Calvin University football team makes history, wins first game

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — History was made for Calvin University on Saturday with the first football team in the university’s existence taking the field.

Saturday afternoon, the Knights played their very first game, defeating Oberlin College 50-6 at Grand Rapids Christian High School.

Current students, alumni, faculty and locals all came to enjoy the festivities and be part of the historic day.

“To be able to come back and feel like you’re a part of it, new again. Like, it just gives a whole new life to being part of being part of that Calvin University alumni and that whole family,” alumna Kristin Smith told News 8.

Smith added that she just recently moved back to West Michigan. She said these games will be a way to bring the community together and and help alumni reconnect.

“I think football has been a missing draw for Calvin for a long time. You know, in the fall, we went to soccer games back in my day,” she said. “So, I think it just kind of makes a more fun experience for Calvin students and for the community. It’s fun.”

Students shared the sentiment.

“I think I would have had a good time visiting here before coming to Calvin if we could have gone to a football game and see how everyone interacts and the school spirit. I think that would be fun,” graduate student Emma Delfin told News 8.

Her friend Samantha Korecki graduated in spring and wished she was able to experience the games as a current student. But she said they will be an exciting new feature for prospective students.

“I think this is going to be a huge draw for people wanting to come to Calvin. It’s a fun thing to do when you’re here,” Korecki said. “It’s a great way to get involved and get into the school spirit and really like feel like a Knight. Go Knights.”

BUILDING A PROGRAM

Saturday was also the first time the university had football tailgates, which started at 11:30 a.m.

“Anytime you do a first of anything, there’s a lot of butterflies and a lot of excitement and then when you add football on top of it and the size and nature of football, it’s a big day for Calvin,” Jim Timmer, the director of athletics at Calvin University, said.

The team, coaching staff and program were built from the ground up. The football program was approved in the fall of 2022, then head coach Trent Figg was hired in January of 2023. From there, they have been working hard recruiting and building up the new football program.

“When I got hired, we didn’t own a helmet, we didn’t own a football, we didn’t own a set of shoulder pads,” Figg said. “We’ve literally started from zero but it’s been such a cool process.”

The new team has more than 100 players, with a majority of them from West Michigan. KJ Harp is a sophomore at Calvin University and plays as a nose tackle. He grew up in Kentwood and graduated from East Kentwood High School. Harp said joining the team was the right decision for him after a shoulder injury his senior year of high school. After getting surgery he was able to recover and practice while the team prepared for Saturday’s game.

“I’m like, okay maybe this is a sign, like I can still play football somewhere,” Harp said. “So I just kind of prayed and talked to God about it and I’m so glad I chose to go here.”

His teammate Chase Bradman was also excited about his decision to play football at Calvin University. He is a graduate student and is in the running for quarterback on the team. Bradman also graduated from South Christian High School. He said he was excited to take the field and show the community what football at Calvin looks like.

“Being a startup, it’s kind of crazy that we have a team we met two weeks ago and we’ve been able to connect and grind together and put a team together and hopefully do well on the field,” Bradman said.

Tickets for the team’s first game in the university’s 148-year history sold out fast with tickets only being available for standing room. Greg Elzinga, the interim president of Calvin University, said he was happy to see the support for this program from the community.

“Bringing your entire campus community together on a Saturday afternoon, it’s going to be a beautiful day for football,” Elzinga said. “There’s something very special about it, unlike a lot of other sports and we have amazing student athletes and coaches across all of our sports, but I think this particular day is going to be a real special one.”

The team’s home games for this season will all be at Eagles Stadium at Grand Rapids Christian High School. The university is currently working on creating and funding a stadium for the team to play on campus.

“We think college football should be played on campus, (give) access to our students, athletes, our staff, our faculty. It just brings a community together,” Timmer said. “We are just eternally grateful for Grand Rapids Christian High for helping us out but we want to get back on campus as soon as possible.”

While the players are waiting for a stadium on campus, they did get a new locker room in August. Figg said the team is young compared to other college teams but he hopes that will give them an advantage to grow throughout the season and in the future.

“We’re going to start more freshmen than any other team in the country this year. We have the youngest, most inexperienced roster in college football this fall,” Figg said. “Our players are really excited and I think that they’re going to play with confidence, they’re going to play physically, but what I really want to see this year, we want to see progress every single game. We want to see our team get better every single game.”

The Calvin Knights’ next football game is away on Sept. 14 at Concordia University Wisconsin. You can find the full schedule and more on the team here .

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