The Davenport Panthers football program represented Davenport University ("Davenport") in college football during the earliest years of the school's participation in intercollegiate football from 2016 to the present.
Davenport passed a resolution in November 2013 to plan for the development of an intercollegiate football team. The school hired Lou Esposito as the program's first head coach in May 2014 and built a football stadium on land donated by Farmers Insurance Group. The school fielded its first team in 2016, competing as an independent in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and compiling a 6âÂÂ5 record. Esposito left Davenport after the 2016 season. In February 2017, Davenport hired Ferris State assistant coach Sparky McEwen as its new head coach. Also for the 2017 season, Davenport moved to NCAA Division II as a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC). McEwen led the Panthers to their best seasons in 2023 (8âÂÂ3) and 2024 (8âÂÂ2), with the 2023 team receiving the program's first (and as of 2025 only) berth in the NCAA Division II playoffs. McEwen remains Davenport's head coach as of the 2025 season.
Davenport plays its home games at the Farmers Insurance Athletic Complex located on the school's campus in Caledonia Township, Michigan.
In November 2013, under the leadership of athletic director Paul Lowden, Davenport passed a resolution to develop a plan for a football program. Preparations for fielding a football team proceeded in 2014 and 2015, including:
The 2016 Davenport Panthers football team represented Davenport University as an independent during the 2016 NAIA football season. In their first year of intercollegiate football, and their first and only under head coach Lou Esposito, the Panthers compiled a 6âÂÂ5 record and outscored opponents by a total of 278 to 175.
The team did not have a senior and was made up mostly of freshmen or redshirt freshmen. True freshman Hunter Krause of Fairfield, Ohio, was the team's starting quarterback. Eighteen of the 22 starters were freshmen. The only two players with college game experience were receiver Herman Brunis, a transfer from Ohio University, and linebacker Brent Showers, a transfer from Northern MIchigan.
On October 23, a non-student shooter opened fire on football players in a university dormitory. One football player, Braden Schrotenboer, was shot in his hand.
The 2017 Davenport Panthers football team represented Davenport University as a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) during the 2017 NCAA Division II football season. In their second year of intercollegiate football, and the first year under head coach Sparky McEwen, the Panthers compiled a 1âÂÂ10 record (0âÂÂ9 in conference games), finished in last place in the GLIAC, and were outscored by a total of 329 to 128.
On offense, the Panthers gained 1,684 rushing yards and 1,269 passing yards. On defense, they allowed opponents 2,259 rushing yards and 1,565 passing yards. The individual leaders were Holden Majewski (667 passing yards), William Gist (373 rushing yards), and Deondre Moore (24 receptions for 316 yards).
The 2018 Davenport Panthers football team represented Davenport University as a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) during the 2018 NCAA Division II football season. In their second year under head coach Sparky McEwen, the Panthers compiled a 6âÂÂ5 record (3âÂÂ5 in conference games), tied for fifth place in the GLIAC, and outscored opponents by a total of 244 to 230.
The 2019 Davenport Panthers football team represented Davenport University as a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) during the 2019 NCAA Division II football season. In their third year under head coach Sparky McEwen, the Panthers compiled a 5âÂÂ5 record (3âÂÂ5 in conference games), tied for fifth place in the GLIAC, and were outscored by a total of 233 to 181.
The 2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2021 Davenport Panthers football team represented Davenport University as a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) during the 2021 NCAA Division II football season. In their fourth year under head coach Sparky McEwen, the Panthers compiled a 3âÂÂ8 record (2âÂÂ5 in conference games), finished a three-way tie for fifth place in the GLIAC, and were outscored by a total of 285 to 104.
The team's statistical leaders included Deondre Ford (577 passing yards), Jaier Harden (348 rushing yards), Amonte Phillips (28 receptions for 334 yards), and Bryan Plegue (30 points scored on 12 extra points and six field goals). The team also featured linebacker Elysee Mbem-Bosse, a former four-star recruit and Central Africa native who tansferred to Davenport after being dismissed from the Michigan Wolverines football program in late 2017.
The 2022 Davenport Panthers football team represented Davenport University as a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) during the 2022 NCAA Division II football season. In their fifth year under head coach Sparky McEwen, the Panthers compiled an 8âÂÂ3 record (4âÂÂ2 in conference games), finished in third place in the GLIAC, and outscored opponents by a total of 336 to 322. The team opened the season with eight consecutive victories, the most victories in program history. For the first time in school history, the team participated in the NCAA Division II playoffs, losing to Ferris State in the first round.
The team was led on offense by quarterback Jason Whitaker, a Rockford, Michigan, native who transferred from Northwestern. Whitaker completed 185 of 346 passes for 2,309 yards, 26 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, and a 127.96 passer rating.
The team's other statistical leaders included Sy Barnett (694 receiving yards), Caleef Jenkins (575 rushing yards), and Brandon Gielow (65 points scored on 38 extra points and nine field goals).
The 2023 Davenport Panthers football team represented Davenport University as a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) during the 2023 NCAA Division II football season. In their sixth year under head coach Sparky McEwen, the Panthers compiled an 8âÂÂ2 record (4âÂÂ2 in conference games), finished in third place in the GLIAC, and outscored opponents by a total of 336 to 322.
The team's statistical leaders included Jason Whitaker (1,812 passing yards, 14 touchdown passes, 127.94 passer rating), Peyton Brown (34 receptions for 551 yards), Myren Harris (976 rushing yards), and Brandon Gielow (59 points scored on 29 extra points and 10 touchdowns).
The 2024 Davenport Panthers football team represented Davenport University as a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) during the 2024 NCAA Division II football season. In their seventh year under head coach Sparky McEwen, the Panthers compiled a 7âÂÂ4 record (4âÂÂ3 in conference games), finished in a three-way tie for third place in the GLIAC, and outscored opponents by a total of 257 to 233.
The team's statistical leaders included Myren Harris (849 rushing yards), Mike O'Hara (1,010 passing yards), Preston Smith (36 receptions for 430 yards), and Brandon Gielow (67 points on 31 extra points and 12 field goals).
The 2025 Davenport Panthers football team represent Davenport University as a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) during the 2025 NCAA Division II football season. Sparky McEwen leads the team in his eighth season as the Panthers' head coach.