Don Lubbers retired in 2001 after leading Grand Valley State University as its president for more than three decades.
The football stadium (Lubbers Stadium) on campus is named in his honor, in large part because he decided the university should start a football program in 1971 and pushed for the creation of more athletic programs, including those for women, throughout his 32 years guiding Grand Valley.
GVSU by 2019 had won 26 consecutive Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference President’s Cup trophies that go to the top athletic program and won the first of those while Lubbers was leading the university through its building of programs from NAIA competition to NCAA competition. Over 60 conference titles were won during his tenure by Grand Valley teams.
Lubbers, whose support for athletics was overshadowed only by his demand for high academic standards, graduated from Hope College where his father Irwin Lubbers was president.
In addition to the football stadium, some athletic events and other buildings, including the student services building, are named for him. Also, the Don and Nancy Lubbers Opportunity Scholarship is awarded to students who have a strong GPA but come from working class families and do not qualify for government aid.