He was hired as Delaware State's head coach in 1981, and compiled a 21–21–1 overall record, including a 15–5–1 mark in his last two seasons.

[4] Delaware State won another championship in 1988, sharing the title with Bethune–Cookman and Florida A&M, finishing 5–5 with a 4–2 MEAC record.

In 1991, the Hornets finished with a 9–2 record, winning another MEAC title after their loss to Bethune-Cookman was forced to forfeit due to an ineligible player.

When Lavan was hired as head coach of the Hornets in January 2004, he promised to bring championship football back to Delaware State.

Lavan also initiated a program of speakers to address the team to share their life experiences, including: former Hornet offensive lineman Matt Horace, subsequently an agent with the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; Joe Purzycki, former DSU head football coach and later a banking executive; former pro quarterback and NFL executive James Harris; and former Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker.

Delaware State also appeared in the SportsNetwork Division I-AA Top 25 poll for the first time since 1992, coming in at No.

In the 2007 season the Hornets made a school record of 10 wins, their MEAC championship since 1991 and first ever appearance in the NCAA playoffs.

Delaware State was recognized as 2007 American Sports Wire Division I Black College National Champions and No.

2 in the final Sheridan Broadcast Network poll of historically black colleges and universities teams.

The most controversial aspect of the DSU football program was that it had never been scheduled by potential instate rival University of Delaware for a regular season game.

Furthermore, supporters of a game between DSU and UD claimed that it would be akin to other in-state college rivalries and would be good for the state.

[11] In response to the charges of racism on UD's part, their supporters pointed out that Delaware had scheduled and played regular season games against several other HBCUs such as Morgan State and North Carolina A&T.

Finally, UD supporters also noted the fact that the two colleges routinely meet in sports other than football.

This controversy was laid to rest when UD and DSU met on the football field for the first time on November 23, 2007, in Newark, Delaware in the first round of the NCAA FCS Playoffs.

The Blue Hens defeated the Hornets 44–7 in front of an attendance of 19,765, the largest playoff crowd in Delaware Stadium history.