Bowling Green State University Football: A Storied History

The Bowling Green Falcons football program represents Bowling Green State University (BGSU) in intercollegiate football. As a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level, the Falcons compete within the Mid-American Conference (MAC). Since 1966, the Falcons have played their home games at Doyt Perry Stadium. Over their 93-year history, the Falcons have achieved significant success, winning 12 MAC championships and a UPI national championship in 1959.

The Early Years: Building a Foundation (1919-1932)

The football program began shortly after the university opened, then known as the Bowling Green Normal School. In these early years, sports writers commonly referred to BG athletic teams as "B.G. Normals," "Teachers," and "B.G. Pedagogues." The team was established in 1919 and played on a local field behind Ridge Street School in Bowling Green, Ohio. The first team comprised nineteen male students, over half of the 36 men enrolled in the college. Ivan "Doc" Lake, who would later give the Falcons their nickname, was among the initial players. John Stitt served as the program's first football coach during the inaugural 3-game 1919 season.

The first football game in BG's history was held on October 3, 1919, against Toledo University, marking the beginning of a rivalry that continues today. The team joined the Northwest Ohio League starting in the 1921 season. In the first game, BG and Kent battled to a scoreless tie in a game that saw no fan attendance due to an influenza epidemic. Warren Steller became the head coach of BG in 1924, and in his second season, BG recorded its first one-loss season in 1925. The record was repeated two seasons later, in 1927, when the team dropped its final game of the season 12-6 to Bluffton. During the same season, Ivan "Doc" Lake, a BG alumnus and football player on the original team, suggested the nickname "Falcons." The nickname's popularity grew rapidly and was adopted by the school.

In 1928, the Falcons recorded their first undefeated season with a record of 5-0-2. Chet Chapman led the team and received the conference MVP award, becoming Bowling Green's first All-American. Steller's Falcons repeated the feat just a few seasons later, in 1930, when the team went 6-0-2. The 1931 season marked the team's final year that the Falcons participated in the Northwest Ohio League.

Transition and Growth: Joining the Ohio Athletic Conference (1933-1954)

The team joined the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) in 1933 after playing one season as an independent team. Warren Steller's last season as head coach of BG football came in 1934. The Falcons struggled in their initial seasons as a member of the OAC, recording a losing record in three straight seasons from 1933 to 1935. The first winning record came in 1936 when the Falcons finished the season with a record of 4-2-3. In 1937, University Stadium was dedicated as the team's home stadium.

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The Doyt Perry Era: A Golden Age (1955-1964)

Doyt Perry, who attended Bowling Green and was a three-sport athlete for the Falcons and the captain of the football, basketball, and baseball teams in 1931-32, returned to Bowling Green after serving as a high school coach at Upper Arlington and the offensive backfield coach of Ohio State. Perry changed the culture of the program and focused on decreases in mistakes, penalties, fumbles, interceptions, blocked kicks, and missed assignments. With the new coach and coaching style, the team's record quickly turned around and finished with a 7-1-1 record in Perry's first season as head coach. In that season, the team's only loss came to the Miami RedHawks by the score of 7-0. The team outscored opponents 224-53, compared to being outscored 125-196 in the 1954 season.

The team continued its success into the 1956 season and recorded seven straight victories before picking up a 7-7 tie vs. Miami (OH) and finishing the season with an eight-win season for a final unbeaten record of 8-0-1 and Bowling Green's first MAC Championship. After two successful seasons in 1957 and 1958, in which the Falcons went 13-3-2 overall between the two seasons. The season included conference wins over Miami, Kent State, Ohio, Toledo, and Western Michigan and non-conference opponents of Dayton, Delaware, Marshall, and Southern Illinois. BG recorded two games where the team scored 51 points, and the closest game of the season was a 13-9 win over Ohio in the last game of the season on November 21. Bowling Green finished the year with a perfect record of 9-0 and was the Mid-American Conference champion and was named small college national champion by the AP and the UPI.

The next season, the Falcons began the season with a 5-0 record that included wins over MAC rivals Miami, Toledo, and Kent State. On October 29, 1960, the team got a sixth straight win on the season and seventeenth straight victory overall, beating California Polytechnic 50-6. Shortly after the victory, news spread that the Mustangs' plane crashed on takeoff when leaving Toledo. Two weeks later, the team faced Ohio University in a rematch of the championship-clinching game in the 1959 season. The Bobcats snapped the team's 18-game win streak and ended the team's chance at a second consecutive national title. With the 14-7 win, the Bobcats earned the MAC championship and went on to win the small college national championship. The Falcons went on to beat Texas-El Paso and finished the season with an 8-1 record, ranked second in the MAC.

The 1961 team finished the regular season with an 8-1 record in the regular season, the single loss to Miami (OH) by one point, 7-6. Despite the loss, the Falcons claimed their third MAC title and were selected to play in the Mercy Bowl, the program's first bowl game. The team flew to California to play Fresno State at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Bowling Green repeated as MAC champions in 1962 and finished the season with a record of 7-1-1 with a 24-24 tie at Miami (OH) and a 23-7 non-conference road loss to West Texas State.

In the 1963 season, Bowling Green ended with a record of 8-2, including a home loss to the Miami Redskins and a road loss at Ohio. The Falcons started the 1964 season on an eight-game winning streak. In the ninth game of the season, Bowling Green faced tough rival, Ohio, and was held scoreless with the Bobcats winning 21-0. The team rebounded in the final game of the season to beat Xavier 35-7 and claimed the MAC Championship. BG finished the season with a 9-1 record and outscored opponents 275-87.

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Perry stepped down as head coach of the football team after the 1964 season to take a position as the athletic director at the university and served in the position until 1970. He finished with an overall record of 77-11-5 and a conference record of 46-8-5 over ten seasons. During Perry's tenure at Bowling Green, he won five Mid-American Conference championships and one small college national championship. His .855 winning percentage placed Perry among the top five in college football history, and he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1988.

Post-Perry Era: New Leadership and Continued Success (1965-1976)

Bob Gibson, a long-time assistant coach at BG, was hired to replace Perry as head coach of the Falcons. After one season as an assistant coach to Gibson, Don Nehlen took over as head coach for the Falcons in 1968. Nehlen played quarterback at Bowling Green from 1955 to 1957 and led the team to the 1956 MAC championship. After graduating from BG, he began his coaching career in 1958 at Mansfield Senior High School. He later served as head coach at Canton South High School and Canton McKinley High School and an assistant coach at the University of Cincinnati.

The Falcons welcomed Nehlen in as head coach with a 62-8 win over Ball State and opened the 1968 season on a three-game win streak. The Falcons began Nehlen's fifth season as head coach against Purdue on September 16, 1972. The game was tied in the fourth quarter when the Falcons moved into field goal range, and Don Taylor kicked the ball through the uprights to give the Falcons a 17-14 upset win against a top 20 ranked opponent. In the 1973 season, BG again picked up a big opening win, at Syracuse 41-14.

The Falcons' rushing game greatly improved under Nehlen. The team was led by Paul Miles, who ran for more than 1,000 yards in three consecutive seasons from 1971 to 1973. Miles' teammate, Dave Preston, earned a position as the career leader in rushing with 3,423 yards during his time with the Falcons. In 1975, Dan Saleet rushed for a team-leading 1,114 yards. Nehlen led the Falcons added two more upsets in the Nehlen era with a 23-21 win over BYU and a 22-7 win against Syracuse in 1975 and 1976, respectively.

The Stolz and Ankney Years: A MAC Title and Transition (1977-1989)

Former Michigan State head coach Denny Stolz was hired as the 12th head coach of the Bowling Green Falcons in 1977. He coached the team to a 22-33-1 record in his first five seasons, with the first four having exactly seven losses. But in his sixth season, he coached them to a MAC title, their first since 1965, culminating with an appearance in the California Bowl, their first-ever bowl game appearance.

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Arizona defensive coordinator and associate head coach Moe Ankney was hired as the 13th head coach of the Falcons after Stolz's departure. Ironically, despite finishing 5-6 in his first two years, they had finished tied for 2nd in the MAC.

The Blackney Era: Dominance in the Early 1990s (1990-2000)

Ohio State linebackers coach Gary Blackney was hired as the 14th head coach of the Falcons in 1990. His first season ended with a 10-1 regular season, a MAC title, and a win in the California Bowl, which was their first-ever bowl win. The next season proved to be even better, as the team finished with a 2nd straight MAC title, a 9-2 regular season, and a Las Vegas Bowl victory. In 1994, his team came within one game of winning a third MAC title before a loss to Central Michigan on a fake punt touchdown.

The Meyer and Brandon Years: A New Millennium of Success (2001-2008)

He helped turn around a team that had gone 2-9 in 2000 in large part due to QB Josh Harris, a player tailor-made for Meyer's scheme. In part-time play in 2001, Harris threw for 1,022 yards with 9 touchdowns and ran for 600 yards and 8 touchdowns. The next year, he threw for 2,425 yards with 19 TD and ran for 737 yards with 20 TD. After Meyer left for Utah, offensive coordinator Gregg Brandon was promoted to serve as the 16th head coach of the Falcons.

In his first season as Bowling Green's head coach, Brandon led his team to an 11-3 record and a division title, appearing in the 2003 MAC title game, losing to Miami (OH). But the Falcons would play in the 2003 Motor City Bowl and win, finishing the season ranked at No. They moved to the MAC East after the season and finished the next two years 2nd and 4th respectively, with the latter being his only losing season at 4-8 in 2006. The following year, they shared the MAC East title while finishing 8-5, losing out on playing in the MAC title game due to a tiebreaker. Instead, they played in the 2007 GMAC Bowl.

Recent History: Clawson, Babers, Jinks, and Loeffler (2009-Present)

In January 2010, rumors began to circulate that East Carolina was interested in Clawson for their vacant head coaching position, following former ECU coach Skip Holtz' move to South Florida. The rumors intensified following Middle Tennessee State's head coach Rick Stockstill turning down the East Carolina job after interviewing. However, Bowling Green stated that neither athletic director Greg Christopher nor Clawson himself were contacted by East Carolina officials. Ultimately, Ruffin McNeill was hired to fill the position. On November 7, 2012, Clawson led the Falcons to an upset victory against division rival Ohio 26-14. The special teams had two blocked punts and forced two bad snaps, one of which rolled into Ohio's end zone to force a safety. The Falcons took advantage of these turnovers and scored 19 points (2 Touchdowns, 1 Field Goal, and 1 Safety). With the win, BG moved into 2nd place in the MAC East Division and kept their hopes alive of winning the MAC East and better yet the entire conference. They went to the 2012 Military Bowl after an 8-5 record, as expectations rose for next season.

2013 proved to be the culmination of the expectations, as the team not only won the MAC East, but they also won the MAC title over Northern Illinois, their first MAC title since 1992. Eastern Illinois head coach Dino Babers was hired as the 18th head football coach of the Falcons in December 2013. Babers is the first African American head coach in Bowling Green football history. Bowling Green went 8-4 in his first year with the program, winning the MAC East once again, though they lost the MAC title game to Northern Illinois, ending the regular season on a three-game losing streak. However, they did appear in the 2014 Camellia Bowl and won. It was their first bowl win since 2004.

Texas Tech running backs coach Mike Jinks was hired to replace Babers on December 9, 2015. In Jinks' first season, the Falcons finished 4-8. In his second season, the Falcons only accomplished 2 wins to their 10 losses. In what would be his final season, the Jinks-led Falcons were 1-6 after falling to Western Michigan on October 13 after holding a two-touchdown lead with 8:51 left in the third quarter. Jinks was relieved of his duties on October 14, 2018, and finished his stint at Bowling Green with a 7-24 record.

On November 28, 2018, Boston College offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler was named the 20th head coach at Bowling Green. During this time, the Falcons played their 100th-anniversary game against the Toledo Rockets, winning 20-7. The Falcons were 27.5-point underdogs and pulled off their first victory against Toledo since 2009. BG finished the year 3-9. In his second season, the Falcons didn't win a single game, going 0-5, in a shortened season due to the pandemic. Loeffler would pick up his biggest win as the head coach in 2021 when the Falcons beat the Minnesota Gophers 14-10 at Huntington Bank Stadium. The win would be Bowling Green's first win against an FBS team since 2019. The Falcons finished with a 6-7 record in 2022. They began the season on the road with a 17-45 loss to UCLA. Bowling Green then lost to FCS opponent Eastern Kentucky in their longest game played with seven overtimes 57-59. The Falcons then defeated Marshall 34-31 in overtime the following week. Marshall had previously defeated #7 Notre Dame the week prior. Later in the season, the Falcons defeated Toledo 42-35 for their sixth win of the season. The victory earned the Falcons their first bowl game appearance since 2015. They faced New Mexico State in the 2022 Quick Lane Bowl. In 2023, Loeffler's Falcons posted a 7-6 record. This was the Falcons' first winning season since 2015.

Facilities

Doyt Perry Stadium is home to Bowling Green's football team. Named in honor of former football coach Doyt Perry, the stadium opened in 1966, replacing University Stadium. Through 37 seasons, the Bowling Green Falcons enjoyed an impressive 126-58-6 record at Doyt Perry Stadium. The stadium underwent a renovation in 1982 to expand its seating capacity from 23,272 to 30,599. The stadium and MAC attendance record was set in 1983 when 33,527 fans saw Toledo defeat Bowling Green 6-3 in the annual Battle of I-75. The Doyt hosted its first Big Ten opponent on September 6, 2008, as the Falcons were defeated by Minnesota 42-17. The Sebo Athletic Center opened in 2007 and is located at the north end of Doyt Perry Stadium. The 33,500 sq. ft. center was named after J.

Traditions

Before 1927, BG teams were called the Normals or Teachers. Ivan Lake suggested the nickname after reading an article on falconry. The historical story behind how BGSU began using brown and orange as its school colors dates back to 1914. Homer B. Williams, the university's first President, gathered a group of people which included a L.L. Winslow from Industrial Arts as a selection committee for the school's new colors. While on a trolley to Toledo, Dr. Winslow sat behind a woman wearing a large hat adorned with beautiful brown and orange feathers. Dr. Bowling Green State University has three common songs that can be heard being played by the Falcon Marching Band at various athletic and academic events. Freddie and Frieda Falcon are the mascots for Falcons athletics. The pair are anthropomorphized peregrine falcons. They are somewhat of a rarity among collegiate mascots, being one of the few male-female mascot pairs in existence. In 2006 they were both named "Best Collegiate Mascot" at the 2006 NCA Cheer Camp in Nashville, Tennessee at Vanderbilt University. Freddie first appeared at Bowling Green sporting events in 1950. SICSIC is a six-member, anonymous pep squad and the official spirit crew for BGSU, which began in 1946. Any former BG student-athlete out of school for at least 10 years, a coach, or a contributor to BGSU athletics is eligible for induction into the BGSU Athletic Hall of Fame.

Notable Players and Coaches

Through the decades, the Falcon football program has been led by 20 different head coaches, including some whose names are well-known and revered in the collegiate ranks, such as Doyt Perry, Don Nehlen, Urban Meyer, Dave Clawson, and Dino Babers. Several notable athletes have played collegiately for Bowling Green, including:

Don Nehlen: Played quarterback for BG during his playing days before coaching the Falcons for nine seasons from 1968 to 1976. Nehlen went on to coach West Virginia University, where he would receive national attention. The coach joined the College Football Hall of Fame in 2005.
Doyt Perry: Another Hall of Fame coach who led the Falcons from 1955 through 1964. The university's football stadium is now named in his honor.
Urban Meyer: Coached the Falcons for two seasons in 2001 and 2002 before leaving for the University of Utah.
Phil Villapiano: Was an integral part of the Oakland Raiders in their glory days during the 1970s as a 4-time Pro-Bowler.
Shaun Suisham: A notable NFL kicker.
Omar Jacobs: Was the starting quarterback for Bowling Green in 2004 and 2005. In 2004, he passed for 4,002 yards and set the NCAA record for TD to INT rate, at 41 touchdowns to 4 interceptions.
Paul Miles: When he graduated in 1974, he was only the third player in NCAA history to have three consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons.
Brian McClure: Threw for 10,280 yards in his four seasons leading the Falcons (1982-85), completing a school-record 900 passes and throwing for a then-record 63 touchdowns.
Matt Johnson: Would throw for 4,946 yards and 46 touchdowns in the 2015 season while leading BGSU to a MAC championship.

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