Hall of Fame
The winningest quarterback in college football history - regardless of NCAA Division - Cullen Finnerty sported an incredible 51-4 record for GVSU, which included three Division II National Championships. Cullen led the Lakers to national titles in 2003, 2005, and 2006, capping off his career with an undefeated record in each of his final two seasons. Grand Valley State won the final 28 games of Finnerty’s career, as he ran for the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter of his final game, a 17-14 championship victory over Northwest Missouri State in 2006. Cullen was the first-ever Division II quarterback to throw for 10,000 yards and rush for 2,000 yards in a career; only one other quarterback has done it since. Not only did he throw for 110 career touchdowns, but Finnerty ran for another 31 scores for 141 total touchdowns. When his career ended, Cullen ranked third in Division II history with 13,275 total yards; nearly 10 years later, he still ranks ninth in that category. Cullen played his best in the biggest moments. In 15 career playoff games, Finnerty and the Lakers went 14-1, while he either passed or ran for 34 touchdowns in the postseason. He was a 2006 First Team All-American and finished as the runner-up in the Harlon Hill voting, the Division II equivalent of the Heisman Trophy. Grand Valley State went 14-1, 10-3, 13-0, and 15-0 in Finnerty’s four seasons as the starting quarterback, as he played in all but one of those 56 games.
