Saginaw Valley Celebrates 50 Years of Football History

Saginaw Valley State University played its first-ever varsity football game on September 13, 1975 – a 1:30 p.m. contest against Adrian College. The Cardinals won the inaugural game 29-14 before a near-capacity crowd of 1,900 at Saginaw Valley Stadium.

At its first home football game of the 2025 season, SVSU honored players from the historic ’75 team. A lot has changed since that inaugural season:

• They were known back then as Saginaw Valley State College. They are now Saginaw Valley State University.

• The team was known back then as the Fighting Cardinals. Today, they are simply called the Cardinals.

• In ’75, there were 3,000 students at the college. In 2025, the university boasts an enrollment of nearly 7,000.

• Portable seating for the yet-to-be-named stadium was 2,000. Today, Harvey Randall Wickes Memorial Stadium seats 6,800.

The roots of the program actually started on December 17, 1973, when the Saginaw Valley State College Board of Control authorized the administration to introduce a varsity football program “as soon as possible.” College officials said they hoped the school could have its first team ready to play for the 1974-75 academic year. The board, however, did not approve funding for the program. Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. William Capitan said funding for the sport would have to come from private sources.

Two months later, Frank “Muddy” Waters – who compiled a 138-46-5 record in 20 seasons at Hillsdale College – was introduced as the first head football coach at Saginaw Valley by Capitan, who was now the acting president. A few weeks later Waters began recruiting and assembling a roster for a junior varsity schedule.

In May of 1974, Saginaw Valley State College announced plans for a $95,000 fund drive to expand its athletics programs, including scholarships for football and basketball, the purchase of equipment and uniforms. Less than a month later they officially launched its fund drive for athletics, focusing on Saginaw, Bay, and Midland counties.

Waters, meanwhile, was busy welcoming 85 players for a team meeting, Media/Picture Day, and the very first junior college practice at Arthur Hill High School’s Memorial Stadium. On September 15, 1974, Saginaw Valley opened its junior varsity schedule with a 20-16 win over Northwood Institute on a Monday night. Halfback Bruce Felton tallied the Fighting Cardinals first-ever JV touchdown on a short run in the second quarter. SVSC concluded its 10-game JV schedule with an 8-2 record following a 27-13 win over Northeastern Illinois.

The following summer Waters laid the last piece of sod for a revolutionary new playing surface in Saginaw Valley Stadium – Prescription Athletic Turf. The PAT surface fertilizes, waters, and drains the field from underneath. The special sod is grown in Ohio, and SVSC joins major college football programs like Purdue and Mississippi State in the installation of the new playing surface. In August, Waters welcomed 150 gridiron hopefuls to its new home field for its first preseason meeting and Media/Picture Day.

In its inaugural varsity game, the Fighting Cardinals rolled up 309 yards on the ground and scored four rushing touchdowns in the victory over Adrian College. John Waters rushed for 200 yards on 17 carries. His brother Bill toted the ball 17 times for 54 yards and three six-pointers. The Cards had 403 yards of total offense.

The 1975 squad finished the season with a 3-7 record, with two of the losses coming by a combined nine points. 

Joining the coaching ranks with Waters that first year were Jim Larkin, offensive coordinator, George Perry, offensive backfield coach, Frank D. “Murky” Waters, passing game coordinator. Andy Kincannon, defensive coordinator, Archy Robinson, defensive backfield coach, Allan Pettyplace, center and linebackers coach, and Joseph Flynn, chief scout. Larkin was later head coach for the Cardinals from 1980-82.

As you can imagine, there were a number of gridders from local high schools in the Great Lakes Bay Region doting the 65-plus man roster. They included Tim Stalker, Pinconning High School; Bob Wicke, St. Charles High School; Mark Guimond, Arthur Hill High School; Mike LeBlanc, Dwight D. Eisenhower High School; Dave Pettyplace, Sts. Peter & Paul Area High School; Greg Borsenik, Chesaning Union High School; Paul Binkowski, St. Charles High School; Mark Gwizdala, Bangor John Glenn High School; Mark Jaremba, Carrollton High School; Mike Kushion, St. Charles High School; Tony Hurd, Sts. Peter & Paul Area High School; Dirk Love, Midland High School; Randy Moore, Midland High School; Lynn Conway, Essexville Garber High School; and Peter Tithof, Chesaning High School.

Serving as tri-captains were Binkowski, a 6-1, 205-pound freshman guard, Kevin Bell, a 6-2, 210-pound sophomore guard from Detroit McKenzie High School, and Dan Terrasi, a 6-2, 195-pound quarterback from West Hempstead, New York.

Another notable member on the roster was Roger Mason, a 6-6, 210-pound freshman split end from Bellaire, MI. Mason, who also played baseball at Saginaw Valley, would go on to pitch in the Major Leagues primarily in relief from 1984-87, 1989, and 1991-94. He was a member of the 1984 World Series champion Detroit Tigers, and appeared in the 1993 World Series for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Home field takes shape

In 1973, college officials had high hopes around the development of Saginaw Valley State College’s athletic master plan.

The school’s current football stadium, called Saginaw Valley Stadium, carried a $1.6 million price tag. Completion of the initial stages of Phase 1 in time for the 1975 football season were made possible by the generous $1 million gift from the Harvey Randall Wickes Foundation. Wickes was a Saginaw philanthropist.

Completed construction for the 1975 gridiron season included the installation of the Prescription Athletic Turf and all related irrigation, grading and drainage, and a practice area, the size of three full football fields directly adjacent to the stadium. Portable bleacher seating for 2,000 people, as well as a portable module press box unit, were installed to facilitate the needs for the inaugural season.

Future construction of the permanent concrete and steel struct that will include seating for 10,000, a press box, locker rooms, offices, ticket booths, concession stands, and public rest rooms will be done in accordance with the funds available and the remainder of the Wickes gift. The goal for completion was 1977.

The stadium would eventually be renamed the Harvey Randall Wickes Memorial Stadium.

The first campus-improvement project of SVSU President Dr. Eric Gilbertson’s administration was the 1989 expansion of the football stadium. The Board of Control discussed plans that year to add an additional 3,000 seats and to modernize the outdoor complex. Gilbertson noted prior to construction that private gifts would “enable us to enjoy a fine stadium facility without cost to taxpayers or our students.”

Donations totaling $1.2 million funded the stadium renovations, which began in 1991. Contractors added 1,500 permanent seats, a new press box, a concession stand and restrooms. Using soil from the excavation of the large retention pond at the university’s main entrance, crews erected a 23-foot-high, 220-foot-wide, horseshoe-shaped berm around the field, giving the stadium a traditional bowl look. 

The football team kicked off the first game Sept. 14, 1991, against Wayne State. The new-look Harvey Randall Wickes Memorial Stadium honored the legacy of Wickes, whose foundation had been the principal donor. 

Wickes Stadium underwent a major renovation in the summer of 2011. Under the scope of the renovation, the stadium made the transition from natural grass to a state-of-the-art Desso Turf surface. In addition to the synthetic turf, the project added Musco Lighting and a Daktronics video board to enhance the atmosphere and allow for night games. The stadium has an official capacity of 6,800.