in a three-way tie for second place in the GLIAC, and outscored opponents by a total of 194 to 131.
Schedule
1977
The 1977 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 1977 NAIA Division I football season. In their fifth year under head coach Jim Harkema, the Lakers compiled a 7–3 record (4–1 in conference games), won the GLIAC championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 212 to 128.
Schedule
1978
The 1978 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 1978 NAIA Division I football season. In their sixth year under head coach Jim Harkema, the Lakers compiled a 9–3 record (5–0 in conference games), won the GLIAC championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 333 to 229. They advanced to the NAIA Division I playoffs, defeating in the quarterfinals before losing to in the semifinals.
Schedule
1979
The 1979 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 1979 NAIA Division I football season. In their seventh year under head coach Jim Harkema, the Lakers compiled a 4–5 record (2–3 in conference games), finished in fourth place in the GLIAC, and outscored opponents by a total of 215 to 182.
The team played its home games at the new Lubbers Stadium.
Schedule
References