Courtesy of Rob Bentley, Ferris State Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
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BIG RAPIDS, Mich. -- The reigning Harlon Hill Trophy winner as the top Division II player in the nation, Ferris State University's Jason Vander Laan (Frankfort, Ill./Chicago Christian), officially became the greatest rushing quarterback in the history of college football at any level on Saturday (Oct. 17) at FSU's Top Taggart Field.
Vander Laan, who has been the nationally fourth-ranked Bulldogs' starting signal caller for the past four seasons, set a new NCAA all-division record for most career rushing yards by a quarterback ever. He needed 71 yards entering the game to surpass the mark and ran for 161 yards in the outing.
Vander Laan, who has now ran for 5,218 yards in 40 career games, surpassed the previous record in impressive fashion with a 53-yard touchdown run down the sideline against the Panthers to give FSU a lead the Bulldogs would not relinquish in a 38-17 victory.
With his performance, Vander Laan topped the previous all-time career mark of 5,128 yards set by Wofford's Shawn Graves from 1989-92. The mark sstood as the most rushing yards ever by a QB at the FBS, FCS, D2 or D3 levels prior to Vander Laan's historic day.
"When you think back in the entire history of all the great rushing quarterbacks to have ever played the game in the past century such as players like Fran Tarkenton, Roger Staubach, Steve Young or Denard Robinson, it's really amazing to think what this really means," said FSU head coach Tony Annese. "I've been blessed to coach a student-athlete of his caliber and the young men on our team who have helped him achieve this feat over the past four years. I know our entire team and program take great pride in this accomplishment."
Vander Laan had already surpassed the all-time NCAA Division I mark held by former Michigan QB Denard Robinson prior to the game and was chasing the D2 record held by Graves. Additionally, the Bulldog standout presently has 70 career rushing TD's and is only two away from the NCAA Division II record for most rushing yards by a QB (72) also held by Graves.
A week after becoming the all-time Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) career leader in total offense, Vander Laan helped the Bulldogs avenge last year's NCAA Playoff defeat to the Panthers.
Behind Vander Laan's play at quarterback, Ferris State has now won 21 consecutive regular season contests heading into Saturday's home tilt and the Bulldogs are off to a 6-0 start this season after posting the first-ever 11-0 regular season in 107 seasons of Ferris State football a year ago. Vander Laan is 32-8 as the Bulldogs' starting QB in his career.
In 2014, Vander Laan received the Harlon Hill Trophy as the top NCAA Division II player in the nation, becoming only the third GLIAC player to ever receive the coveted award. He later was also named as the 2014-15 recipient of the NCAA Division II National Scholar-Athlete of the Year honor as the nation's top performer on the field and in the classroom, regardless of sport.
