Fresh off winning the 2002 Division II national championship, Grand Valley State Head Coach Brian Kelly discusses what it took to build the Laker football program and what it's going to take to maintain it, among other things.

AFCA: How does it feel to be a national champion?
BK: Well, you know everybody's goal and dream is to be the best. Anytime you're able to realize that, I think it's one of those feelings you get when you know you've accomplished something that everybody dreams and wants. It feels tremendous.

AFCA: Can you compare how you felt after losing last year's championship game to winning this year's national championship?
BK: I think if you compare the feelings of one year to the next, obviously the agony of defeat when we lost in such a close fashion and then the ecstacy of victory when we won it come to mind. But more importantly, it was almost the sense of relief. We knew that our goal all year was to get back to this championship game. Then actually winning it was almost a sense of relief at first until it set in.

AFCA: Last year you used the 2001 championship game loss as motivation for this championship. What are you going to use to win another?
BK: Clearly, a lot of our players that went to the championship game, didn't play. Not all of them contributed in a manner they wanted to. So we'll use that as a driving force in terms of getting back there. A lot of thos players got a taste of it, but in terms of being on that stage, that national champsionship stage, I think that's going to be a great motivator for all those players that didn't get a chance to contribute in our national champsionship win.

AFCA: What have been some of the keys to your success at Grand Valley?
BK: I think support from our administration, giving us the tools necessary to go out and recruit student-athletes is a key. We have tremendous facilities. We have a great recruiting base here that allows us to attract those student-athletes. We have a great physical environment here. I think our administration has really been proactive in giving our athletic programs a great opportunity to succeed.

AFCA: What are some of the toughest off-field challenges coaches face today?
BK: There are so many distractions now, not academically but socially. There are so many things in our society today that can distract kids. Keeping them focused is very difficult. In some degrees it's almost impossible to keep an eye on your players 24/7. So you hope that they make good decisions that they're confronted with. I think that is difficult. I think recruiting is another. I don't particularly like the recruiting, but I know how important it is to get great recruits. I think expectations are too high for young men coming in. A lot of them think they can come in and compete right away and that's generally not the case.

AFCA: Is it a fair criticism that coaches are responsible for their player's actions?
BK: I clearly had a vision that we wanted to elevate our program from being a regional team, a team that had done quite well regionally, but had never really entered the national scene as a "major player." So, my goals and my philosophy were to bring this program to the national level that it's at now. Now it's maintaining that and always reacing for something greater. No one's been to the championship game three consecutive years since North Alabama. That will be our goal this year and we'll try and forge through each and every year.

AFCA: Are you looking forward to the challenge of maintaining your program?
BK: Once a coach has won a championship, they want to win another one. My passion for the game is greater than at anytime in my career. once you get one, you want them every year. Our focus is to get back to that national championship game and repeat. That is what motivates me, our staff, and our student-athletes. That's a tough job, but it's one I'd rather have than starting from scratch.

AFCA: What's your recruiting philosophy?
BK: My recruiting philosophy is to recruit character No. 1, athletic ability No. 2, and personality No. 3. When I say character, they've got to have the intrinsic traits of hardwork, motivation, and doing the right thing. Then athletic ability for a particular position we might want to recruit for. Finally, the individual himself is important. I want to be around young men that I enjoy. Thos that I enjoy are kids that are very enthusiastic about what they're doing and love to play the game of football.

AFCA: Was ther a particular coach through the years who influenced you?
BK: I don't think there's one in particular. There are so many coaches who have touched my life. My high school coache, Mr. Fred Glatz at St. John's Prep in Danvers, was the old-fashioned disciplinarian. he had the crew cut and the Marine kind of look. I think he was very influential in my career. Then there are some coaches that have been around. Frank Lauterbur of Toledo was a great mentor for me in terms of being a head coach. I had never been a head coach before, and at 28 years old, I was thrust into this job. Having him as a resource has been tremendous. Now later in my career, as I have gotten some experience, Ron Schipper, former AFCA president and longtime successful coach, has been great in these succeeding years. I look at more than just one, but I know that each one of them has an important element in helping me grow in my profession.