Hall of Fame
A member of the GVSU coaching staff for 10 seasons, Chuck Martin and the Lakers reached six Division II National Championship games, winning the title four times. Promoted to head coach in 2004, Martin owned an incredible 74-7 record, which equates to a .914 winning percentage. The Lakers captured a pair of Division II National Championship with Chuck as an assistant (2002, 2003) and as a head coach (2005, 2006). Martin won at least 10 games every year in his six seasons as head coach and had zero or one loss in four of those six campaigns. From Aug. 27, 2005 to Dec. 1, 2007, Grand Valley State won 40 consecutive games, a feat that has not been duplicated by a Division II program before or since. In that record 40-game win streak, the Lakers won the 2005 national title (21-17) and the 2006 championship (17-14), both victories coming over rival Northwest Missouri State. The 2006 GVSU team became just the second Division II school to post a perfect 15-0 record, winning 13 of those games by at least 10 points. Under Martin’s tutelage, the Lakers went 16-4 in the playoffs, including 10 straight postseason victories during the 40-game win streak. A two-time American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) National Coach of the Year at GVSU, Chuck joined Brian Kelly on the Notre Dame coaching staff and is now in his second season as the head coach of Miami (Ohio).
