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GRAND RAPIDS — College football’s newest program earned a victory in its first-ever game Saturday and a Dowagiac native was a key reason why.

The Calvin University football team defeated Oberlin College 50-6 Saturday afternoon at Grand Rapids Christian High School to win its inaugural football game. CU freshman and former Dowagiac standout Isiah Hill saw significant time on the defensive line and helped the Knights secure its first-ever victory.

“As a freshman, I’m waiting to get in and when I get out there, for the first couple seconds it really hits me that I’m playing college football,” Hill said. “That was really nice. NNothing felt different from practice. We’ve been doing things over and over since fall camp started so it was pretty much second nature to us. Everyone was locked in and ready for the game.”

Hill helped pressure OC quarterback Drew Nye into making errant throws. Nye completed 15 of 34 passes for 117 yards, 1 touchdown and 3 interceptions. Fittingly, the first two points in Calvin history were scored by its defense as the Knights forced Oberlin into a safety after an intentional grounding in the end zone late in the first quarter.

The quick two-point lead gave Calvin a new surge of momentum after its offense struggled to gain a rhythm early in the contest.

“That felt great,” Hill said. “From the jump, the defense was super hot. We were making great pressure and forced the quarterback to get out of the pocket, make bad throws and toss interceptions. When we got that safety, the whole defense was jumping up and down. It was a great moment.” 

Founded in 1876, Calvin University did not have a football program until its Board of Trustees approved the addition of football as a varsity sport in Oct. 2022. For 18 months, players and coaches were waiting for this moment to arrive. Students, parents and alumni packed the stands to experience a moment 148 years in the making.

“The atmosphere was definitely huge,” Hill said. “Seeing everyone likes to come together stood out a lot because you really see how important football can be for a school and everyone really came together. We have had guys here for 18 months now, just grinding and working and we finally get to hit the other quarterback and players. I think you could really tell we were hitting hard, we were aggressive, you know, we’re non-stop, we kept running at the ball the whole time. I thought we really fed off the atmosphere and energy.”

Hill’s play on Chris Taylor Alumni Field has taken him to the bright lights of NCAA college football. For Hill, it would not have been possible without the support from his family, friends, and the greater Dowagiac community, many of whom were able to watch the game online.

“We get in the locker room and my phone is going off,” he said. “It made me really happy to see everyone from back home come together. Dowagiac is a small community but everyone is so caring. It’s been great seeing people go out and buy gear and tell me how proud they are. Seeing people reach out felt great because I have a community that loves and supports me so much.”

Prior to starting fall camp, Hill was able to train with his cousin, Tennessee Titans linebacker Caleb Murphy.

“It’s been great,” he said. “I was able to work with him this summer. With me switching to D-Line from linebacker, he was definitely able to help me work out this summer. He’s one of my biggest mentors and I probably couldn’t do a lot without him.”

While earning the first-ever win in program history was exciting, Hill and his teammates are far from satisfied. The Knights aim to “shock the world” this season and compete for the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association championship.

“We want to win the conference,” “They have us predicted low but I think we’re going to shock a lot of people and show them what Calvin football is all about.”