Women’s Basketball (11:30 Class)

Our group chose to do our Sport Centennial project on the Women’s Basketball program here at BGSU for several reasons. The program has a rich history and is a very successful and popular team on campus. Members of our team also have personal connections to the sport of basketball and the Women’s team in particular. We knew when we chose Women’s Basketball that we would be able to get a lot out of doing a project about this team, an idea that proved itself as the semester went on.

In our research, we’ve come across more information about the team and its history than we could have ever imagined. We chose a very diverse group of people to interview about their experiences with the program which gave us a lot of information that we never expected. From Jessie Tamerlano, who played on the team as a freshman last year, to former coaches including the first head coach, Sue Hager (Below), we gathered plenty of information that we would never have found or heard about if we didn’t have those interviews.

Sue Hager was able to give us many stories about the time when the program was just starting up, which was around the time that Title IX was implemented. So we were able to not only get stories about the team’s beginnings, but also ones about how different the sport itself was at the time women were first allowed to play. Jessie Tamerlano (Below), on the other hand, provided us just as valuable information about the team as well, but from a current perspective.

We’ve found that there is an incredible amount of information out there on the team, which is obviously a good thing, but can also be bad for putting a project together. We learned that there are disputes about the history and timeline such as what years coaches were here, the overall record, and even the exact year that the program began. Even former coaches dispute the media guides’ information that we found. So that seemed to be our only issue and we think that BGSU should make an effort to try to get an accurate history of the program for future projects like this.

Members of this group include: Maureen Carr, Matt Dittoe, Lindsay Helm, and Tyler Schaefer

BGSU Women’s Track and Field (11:30 TR Class)

In first hearing about the centennial project our History and Philosophy class would be conducting, our group thought the project seemed very difficult and almost impossible to complete. As time went on and we narrowed down what BGSU sport we wanted to look further into it became very clear how truly interesting and fun this assignment could be. With two of our group members both having a background in running track and field and cross country we decided upon the Bowling Green State University Women’s Track and Field team. We were lucky to have a good selection position in class even though Women’s Track and Field probably was not one of the most popular choices.

In gathering the abundant amount of information through research on the Women’s Track and Field team it was very difficult to find exact dates. But after digging enough and comparing sources, we are confident that all our dates and findings are very accurate. As for the start of the Bowling Green State University’s Women’s Track and Field team, it is said they started in 1983. But 1983 just so happens to be the first year the women were affiliated with the NCAA. According to Dr. Parks 1965 was the official date the women started competing with outside competition with the likes of current MAC teams like Kent State and Ohio University. We conducted several interviews with past figures (see Kim Jamison, below) and current figures who have all been or are currently involved it Bowling Green athletics and the information gathered has been amazing to say the least. Such a rich history not only in just Bowling Green State University’s Women’s Track and Field, but in all the sports and events that have been a part of BGSU’s tradition.

Members of this group include: Mike Davis, Ryan Harrison, Jessica Grant, and Kyle Leedy.

Men's Baseball (11:30 Class)

When we received notice that we had to choose a sports team for our Sport Centennial Sport project we immediately knew what team we wanted to do. We chose to do Baseball because not only did we want to learn more about the sport at BG but one of group members Ben Holbert previously played baseball, and Brandon Robinson knows someone who plays for the team now. As we began to start the research for our project, the hardest thing was choosing what team we wanted to do the research on. While doing this we decided to choose the 1970’s team because they won a championship and was one of the best teams here. But while looking for people to interview from this team we could only get in contact with one person Gary Haas (Below).

Baseball at BG was one of the first sports team started on campus. While conducting research we found tons of information on teams' records and championships. We learned a lot of information about the baseball team through each one of our interviews. Overall as a group we did not have any serious problems finding information on the team. We interviewed someone from the 1972 championship team, and current senior on the team, and a previous player who is now a coach.

Members of this group include: Ben Holbert, Brandon Robinson, and Jasmine Travers.

Men’s Hockey (1:00 Class)

Men’s Hockey at Bowling Green State University is a relatively young sport compared to football and basketball; the ice hockey program first began at BGSU in 1969. However, the program has had as much or more success than any other sport at Bowling Green State University. While researching we found it very easy to find information on Men’s Ice Hockey by using media guides, articles, and yearbooks. These resources helped us to find that in the program's short time here it has had a total of seven coaches since the hire of Coach Chris Bergeron (Top Left) last April. Some other important coaches from the program are Jack Vivian who was the first Ice Hockey coach at Bowling Green. Ron Mason (Top Right) and Jerry York (Below ) have also had a major effect on the program by posting high numbers of wins and winning championships.



The Program has struggled as of late and has had a different coach each of the last three seasons. The program's overall winning percent is .539 with a record of 776-645-92. Ice Hockey has also won 9 conference championships--2 in the MCHA and 7 in the CCHA, and one National championship. In 1984 Bowling Green played Minnesota-Duluth for the national championship and came out victorious with a score of 5-4.



Along with winning an NCAA title and 9 conference titles, Bowling Green also has a number of alumni that played or are currently playing in the NHL. A few notable players that excelled at BGSU are Rob Blake (1988), Nelson Emerson (1986), George McPhee (1978), Brian Holzinger (1991), Ken Morrow (1976) and Dan Sexton who attended BGSU in 2007 and 2008, then entered the NHL and currently plays for the Anaheim Ducks. Ken Morrow, and Mark Wells were two individuals who played for Bowling Green and in the 1980 Olympic games. These two players were a part of the United States greatest upset often referred to as “The Miracle on Ice”. The Miracle on Ice is when the United States hockey team defeated the heavily favored Soviet Union team in dramatic fashion, advancing on to the final game where they then defeated Finland. Players such as Emerson, McPhee, and Holzinger have all had their numbers retired at BGSU.

While working on this project we have enjoyed researching the different aspects of BGSU’s Ice Hockey program’s history and hope to share our knowledge with all BGSU fans.

Members of this group include: Billy McDonough, John O'Shea, and Bobby Shea.

BGSU Men's Soccer (1:00 Class)

When assigned the BGSU Centennial Sports Project, our group instantly knew what sport we wanted to cover. Men’s Soccer was our sport of interest particularly because one of our group members, Mike Greco, not only had an offer to play for this team, but also knew two of the former players as his old soccer trainers. As we began our research, one of our biggest struggles was finding time to go to the Center for Archival Collections since it closes at 5:00 pm every day except Monday and is closed on the weekends. However, once we were able to get there, we were engulfed by plenty of helpful research.

Since the Men’s Soccer team was started in 1965, it can still be considered a fairly “young program” which made information easily accessible and fairly accurate. This being said, we had an easy time conducting research. We were also very fortunate to already know and have contact with two former players, Nicolas Kolliniatis and Fred Degand (Below Left). Mike Greco and Willie Patacsil were able to conduct great interviews with them without any delay of response allowing for us to be more informed on a player’s perspective. Luckily, our third interviewee and first head coach of the Men’s Soccer team, Mickey Cochrane (Below Right), is still active at BGSU in the athletic archives. Jessica Ferguson had the opportunity to meet with and interview Mickey in the archives and also got an incredible interview. We were incredibly fortunate to have access to all of them and very grateful that they were willing to help us.


With these interviews, the research, and the dedication of our group members, we learned an immense amount about the history of the Men’s Soccer teams and program. We also appreciate all the work Dr. Spencer did to prepare us for this project and the help along the way. That being said, this project was very enlightening about the history of all the athletic programs at Bowling Green State University! Roll Along!

Members of this group include: Jessica Ferguson, Mike Greco, and Willie Patacsil.

Item Of The Week - 1961 Mercy Bowl Pennant

We hope you all enjoyed our first installment of Item Of The Week earlier this week. We are pleased to bring you a second installment today. Today we bring you a commemorative pennant from the 1961 Mercy Bowl. The Mercy Bowl was started to honor the memory of the Cal Poly football players who died in a plane crash on their way home from a football game against the University of Toledo. The Falcons would go on to drop the game 36-6 against the Fresno State Bulldogs but more than 33 thousand fans showed up to raise money in memory of the fallen Cal Poly football players.

BGSU's Roger Reynolds hurdles a Fresno State defender during the 1961 Mercy Bowl. Reynolds finished second in receiving yards as he recorded 2 catches for 50 yards during the game.

BGSU Men's Football History (11:30 Class)

Hello all! Team Falcon is proud to present the history of Bowling Green State University football. Football was an easy selection for all of us because three of us (L-R (Below): Dwayne Woods, Caleb Watkins, and Jairus Campbell) play football here at BGSU. Having three of us on the football team here at BG gave us access to more resources that a non-athletic student here at BG would have. The four of us all share a common bond in our passion and love of the game of football and we are all interested in the history of Bowling Green football. We will start our presentation of Bowling Green’s football history in the late 1950’s when the Falcons won the Collegiate Championship. We will conclude our presentation of Bowling Green’s football history with an overview of the recent years of Bowling Green football and a look into what the future may hold.

As for the research that was required for this assignment, the only issues we had were trying to find information about Bowling Green’s football program online. We found that the most effective, yet tedious, way of researching information about Bowling Green’s football history was either going to the archives in the Jerome Library or utilizing media guides that were provided to us. As for interview, none of us had any issues. The three of us that are on the football team have access to a handful of coaches and former players that were very helpful to us. And the last member of our group, who is not on the football team, was able to come in contact with a former Falcon who was on the 1959 Collegiate Championship team.

Members of this group include: Jairus Campbell, Dev Kumar, Caleb Watkins, Dwayne Woods