2001 Grand Valley State Lakers football team

The 2001 Grand Valley State Lakers football team that represented the Grand Valley State University in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) during the 2001 NCAA Division II football season. In their 11th season under head coach Brian Kelly, the Lakers compiled a 13–1 record (9–0 against conference opponents), outscored opponents by a total of 707 to 231, and won the GLIAC championship.^[1] The team qualified for the playoffs and advanced to the national championship game where they lost to North Dakota.

2001 Grand Valley State Lakers football
NCAA Division II runner-up GLIAC champion
NCAA Division II Championship Game, L 14–17 vs. North Dakota
Conference	Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Record	13–1 (9–0 GLIAC)
Head coach	Brian Kelly (11th season)
Home stadium	Lubbers Stadium
Seasons ← 2000 2002 →

2001 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 2 Grand Valley State $^		9	–	0					13	–	1
No. 9 Saginaw Valley State ^		9	–	1					11	–	2
Ferris State		7	–	3					7	–	4
Indianapolis		6	–	4					7	–	4
Ashland		5	–	5					6	–	5
Michigan Tech		5	–	5					5	–	5
Northern Michigan		3	–	7					4	–	7
Northwood		3	–	6					3	–	6
Wayne State (MI)		3	–	6					3	–	7
Findlay		3	–	7					3	–	8
Hillsdale		3	–	7					3	–	8
Mercyhurst		2	–	7					2	–	7
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from AFCA poll

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

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
August 30	Minnesota Crookston*	No. 22	Lubbers Stadium Allendale, MI	W 56–0	4,952
September 8	Saginaw Valley State	No. 18	Lubbers Stadium Allendale, MI	W 38–7	5,303
September 22	at Ashland	No. 15	Jack Miller Stadium Ashland, OH	W 63–19	2,000
September 29	Northern Michigan	No. 15	Lubbers Stadium Allendale, MI	W 64–14	7,606
October 6	at Ferris State	No. 15	Top Taggart Field Big Rapids, MI	W 63–17	2,901
October 13	At Indianapolis	No. 12	Key Stadium Indianapolis, IN	W 63–27	3,000
October 20	Mercyhurst	No. 7	Lubbers Stadium Allendale, MI	W 59–3	8,057
October 27	at Michigan Tech	No. 5	Sherman Field Houghton, MI	W 44–34	888
November 3	Wayne State (MI)	No. 4	Lubbers Stadium Allendale, MI	W 77–12	3,766
November 10	Hillsdale	No. 3	Lubbers Stadium Allendale, MI	W 57–21	4,567
November 17	No. 5 Bloomsburg*	No. 2	Lubbers Stadium Allendale, MI (NCAA Division II first round)	W 42–14	4,858
November 24	No. 9 Saginaw Valley State*	No. 2	Lubbers Stadium Allendale, MI (NCAA Division II quarterfinal)	W 33–30	3,737
December 1	No. 7 Catawba*	No. 2	Lubbers Stadium Allendale, MI (NCAA Division II semifinal)	W 34–16	6,585
December 8	vs. No. 4 North Dakota*	No. 2	Braly Municipal Stadium Florence, AL (NCAA Division II Championship Game)	L 14–17	6,113	^[2]
*Non-conference game Rankings from American Football Coaches Association Poll released prior to the game

References

1. . College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on April 1, 2015. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
2. "Sioux rally for title". Star Tribune. Associated Press. December 9, 2001. p. C7. Retrieved May 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.