The 21st ranked Michigan Wolverines put their perfect record on the line on Saturday against the 1-2 Bowling Green Falcons. This is the second ever football meeting between the two schools. We opened the 2000 season against them and won 42-7. Ironically, we had a #16 starting at QB in that game also, except that #16 had Frankenstein shoes and bolts in his neck. For those of you that don't remember, freshman John Navarre started that game because Drew Henson broke his foot in practice.The game on Saturday will be broadcast on ESPN2 with former Wolverine (and National Champion) Brian Griese providing the color commentary.
History: Originally known as Bowling Green State Normal School, it was established to meet demands for the training of teachers. The institution was granted a charter in 1910 by the State of Ohio as part of the Lowry Bill, which also established Kent State University. At the time the state's only schools of education (OhioU, Miami, and OSU) were located the southern Ohio while the majority of the growth, population, and need for teachers were in northern Ohio.
The state was so desperate for teachers, that tuition was free; students only paid for materials. Classes began in 1914, enrolling 304 students, from the looks of the early photos, all of them were women. The school graduated 35 certified teachers in 1915, the same year that the campus’ first two buildings opened their doors.This year marks the 100th year of Bowling Green State University, so they have an interesting historical timeline on the school web site right now. Here are a couple of fun ones:
1920 - A student newspaper, The BeeGee News, is printed for the first time.
1933 - A plan by members of the state legislature to turn the college into a mental institution is defeated.
1935 - Every time BGSU plays the University of Toledo, fighting breaks out in the stands. Competition between the two schools is suspended until 1947.
1947 - After a 22-year hiatus caused by violence, athletic competition resumes between Bowling Green and Toledo.
1951 - Former trailer camp for married vets turns into site for new chemistry building.
1951 - Women students are banned from riding in automobiles.
1975 - BGSU is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records when 3,376 students join hands to form the longest snake dance ever.
Location: Bowling Green, Ohio is 20 miles south of Toledo and serves as the county seat of Wood County. It sits directly in the middle of an area called The Great Black Swamp, which was the last area of Ohio to be The first time a significant group of white men came to disturb the quiet forest where the school now stands was in June of 1812, when General William Hull and his army passed by. They were marching from Dayton to Detroit. Hull is famous because he invaded Canada and then surrendered Fort Detroit to an outnumbered enemy. He is the only General Officer in the history of the United States to be sentenced to death via court martial. He was reprieved by President James Madison because of his status as a revolutionary hero and returned to his native New England.
After the war (1817), the Indians signed treaty at the Foot of the Maumee Rapids allowing the US to buy the land at a price slightly less than four cents an acre.
In the late 19th century, Bowling Green experienced an oil boom. The wealth generated by that time can still be seen in the downtown store fronts and along Wooster Street where many of the oldest and largest homes were built.
Today BG is a typical American town of about 30,000 people. In addition to an annual art and county fairs, Bowling Green has hosted the National Tractor Pulling Championships since 1967. This annual event, one of the largest in the nation, draws an estimated 60,000 people.Academics: BGSU offers over 200 undergraduate programs, as well as various master's and doctoral degrees. Bowling Green ranks #170 in the USNWR National University Rankings, tied with Biola, George Fox, Pace, South Carolina State, and Utah State. Based on these same rankings, within the state of Ohio, it is the 7th best school.
The most popular major at BGSU continues to be education, in 2009 6% of the graduates majored in kindergarten/preschool education and teaching.
Alumni: Famous BGSU alumni include Olympic gold medal figure skater Scott Hamilton, comedian and Emmy Award winner Tim Conway and Academy award winner Eva Marie Saint. Shantanu Narayen is the president and CEO of Adobe Systems Inc.
From the world of sports, they claim Nate Thurmond Basketball Hall of Famer, NHL All Star Rob Blake, Baseball pitcher Orel Hershiser, and former Michigan assistant and West Virginia head coach Don Nehlen. Nehlen worked for Bo and was the coach at WVU before Rich Rodriguez took over that program.
No US Presidents or astronauts.
Colors, Helmets, Mascot, and Fight Song: Orange and brown have been the school colors since the first year of classes. Legend has it that an industrial arts faculty member named Leon Winslow got the idea from observing a brown and orange women’s hat on a bus to nearby Toledo. Former Cleveland Browns’ head coach Paul Brown must have also liked it. Legend has it following a trip to BGSU he decided to use the colors for his pro football team.BG has a long history of orange helmets. The current design features a boring interlocking BG. Prior to that they had some pretty cool falcon designs. My favorite is the version they wore in the 1960’s with the cloud and Falcon. Each cloud is unique, as it appears they applied white spray paint to each helmet over a falcon template. The white areas had "blurry edges" and varied in size and shape considerably from one helmet to the next, but all appeared to be centered above the helmets' ear hole regions.
For over 82 years they have called themselves the Falcons. Before 1927, BG teams were called the Normals or Teachers. Then a news editor named Ivan Lake (class of 1923) suggested the nickname after reading an article on falconry. Lake liked the name change because it fit headline space and because falcons were “the most powerful bird for their size and often attacked birds two or three times their size.”
Currently, Frieda and Freddie Falcon are the sideline official mascots. The Freddie Falcon tradition began in 1950 while Frieda Falcon was added in 1979. Student tryouts are held each spring, and the winners remain anonymous to the student body until each is “beheaded” at the last home basketball and hockey game.The official BGSU Fight song is called "Forward Falcons".
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