D3 Football: Calvin’s Playoff Run Adds to Family Legacy

Building a Football Foundation

In 1969, a committee advised against introducing intercollegiate football, citing costs and injury concerns. A 1985 study revisited the proposal, evaluating stadium construction, staffing costs and the sport’s alignment with the institution’s academic mission. Another feasibility review followed in 2011, but it remained unresolved.

That hesitation ended in October 2022, when Calvin’s Board of Trustees approved the program as part of a larger athletics expansion. The Knights would extend their Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) affiliation to the gridiron, joining a conference with roots dating back to 1888.

When Calvin’s athletic department first contacted Figg, he was serving as a senior offensive analyst at the University of Oregon. He initially declined, unfamiliar with Division III football and having never even visited Michigan.

But five interviews later, he changed his mind. Figg’s vision has shaped the Knights’ rapid rise, from a 2-8 debut season to an undefeated record this fall. Calvin’s victory over Hope also secured at least a share of its inaugural MIAA football title.

Our mission statement is to develop and mentor young men to be champions for life. We talk about it on the field, in the classroom, in the community, and then as champions of our [Christian] faith.

A Family Tradition Lives On

Calvin was already a familiar place for the Michmerhuizen family. Luke’s father, Mark, teaches in the engineering department. His older sister, Nicole, was a multiple-time All-American in track and field and won the 10,000-meter national championship in 2013.

A two-sport standout at Holland Christian High School, Michmerhuizen initially considered playing both basketball and football in college. After his freshman season on the field, however, Figg’s blueprint for the program ultimately persuaded him to focus solely on the latter.

The 6-foot-7 junior wideout has since established himself as one of the MIAA’s most productive receivers, logging 49 catches for 766 yards and 10 TDs through nine games in 2026.

It was the perfect opportunity for me to continue something so familiar to me, having grown up in the Calvin community, and also to build my own legacy.

His six-catch, 155-yard, three-touchdown performance against Hope offers just a glimpse of Calvin’s explosive aerial attack. Led by junior quarterback Thomas Vaccaro, the Knights rank 11th nationally in total adjusted yards per play (TAY/P), a measure of offensive efficiency, and eighth in passing, per Hansen Ratings.

Figg believes Michmerhuizen’s background on the court has paid dividends at the D3 football level, particularly his ability to track the ball and win contested catches, much like rebounding in the paint.

In fact, he sees that same drive blend into everything Michmerhuizen does.

“He’s going to compete in the classroom the exact same way he’s going to compete on the field,” Figg said. “Every time Luke and I meet, he always says, ‘What can I do to be the best?’”

A D3 Football Balance

A civil engineering major with a business minor, Michmerhuizen completed a construction-observation internship in Muskegon, about 40 miles west of Grand Rapids, last summer and will return ahead of his senior year. He cited the experience as a chance to see how classroom concepts translate into professional practice.

Maintaining that dual commitment requires discipline. During the season, he structures his days around his studies, strength training, practice and team meetings.

Time management is extremely important. … You don’t have time to waste with education.

Michmerhuizen has earned a place on the Calvin Dean’s List three times, tallied MIAA Academic Honor Roll recognition and hauled in College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District honors.

For Figg, that combination is precisely what distinguishes D3 football from the rest of college athletics. Having coached at the NAIA, Division II and Division I levels, he believes the athletic demands remain remarkably similar.

“Football is football wherever you go,” he said. “We want our young men to graduate. We want them to get meaningful degrees that set them up for the rest of their lives.”

With the regular-season finale on tap, Michmerhuizen and his teammates aren’t looking ahead to the D3 football postseason. Saturday’s trip to Alma presents one more opportunity to finish the job outright, adding another milestone to a historic campaign.

Calvin travels to Alma College on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 1 p.m. ET.