Division II Still Gaining Popularity

A warm, fall on Saturday evening found me where I can typically be found on such days— Lubbers Stadium on the campus of Grand Valley State University. GVSU, one of the largest NCAA Division II institutions in the nation with just over 24,000 students, was preparing for the first home game of the 2009 football season. 

The visitors, rival Saginaw Valley State (a school I typically call simply "That Other Valley School") arrived at Lubbers with their students and new marching band to settle in for a matchup between two top-25 programs (GVSU was No.1 and That Other Valley School was No.16). 

As the crowd began pouring into their seats, I looked around the stadium and noticed that not only was the student section full; it was still an hour before kick off.  Additionally, the stands on the opposite side of the field were also full—as were the standing room areas to either side of the seating area. There were a lot of people here;  a lot.

Lubbers Stadium's official seating capacity is nothing special, even at the Division II level—8,550. 

But GVSU's attendance figures frequently surpass that mark. In fact, in 2008, GVSU averaged nearly 11,000 fans per regular-season home game. The number of people who attended this particular "Battle of the Valleys" game in '09: nearly 16,500—a GVSU record for a home game. 

That's right—there were as many people standing as sitting. Was it the warm, almost summer-like night?  Was it the fact that it was the first home game of the year?  Was it because of the bitter rivalry between the Valleys? Perhaps.

But these teams have met before, even with the rankings being closer (No. 1 vs No. 4 for example). I think there was another force at work.

GVSU, and the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in general benefits from a few extras that many Division II schools do not enjoy—a complete lack of Division I-FCS. 

In the state of Michigan, there is not even one single FCS (I-AA) institution. Granted, there are five FBS (I-A) institutions (and two non-football Division I schools, sometimes called Division I-AAA). Because of the FCS absence in Michigan, schools like GVSU are able to attract athletes from much higher in the state's talent pool of high school athletes than schools in, say, Ohio or Georgia. 

In those states, D-II plays third-string behind D-I FBS and D-I FCS. In Michigan, D-II is running right behind FBS schools without having to worry about "the best of the rest" running for a FCS program. 

Plus, there have been recruiting geniuses like Brian Kelly (now of Cincinnati fame) and current GVSU head man Chuck Martin who have successfully played the "play D-II and play now and win National Titles or play in the MAC and ride the bench and maybe if you're lucky play in a bowl game that no one goes to and no one watches" card. This entire, albeit somewhat involved recipe makes for very entertaining, talented football in Division II.

GVSU's run of recent success began in 2001, when the team reached the NCAA National Championship game for the first time. Since 2001, GVSU is 107-7, and has been ranked No. 1 by the AFCA in 78 of its weekly polls over that time. 

Not even USC, Ohio State, or Florida can say that. In fact, GVSU holds the AFCA record for most consecutive weeks as a No. 1 team at 37 (during GVSU's NCAA Division II record 41-game winning streak from 2004 to 2007). That includes four national titles (2002, 2003, 2005, 2006).

Since the initial (near) championship run in 2001, GVSU's attendance has steadily grown.  New facilities have been added (including a full, indoor practice field), attracting even better recruits. GVSU has become a program in Division II much like the Yankees in baseball, the Red Wings in hockey, and USC in Division I; Success begets success.  With the addition of Division I transfers, GVSU is able to put a pretty attractive product on the field.

GVSU's Athletic Director, Tim Selgo, made perhaps the biggest PR coup for GVSU, though, when he decided that night games were the way to go. Poof! 

Attendance went up. Way up. 

No longer did GVSU fight for fans with Michigan, Michigan State, or Notre Dame. Now, fans could watch their favorite D-I team in the afternoon and then drive out to Allendale to watch the Lakers at 7:00 pm.  GVSU further marketed these night games as "Saturday Nights—Under the Lights" in 2009.

Tying all of these facets together was no small feat, and the staff at GVSU should be proud of itself.  But inevitably the nay-sayers chimed in. 

"GVSU should 'move-up' to Division I," and "GVSU's too big to be a Division II school," and "You shouldn't be satisfied with being a big fish is a little pond," and "It's still just Division II." 

It should be noted that most of these moronic comments come from people who never played a collegiate sport (or even attended a university). Why, pray tell, does Division II have to simply be a stop over on a school's journey to Division I mediocrity? 

The large, successful in Division II schools that have made the leap to D-I don't achieve very much once they're there. How well is North Dakota State feared on the field of competition in Division I?

They were the big dog in D-II. 

Now they're an also ran in Division I. And why does getting the game score on ESPN's Bottom Line matter (although it should be noted that this year ESPN has been listing Division II football scores)? Why is Division II "not good enough" in some (uninformed) peoples' minds?

I truly believe that Division II can be a destination. 

Division II embodies what a university athletics program should be. After all, we call them student-athletes. The student part comes first, as it should. The vast, vast majority of student-athletes at the Division II level receive only a fraction of a full scholarship. 

The D-II limit for a football team is 36 scholarships. Tim Tebow doesn't pay a single cent to attend classes. There aren't more than a handful (probably less than 20) Division II players in the entire nation that can say the same thing. 

Tim Tebow doesn't really have to worry if he graduates or not. In Division II, only a handful of players each year reach the pros. The goal at the Division II level isn't fame, glory, or draft position.

It's an education and a degree. 

GVSU has a defensive lineman who is burning up stat sheets with sacks, tackles, and TFLs. His chosen career isn't the NFL, though,  His 3.96 GPA is good enough to earn him a spot in med school. That's right. The guy who spent four years trying to kill opposing quarterbacks on the field will spend the rest of his life saving lives.

To me, that's better than any career in the NFL.

As GVSU prepares to welcome it's one-millionth fan to Lubbers Stadium on Oct. 3rd in a GLIAC game against Tiffin University (OH), it should be noted that those one million fans, and the millions of other fans around the US (and now Canada) who attend NCAA Division II events are watching the truest sense of "student-athletes." And I, for one, hope its popularity continues to grow.

In the words of the NCAA: "I Choose Division II."  One million Laker fans, and millions of fans across the continent can't be wrong.