Now 85 Michiganders are national champions, after the Ferris State University Bulldogs football team beat the Harding Bisons in the Division II National Championship on Saturday.
Half of the Bulldogs starters in the national championship game hailed from Michigan, including redshirt freshman quarterback Wyatt Bower, who threw for 177 yards and two touchdowns and ran for three more. Bower hails from Corunna, a small town by Owosso with a population of just over 3,000.
“We all played great today, as a team we played very versatile,” Bower said after the game.
For a small school in rural Michigan, Ferris State’s football prowess is almost without precedent. The Bulldogs have won the DII national title four of the last five seasons, and have won 30 game straight in back-to-back undefeated seasons.
Bulldogs from last year’s national championship are even playing in the DI College Football playoff. Current Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss led the Bulldogs to the 2024 title.
Even Bulldog Head Coach Tony Annese has Michigan roots, graduating from Alma College in 1983 and starting his coaching career at Muskegon Catholic Central.
“It’s just the family atmosphere we’ve built,” Annese said after the game. “And if you’re not built that way, it’s gonna be hard to win in a significant level. I always say, I’ve said it many times, the catalyst of our greatness is love.”
Many counted the Bulldogs out this year considering the amount of players who hit the transfer portal after the 2024 national championship season, but as Annese has done time and time again, he reloaded and continued winning. When the chips have been down, Annese has never batted an eye, but recognizes that Ferris is outmatched against DI schools when it comes to recruiting.
“We sit here and develop our players and when they get taken by bigger schools we don’t reap any of the benefits,” Annese said. “It’s all just very different and something we will have to figure out as time progresses.”
A college football blueblood currently sits in Big Rapids, Michigan, a dynasty unlike any other in our state.
Alex Deimel is a contributing writer for Michigan Enjoyer.
