The Ferris State University Football program and Bulldog Athletics will hold a special pregame ceremony on Saturday (Oct. 22) prior to the start of FSU's Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) home contest against Michigan Tech, paying triubute and officially retiring the jersey of FSU legend and two-time Harlon Hill Trophy winner Jason Vander Laan.

 

The ceremony will take place prior to the 1 p.m. (ET) kickoff and fans are encouraged to be in the stadium early. Vander Laan wore jersey #15 during his FSU career from 2012-15 and the number will officially be retired for good after current Bulldog standout wide receiver Xavier Wade concludes his Ferris State career.

Vander Laan will become the first Bulldog football player in the program's 113-year history to have his jersey and number officially retired.

 

"We're looking forward to honoring Jason on Saturday and he's extremely deserving of this recognition," said FSU head coach Tony Annese. "His accomplishments as a college football player and student-athlete at Ferris State were extraordinary and we're all proud of his achievements and thankful for what he's meant for our university."

 

A four-year starter and two-time team captain. Vander Laan had a historic collegiate gridiron career at Ferris State and concluded his career as the greatest rushing quarterback in college football history with 5,953 total yards on the ground.

 

Vander Laan ranks as the school's all-time rushing and scoring leader and broke the school record for most career TD's (81). At the conclusion of his collegiate career, he ranked number one all-time in career rushing by a quarterback at any level of college football and number two for career rushing TD's at any level of college football. He was also the first QB in NCAA History to compile 1,000 plus rushing and passing yards for four-straight years.

 

Vander Laan was a two-time Harlon Hill Trophy winner as the NCAA Division II Player of Year and was also the 2014 and 2015 Division II National Scholar-Athlete of the Year as the country's top male student-athlete for all sports. He was honored as a 2015 Campbell Trophy "Academic Heisman"

finalist, for all levels, and chosen as a consensus All-American each of his final two years. He was also a two-time GLIAC Player of the Year and two-time All-GLIAC First Team choice. The signal caller led FSU to back-to-back GLIAC Championships and NCAA Playoff appearances in 2014 and 2015.

 

Following his Bulldog career, Vander Laan was recognized as one of the NCAA's Today's Top 10 Award winners for his success on the field, in the classroom and in the community. Vander Laan was signed by the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent in 2016 and also had NFL stops with the Indianapolis Colts, Carolina Panthers and the New England Patriots in addition to the New Orleans Saints.