The road from Dowagiac to the Grand Valley State University’s football Hall of Fame was a bumpy one for Brent Lesniak.

Lesniak, along with Julia Braseth (Grand Rapids/East Grand Rapids), women’s basketball (2003-2007); Icis Charles (St. Kitts, West Indies), track (2000-03); Sue Christenson (Livonia, Michigan), women’s soccer (2004-07);  Jason Jamerson (Muncie, Indiana/Burris), men’s basketball (2004-08); and Melissa Sager (Chesaning, Michigan), softball (1998-01).

The class will be inducted at the Hall of Fame Banquet Friday, Oct. 14, at the Kirkhof Center and then honored during halftime of the Grand Valley State-Truman State homecoming game Oct. 15.

Call (616) 331-8800 to make reservations for the 2016 Hall of Fame dinner.

Lesniak left Grand Valley in August of 1998 less than 24 hours after reporting to preseason camp under then head coach Brian Kelly.

It would be a week before the incoming freshman would return Kelly’s phone call.

It was the best decision he made.

Lesniak returned to Allendale where he worked hard to earn back the team and the coaching staff’s trust.

He ended up starting every game as a freshman and rushed for more than 100 yards in five of those contests.

A dislocated elbow limited his sophomore season and by the time his junior year rolled around he had become a part-time starter.

He averaged 8.3 yards per carry that season for the Lakers, who were improving each year and were a national power by the time his senior year rolled around.

Despite carrying the ball for just 519 yards and six touchdowns on 88 carries, Lesniak helped the team win the 2002 national championship under Kelly.

He helped the team in a variety of ways, including as a receiver and a kickoff return man.

He carried the ball eight times for 56 yards in the title game, a 31-24 win over Valdosta State.

Lesniak was “blown away” when he learned he had been selected to be in the Lakers’ Hall of Fame.

“Grand Valley has an amazing history,” he said. “A ton of guys have gone on to play in the NFL. I was kind of shocked.”

Lesniak remembers fondly that the teams he played on improved each year and went on to win the title.

“We were young kids, freshmen, and we took our lumps,” he said. “We took them bad. And to just see the end product, the national championship, with all those kids we came in with was incredible.”

Lesniak and Kelly didn’t always see eye to eye, but he does not hold him accountable for the way his career turned out.

He does credit him with giving him the motivation to stay two more years at Grand Valley and finish his degree.

“He was very hard on people,” Lesniak said of Kelly. “He expects perfection. But if you went out there and did a good job he told you that you did a good job. But if you didn’t do a good job he was going to let you know about it.

“He was a hard coach to play for and some people couldn’t handle it. He was a good coach for me.”

Lesniak has continued to build on what he started at Grand Valley.

He got married in October to Kristi and he has a step-son Konnor. He is also raising his nephew Joshua.

“He moved in with us in December and he has been doing wonder,” Lesniak said of Joshua. “Life has been going well.”

He currently lives in Elkhart, but will be moving to Mishawaka where they have purchased a home.

Lesniak now works for Forge Industrial Staffing in Elkhart, which helps people find manufacturing jobs.

“It is a fulfilling job, I really enjoy it,” he said. “I enjoy talking to people and having the chance to put them to work and see them succeed.”

After leaving Grand Valley, Lesniak played three years of Arena Football before turning his attention to teaching and coaching. He made stops in Niles, South Bend and Stevensville before deciding to work at Forge.

Lesniak fondly remembers his time as a Dowagiac Chieftain as well.

He played just two years of varsity football, but set nearly every offensive record including yards in a single season and career, as well as touchdowns in a single season and career.

His numbers also earned him a spot on the state’s all-time list in all four categories.

“We had some great times here,” Lesniak said. “I remember the semifinals. I remember getting beat and how that felt. I remember my senior year and not making the playoffs because of the system they had. I remember the Lakeshore games, the crowds and the atmosphere were amazing.

“That is one thing even at a college level that is different from high school. In your hometown everybody is a part of it. That is probably what I remember most about it.”

Lesniak was asked to move up to the varsity level as a sophomore by then head coach Bernard Thomas.

He decided to stay and play with his classmates.

Does he regret that decision?

“Sometimes I think about it and I do regret it,” he said. “But I think it all worked out. That was kind of one of those things where I do not know why I didn’t come up. For whatever reason I didn’t feel comfortable and stayed down. I wish I would have gained that experience and I think it would have helped me, but it kind of worked out in the long run.”

Lesniak said that group of juniors clicked very well with the senior class and turned in one of the best seasons in Dowagiac’s football history.

“We had a memorable season and were close to winning it all,” he said.