A Winning Football Program

Matt LaFleur

Brian Dolph

Glenn Martinez

Ruvell Martin

Isaac Crawford

John DiGiorgio

2005. Stanton finally led the Cardinals to a winning season in 2006, but the improvement in the conference — to a 6-12 record — only earned them a ninth-place finish.

A Winning Football Program

During the early 2000s, football emerged as the university’s most successful sports program.

Randy Awrey, formerly the head coach at Lakeland College in Wisconsin, assumed head coaching duties for the 1999 season following Kill’s departure. It was SVSU’s first season in the GLIAC after the MIFC disbanded in the summer of 1999. Awrey and the Cardinals’ introduction to the new conference was a rude one as the team finished 4-6 that year. In 2000, the team defeated Grand Valley State in star quarterback Matt LaFleur’s first collegiate start and finished 9-2 in the regular season, its only GLIAC loss a 17-3 defeat at home to rival Northwood University, who shared the conference title with SVSU. LaFleur’s top target was senior wide receiver Brian Dolph, who was named an All-American and GLIAC Player of the Year. The team qualified for the NCAA postseason playoffs for the first time in school history, traveling to Pennsylvania to take on Bloomsburg University in the first round. SVSU led 24-19 at halftime but was outscored the rest of the way in a 46-32 loss.

The 2001 season performance was even better. The team was stacked with offensive talent: future NFL coach LaFleur at quarterback; Glenn Martinez and Ruvell Martin, two sophomore wide receivers who eventually would play in the NFL for several seasons; and freshman offensive lineman Todd Herremans who would later become a longtime starter with the Philadelphia Eagles. The Cardinals finished 9-1 in the conference, its only regular season loss a 38-7 thrashing at Grand Valley State in week two. In the NCAA playoffs, the Cardinals hosted Indiana University of Pennsylvania. The game did not begin well for SVSU, with the Cardinals trailing by 25 points at halftime. Then the team unleashed a marvelous comeback in the second half, scoring 26 points unanswered. The final touchdown came with less than a minute and a half to go, and defensive back Isaac Crawford intercepted IUP’s Bryan Eyerman, one of the Indians’ five turnovers, to seal the victory. The ensuing week the Cardinals traveled to Allendale for a rematch with Grand Valley State. This time the Cardinals made the game much closer; it became a seesaw battle with each side falling behind, then reclaiming the lead. GVSU held on in the game’s final minutes for a 33-30 victory.

In 2002, the team went 9-2 in the regular season, losing the conference title to Grand Valley State, which won NCAA Division II national championship that season. The following season was SVSU’s best year to date. The Cardinals went undefeated in the regular season and were ranked No. 1 in the nation. The highlight victory was a 34-20 road win over Grand Valley State, probably uneclipsed among Cardinal football regular season wins through 2013. The GLIAC champion Cardinals beat Edinboro University in the opening round of the playoffs before hosting their rival, the GVSU Lakers, for a second round rematch at Wickes Stadium. This time the Lakers won 10-3, ending the Cardinals’ season in heartbreaking fashion as Grand Valley State went on to repeat as national champions. The Cardinals posted an excellent season in 2005 behind a stellar defensive unit highlighted by senior linebacker John DiGiorgio who was named GLIAC Player of the Year and an