A Night to Remember

The BGSU Sport Centennial Program was definitely a night to remember! Below are the speakers and Grad Students who made it a most memorable experience for all who attended. Our thanks to each of them for sharing their memories, time, and wisdom!

Above: Grad students who gave countless hours to make this event a success (Front Row, L-R)--Ryan Gasser, Bryan Gerber, Drew Hall, Gina Cipriano, Bryan Gasser, Bryan Post, Emily Yeatts.
Back Row: Our eminent speakers (L-R) Tom Colaner, Dr. Crystal Ellis, Mike Wilcox, Coach Denise Van De Walle, Prof. Sue Hager, Gary Haas, Jim Lessig (Moderator), and Nathen Eldridge (Grad Student).


Our guest speakers shared their profound stories about the people who have influenced them at BGSU and what it means to reflect on their experiences during this Centennial year.


L-R: Tom Colaner (member of BGSU Football Team that won the 1959 National Championship); Dr. Crystal ("Boo") Ellis (Captain, MVP, and MAC selection for BGSU Basketball Team, 1951-1953, 1955-1957); Mike Wilcox (3-time All-American--1973, 1974, 1975--and member of undefeated 1974 BGSU Lacrosse Team; Coach Denise Van De Walle ("Dean" of MAC Volleyball Coaches, who recently eclipsed 500 wins in 27th season at BGSU); Prof. Sue Hager (Coach of BGSU Women's Basketball Team, 1969-1976; first Women's Athletic Director; and Professor in HPER); Gary Haas (two-time MVP of 1971-1974 Men's Baseball Teams that won over 30 games in one season); and Jim Lessig (former member of Men's Basketball Team, 1957; Assistant Coach, Athletic Director; and Commissioner of the MAC).

See this article in the BG News featuring Q & A with Boo Ellis: http://bgnews.com/sports/ellis-impacts-bg-history/

Above: Dr. Erianne Weight, faculty member in the Sport Management, Recreation and Tourism Division (School of HMSLSL), played an integral role in organizing the event and working with Grad Students. She shares a moment with her daughter Aleah, undoubtedly our youngest visitor at the reception.

At the end of the evening, it had to end, but not before capturing this photo of two of BGSU's elite stars of the Men's Basketball teams of the 1940s and 1950s.

Above: Mac Otten, 1949 All-American, and Boo Ellis, who played with Mac's younger brother in the 1950s. One of the most touching moments of the evening was when Moderator Jim Lessig pointed out that Mac was in the audience and Boo acknowledged him by standing to applaud. The two met up at the end of the evening and were the last to leave Olscamp... well, almost the last:-)

My name is Nancy Spencer and I am also a faculty member in the Sport Management Division (School of HMSLS). It was my privilege to work with the undergraduate students, graduate students, and Dr. Weight. I just wanted to say one more Thank you to all those who helped to make this experience so memorable!

To the Speakers: We are so grateful that you were willing to sacrifice your time to come and share with us about your experiences at BGSU.

To Erianne: You don't know how you made my day when you innocently asked if you could help! Your expertise, input and friendship were invaluable. This would not have happened without you!!

To the Grad Students: You all worked so hard from the beginning of this project to the end. I wonder if Drew Hall and Nathen Eldridge could envision what this would end like when you agreed to Co-Chair the event back in December. And I am sure this project brought new meaning to the phrase "Variable Credit" to all of the grad students who wanted to get "hands-on" experience in putting together an event. It was a pleasure to work with all of you: Gina Cipriano, Nathen Eldridge, Bryan Gasser, Ryan Gasser, Bryan Gerber, Drew Hall, Bryan Post, and Emily Yeatts.

To the Undergrad Students in "History & Philosophy of Sport:" Thanks to all of you who contributed so much in terms of research--collecting rosters, articles, and photos, not to mention spending hours in the Archives at the Library, and interviewing former BGSU athletes. Your enthusiasm for this project made it all worthwhile!

I would be remiss if I did not thank the Archivists at the Library who were inundated with requests from students who worked on this project. Thank you for all your help, and next time, I promise to let you know about the assignment beforehand:-)

In addition, thanks to the BG Sports Information Directors who helped students make connections with former and current athletes and coaches: Hannah Archer, Mike Cihon, Ryan Gasser, Jason Knavel, and Dave Meyer.

To all the current and former BGSU athletes and others who agreed to be interviewed (in some cases, on multiple occasions), thanks for generously giving of your time as well. The students shared fascinating stories about speaking with you.

I would also be remiss if I did not thank Greg Christopher and the BGSU Athletic Department for coming on board from the beginning, and working with us to make the connection with Coaches and Athletes. We appreciated your support more than you know.

To Dr. Janet Parks and Ann Bowers, who have been writing a book, Forward Falcons, that documents the history of Women's Athletics (until 1982), we thank you also for your generosity in coming to our classes and sharing the resources from your research by making them available in the Library Archives. We are indebted to you for your many contributions.

To Mickey Cochrane, the achivist of the BGSU Athletics Archives, thank you so much for coming to our classes at the beginning of the semester--for sharing your stories and ideas for speakers, as well as opening the Athletic Archives to students (no more than 5 at a time) during Basketball games.

To Jane Myers, from the Falcon Club, and Peg Schaller from the Alumni Office for providing contact information for former athletes. There were a lot of interviews that would not have happened if not for your digging up and sharing contact information with us.

And finally, I want to thank Dr. Lynn Darby, Director of the School of HMSLS for her generous support of this program, both financial and otherwise. You were on board with us from the beginning and we appreciate that immensely. We also want to thank Dr. Roz Hammond, Dean of the College of Education and Human Development, for giving your support as well. We appreciate all that you have done to recognize our efforts. We wish you well in your retirement and will miss you!! Thanks also to Sara Zulch-Smith, whose insights and suggestions were invaluable as we began this project. Thanks also for helping to coordinate things with other events that were happening for the BGSU Centennial celebration.

If you were able to attend the Reception and/or the Panel Discussion, we would love to hear from you. Feel free to post your comments, stories, and photos on the blog. If you have information to add or correct (in case we do this project again:-), please feel free to email me at: nestennisprof@gmail.com

If you were unable to attend, we would still love to hear from you--if you have stories, or would like to contribute information for future reference. It is possible that we may have a display of the posters for the School of HMSLS Homecoming Symposium in the Fall, so stay tuned. (Did I just say that?:-)