The Saginaw Valley State Cardinals football program, 1990–1999 represented Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU) during the 1990s in NCAA Division II college football. SVSU was a member of the Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference (MIFC) from 1990 to 1998 and the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) starting in 1999. The team was led during the decade by three head coaches: George Ihler (1983–1993); Jerry Kill (1994–1998); and Randy Awrey (1999–2007).
The team played its home games at Harvey Randall Wickes Memorial Stadium, commonly shortened to Wickes Stadium, in University Center, Michigan.
Decade overview
Year
|
Head coach
|
Overall record
|
Conf. record
|
Conf. rank
|
Points scored
|
Points against
|
Delta
|
1990 |
George Ihler |
6–5 |
5–5 |
7 |
247 |
203 |
+44
|
1991 |
George Ihler |
6–5 |
5–5 |
4 (tie) |
191 |
170 |
+71
|
1992 |
George Ihler |
7–4 |
6–4 |
6 |
221 |
148 |
+73
|
1993 |
George Ihler |
4–7 |
4–6 |
8 |
179 |
276 |
-97
|
1994 |
Jerry Kill |
6–4 |
6–4 |
4 (tie) |
294 |
220 |
+74
|
1995 |
Jerry Kill |
7–3 |
7–3 |
3 (tie) |
359 |
234 |
+125
|
1996 |
Jerry Kill |
7–3 |
7–3 |
3 (tie) |
269 |
157 |
+112
|
1997 |
Jerry Kill |
9–2 |
8–2 |
3 |
457 |
209 |
+248
|
1998 |
Jerry Kill |
9–2 |
8–2 |
2 |
467 |
222 |
+245
|
1999 |
Randy Awrey |
4–6 |
4–5 |
9 (tie) |
272 |
362 |
-90
|
TOTAL |
|
65–43 |
– |
|
|
|
1990
The 1990 Saginaw Valley State Cardinals football team represented Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU) as a member of the Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference (MIFC) during the 1990 NCAA Division II football season. In their eighth year under head coach George Ihler, the Cardinals compiled a 6–5 record (5–5 in conference games), finished in seventh place in the MIFC, and outscored opponents by a total of 247 to 203.[1]
Schedule
Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
---|
September 1 | Hillsdale | | L 7–30 | |
|
September 8 | at Wayne State (MI) | Detroit, MI | W 30–6 | |
|
September 15 | at Northern Michigan | Marquette, MI | L 14–24 | |
|
September 22 | Saint Joseph's (IN) | - Wickes Stadium
- University Center, MI
| W 35–24 | |
|
September 29 | at No. 3 Grand Valley State | | L 7–23 | 5,268–5,468 | [2]
|
October 6 | No. 13 Ashland | - Wickes Stadium
- University Center, MI
| L 21–40 | |
|
October 13 | at Indianapolis | Indianapolis, IN | W 16–13 | |
|
October 20 | Northwood* | - Wickes Stadium
- University Center, MI (Axe Bowl)
| W 33–8 | |
|
October 27 | Valparaiso | - Wickes Stadium
- University Center, MI
| W 46–14 | |
|
November 3 | at Ferris State | | W 21–14 | |
|
November 10 | Butler | - Wickes Stadium
- University Center, MI
| W 17–7 | |
|
|
1991
The 1991 Saginaw Valley State Cardinals football team represented Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU) as a member of the Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference (MIFC) during the 1991 NCAA Division II football season. In their ninth year under head coach George Ihler, the Cardinals compiled a 6–5 record (5–5 in conference games), finished in a three-way tie for fourth place in the MIFC, and outscored opponents by a total of 191 to 170.[1]
Schedule
1992
The 1992 Saginaw Valley State Cardinals football team represented Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU) as a member of the Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference (MIFC) during the 1992 NCAA Division II football season. In their tenth year under head coach George Ihler, the Cardinals compiled a 7–4 record (6–4 in conference games), finished in sixth place in the MIFC, and outscored opponents by a total of 221 to 148.[1]
Schedule
1993
The 1993 Saginaw Valley State Cardinals football team represented Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU) as a member of the Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference (MIFC) during the 1993 NCAA Division II football season. In their 11th and final year under head coach George Ihler, the Cardinals compiled a 4–7 record (4–6 in conference games), finished in eighth place in the MIFC, and were outscored by a total of 276 to 179.[1]
Schedule
1994
The 1994 Saginaw Valley State Cardinals football team represented Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU) as a member of the Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference (MIFC) during the 1995 NCAA Division II football season. In their first year under head coach Jerry Kill, the Cardinals compiled a 6–4 record (6–4 in conference games), finished in a three-way tie for fourth place in the MIFC, and outscored opponents by a total of 294 to 220.[1]
Kill was announced as SVSU's football team in May 1994. Kill had been a coach for the past 11 years, most recently as offensive coordinator at Pittsburg State in Kansas. He had never coached a team that had lost more than three games in a season.[4]
Schedule
1995
The 1995 Saginaw Valley State Cardinals football team represented Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU) as a member of the Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference (MIFC) during the 1995 NCAA Division II football season. In their second year under head coach Jerry Kill, the Cardinals compiled a 7–3 record (7–3 in conference games), finished in a three-way tie for third place in the MIFC, and outscored opponents by a total of 359 to 234.[5]
Schedule
1996
The 1996 Saginaw Valley State Cardinals football team represented Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU) as a member of the Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference (MIFC) during the 1996 NCAA Division II football season. In their third year under head coach Jerry Kill, the Cardinals compiled a 7–3 record (7–3 in conference games), finished in third place in the MIFC, and outscored opponents by a total of 269 to 157.[5]
Schedule
1997
The 1997 Saginaw Valley State Cardinals football team represented Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU) as a member of the Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference (MIFC) during the 1997 NCAA Division II football season. In their fourth year under head coach Jerry Kill, the Cardinals compiled a 9–2 record (8–2 in conference games), finished in third place in the MIFC, and outscored opponents by a total of 457 to 209.[5]
The team had two players rush for over 1,000 yards: quarterback Jeff Klopf with 1,161 yards; and Tim Neelands with 1,080 yards. Klopf also led the team with 830 passing yards and 1,991 yards of total offense. Neelands led in scoring with 102 points on 17 touchdowns while Klopf tallied 90 points on 15 touchdowns.[6]
Schedule
Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
---|
September 6 | Wayne State (MI) | | W 73–7 | 3,900 | [7]
|
September 13 | at Northwood | | W 59–21 | | [8]
|
September 20 | Michigan Tech | - Wickes Stadium
- University Center, MI
| W 45–28 | 6,500 | [9]
|
September 27 | at Fairmont State* | Fairmont, WV | W 56–7 | |
|
October 4 | at Ashland | Ashland, OH | L 20–27 | |
|
October 11 | Indianapolis | - Wickes Stadium
- University Center, MI
| W 31–17 | 4,500 | [10]
|
October 18 | at St. Francis (IL) | Joliet, IL | W 38–18 | |
|
October 25 | Grand Valley State | | W 30–27 | 4,200 | [11]
|
November 1 | at Ferris State | | L 23–24 | | [12]
|
November 8 | at Hillsdale | | W 30–13 | | [13]
|
November 15 | Northern Michigan | - Wickes Stadium
- University Center, MI
| W 52–20 | | [14]
|
|
1998
The 1998 Saginaw Valley State Cardinals football team represented Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU) as a member of the Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference (MIFC) during the 1998 NCAA Division II football season. In their fifth and final year under head coach Jerry Kill, the Cardinals compiled a 9–2 record (8–2 in conference games), finished in second place in the MIFC, and outscored opponents by a total of 467 to 222.[5][15]
In an Axe Bowl loss to rival Northwood, the teams set a NCAA Division II record with a combined total of 1,328 yards of offense (688 yards for Northwood and 626 yards for SVSU).[16] SVSU's only other loss was to Grand Valley State, as the Cardinals took a 26-point lead but wound up losing by a 37–36 score.[17]
Defensive end Lamar King was invited to play in three NCAA Division I all-star games and later played six years in the National Football League.[18]
Kill resigned as SVSU's head football coach in January 1999 and accepted a post as head football coach at Emporia State in Kansas.[19]
Schedule
[5]
1999
The 1999 Saginaw Valley State Cardinals football team represented Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU) as a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLAIC) during the 1999 NCAA Division II football season. In their first year under head coach Randy Awrey, the Cardinals compiled a 4–6 record (4–5 in conference games), tied for ninth place in the GLIAC, and were outscored by a total of 362 to 272.[5]
SVSU hired Awrey as its new head football coach in February 1999. He had previously been head coach for five years at Lakeland, compiling a 35–14–1 record there.[27] He was a native of Michigan's Upper Peninsula who played in the same high school backfield as San Francisco 49ers coach Steve Mariucci and Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo.[28]
Schedule
[5]
References
- ^ a b c d e "Saginaw Valley State Yearly Results (1990-1994)". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
- ^ Gary Bond (September 30, 1990). "Grand Valley defense shuts down SVSU". The Grand Rapids Press. p. G5 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ John Pozenel Jr. (October 24, 1993). "Michigan Tech roughs up SVSU". The Saginaw News. p. E3 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Jim DeLand (May 2, 1994). "Saginaw Valley names Kill new football coach". The Bay City Times. p. D1 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Saginaw Valley State Yearly Results". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
- ^ "Statistics Summary for 1997". SVSU Cardinals. Retrieved June 21, 2025.
- ^ Jim Spadafore (September 7, 1993). "Saginaw Valley pummels visiting Wayne State, 73-7". Detroit Free Press. p. 5D – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Bruce Gunter (September 14, 1997). "SVSU makes NU pay for mistakes". The Bay City Times. pp. 1E, 3E – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Bruce Gunther (September 21, 1997). "SVSU routs Tech, 45-28". The Bay City Times. p. E1 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Indianapolis loses perfect record, key players". The Indianapolis Star. October 12, 1997. p. C5 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Gary Bond (October 26, 1997). "Grand Valley fals in overtime to Saginaw". The Grand Rapids Press. p. E9 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Greg Mancina (November 2, 1997). "SVSU hits roadblock: Fate plays another cruel trick on Saginaw Valley football". The Saginaw News. pp. F1, F4 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Cardinals keep playoff hopes alive". The Saginaw News. November 9, 1997. p. F5 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Greg Mancina (November 16, 1997). "SVSU does its job: Saginaw Valley awaits today's decision on the playoffs with high hopes". The Saginaw News. pp. F1, F4 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Greg Mancina (September 7, 1998). "Cardinals aim high". The Saginaw News. p. 33 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Greg Mancina (October 25, 1998). "Records Axed as Northwood: the Axe bowl rivals set a national record for offense". The Saginaw News. p. F4 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Gary Bond (October 18, 1998). "Rip-Roarin' Rally: Lakers rally from 26-point deficit to clip Cardinals". The Grand Rapids Press. p. E1 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Troy Bruzewski (November 15, 1998). "SVSU makes its best title pitch". p. E1 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Greg Mancina (January 27, 1999). "SVSU starts job search". The Saginaw News. pp. C1, C3 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Bruce Gunther (September 7, 1998). "SVSU's win may be good in long haul". The Bay City Times. pp. 1B, 2B – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Greg Mancina (September 13, 1998). "SVSU's Dolph sparks big win over Ferris". The Bay City Times. p. 4E – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Saginaw Valley pummels WSU". Detroit Free Press. September 20, 1998. p. 12D – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "SVSU stays on track". The Saginaw News. September 27, 1998. p. F5 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Bruce Gunter (October 4, 1998). "Cards stack Tech". The Bay City Times. pp. 1E, 5E – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Greg Mancina (November 1, 1998). "Cardinals bounce right back". The Saginaw News. p. E4 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "SVSU survives Hillsdale scare". The Saginaw News. November 8, 1998. p. F7 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Lakeland football coach accepts job in Michigan". The Sheboygan Press. Sheboygan, Wisconsin. February 16, 1999. p. B12. Retrieved December 7, 2022 – via Newspapers.com
.
- ^ Bruce Gunther (February 15, 1999). "SVSU names new football coach". The Bay City Times. p. B1 – via Newspapers.com.
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Venues | |
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Bowls & rivalries | |
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Culture & lore |
- Coop the Cardinal
- "Cardinal Fight"
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People | |
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Seasons | |
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