The Bowling Green Falcons are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Bowling Green State University (BGSU), in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. The Falcons compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level as a member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) East Division. The men's ice hockey team competes in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA); and men's soccer competes in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC), following the MAC shutting down its men's soccer league at the end of the 2022 season. Bowling Green sponsors teams in seven men's and 11 women's NCAA-sanctioned sports and the football team competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), the highest level for college football. BGSU is one of only 15 universities in the United States that plays Division I FBS football and Division I men's ice hockey.
The Falcons' main rivals are the Toledo Rockets from the University of Toledo, separated by of Interstate 75 in northwestern Ohio, a rivalry contested in several sports. The best known of these games is the annual football game, known as the Battle of I-75. Originally, the winner of the game was awarded the Peace Pipe, a Native American peace pipe placed upon a wood tablet. Since 2011, the winner is awarded a bronzed I-75 road sign.
The 1984 Falcons hockey team defeated Minnesota–Duluth in the longest college hockey championship game in history, to win the NCAA national championship, Bowling Green's first and only Division I national championship.
Sports sponsored Men's sports Women's sports Baseball Basketball Basketball Cross country Cross country Golf Football Gymnastics Golf Soccer Ice hockey Softball Soccer Swimming and diving Tennis Track and field Volleyball
Baseball
Baseball was founded in 1915 as one of the university's first varsity sports. The program won five MAC championships and four NCAA regional appearances as well as produced 49 Major League Baseball draft picks. After 105 years, the sport was dropped at the varsity level effective immediately on May 15, 2020, as part of the budget cuts due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
On June 2, 2020, just weeks later, the school announced it was reinstating baseball after they fund-raised $1.5 million of commitments over the next three years.
Men's basketball
The Falcons have appeared in four NCAA Tournaments. Their combined record is 1–5. Their drought of 55 years (as of ) is tied for the third longest active and fourth longest all time between tournament appearances.
MAC titles: 1959, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1981, 1983, 1997, 2000, 2009 MAC East division titles: 2000, 2009 NCAA tournament appearances: 1959, 1962, 1963, 1968 NIT appearances: 1944, 1945, 1946, 1948, 1949, 1954, 1980, 1983, 1990, 1991, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2009 NIT Runner-up: 1945 NIT 3rd place: 1949
Women's basketball
The Bowling Green Falcons women's basketball team has had a long-standing tradition of success, rivaling only the school's football team as the most prominent athletic team at the university. The women's basketball team has won ten conference tournaments, eleven regular season championships and five division championships. The women's basketball team has made the NCAA tournament nine times and the AIAW tournament (the predecessor to the NCAA tournament) twice, posting an overall tournament record of 6–12. The 2006–07 team became the first women's basketball team from the MAC to reach the Sweet Sixteen after defeating 10th-seeded Oklahoma State 70–60 and upset 2nd-seeded Vanderbilt 60–59.
The current head coach of the Falcons is Jennifer Roos. In her first full season as head coach, Roos led the team to the third round of the WNIT. Roos served on the staff of previous BGSU Women's Basketball head coach Curt Miller, who had over 200 wins record in 10 season as head coach. Miller also led the Falcons to five conference tournament championships and six consecutive regular season championships (2005–10).
MAC titles: 1987, 1988, 1989, 1993, 1994, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014 MAC Tournament titles: 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2011 NCAA Tournament appearances: 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2011 NCAA Sweet Sixteen: 2007 WNIT appearances: 1998, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014 AIAW Tournament appearances: 1974, 1975
Football
The Bowling Green Falcons football team plays at Doyt Perry Stadium on the east end of the BGSU campus. The Falcons are a historical MAC powerhouse winning ten conference championships, second only to rival Miami (Ohio) (13). Bowling Green has three prominent rivals including Miami (Ohio) and Kent State, but their fiercest rival is Toledo, with the two competing in the Battle of I-75 with the game's winner taking home the Peace Pipe trophy.
The Falcons and Kent State also compete for the Anniversary Award which commemorates the two institutions' founding in 1910 with the passing of the Lowry bill. Famous Falcon football players include Kory Lichtensteiger, Shaun Suisham and Don Nehlen (who would also become head football coach at Bowling Green). Notable Bowling Green coaches include College Football Hall of Fame members Doyt Perry and Don Nehlen, as well as Ohio State coach Urban Meyer.
MAC titles: 1956, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1982, 1985, 1991, 1992, 2013, 2015 MAC East division titles: 2007, 2013, 2014, 2015 MAC West division titles: 2003 NWOIAA titles: 1921, 1922, 1925, 1928, 1929 National titles: 1959 Undefeated seasons: 1928, 1956, 1959 Bowl appearances: 1982, 1985, 1991, 1992, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2022, 2023, 2024
Gymnastics The Bowling Green Gymnastics team trains and competes in Anderson Arena located within Memorial Hall on campus. Head coach Kerrie Turner is assisted by coaches Sunny Marchand and Juliana Belar. The team is managed by sophomore Alyssa Page and the trainer is graduate assistant Annie Rastovski. The team is to compete at the MAC Gymnastics Conference Championship in Kalamazoo, Michigan after the 2020 competition was cancelled due to COVID-19.
Ice hockey
The Bowling Green Falcons men's ice hockey team is the only athletic program at Bowling Green State University to win a national title, coming during the 1984 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament in Lake Placid, New York. The Falcons defeated Minnesota–Duluth 5–4 in the fourth overtime. The game is the longest NCAA men's ice hockey game ever played. The game was broadcast on WBGU, called by John Bowers. John is now with the Cleveland Guardians. Prominent coaches Ron Mason and Jerry York spent time as head coaches at Bowling Green before leaving for very successful stints at Michigan State and Boston College respectively.
The Falcons are currently coached by Ty Eigner, a former Bowling Green player who succeeded Chris Bergeron after the 2018–19 season following nine seasons as an assistant under Bergeron.
CCHA titles: 1976, 1978, 1979, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1987 CCHA tournament titles: 1973, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1988 NCAA tournament appearances: 1977, 1978, 1979, 1982, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 2019 National titles: 1984 Frozen Four appearances: 1978, 1984
Discontinued sports
Electric Car Racing In 1993 students at the College of Technology began constructing the Electric Falcon electric race car, and finished it by 1994. The Electric Falcon Motorsports Team won championships in 2001 and 2003. The last year the team raced in the Formula Lightning Racing Series was on October 3, 2004, in Lexington, Ohio, where it competed against nine other universities. The Electric Falcon was donated to the Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum in 2010. The team was briefly restarted in 2011 to compete in the Electric Vehicle Grand Prix. The team placed 8th in 2011, 2nd and 6th in 2012 with two vehicles, and competed in 2013.
Facilities
Doyt Perry Stadium
Doyt Perry Stadium is home to Bowling Green's football team. Named in honor of former football coach Doyt Perry, the stadium was 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. Robert and Karen Sebo who donated $4.4 million to the project. Sebo Athletic Center is home to sports medicine and rehabilitation centers, strength and training facilities, coaches offices, teaching space for coaches and players, video equipment and viewing room and team meeting rooms.
Stroh Center
The Bowling Green basketball teams and volleyball team moved into a new, state-of-the art convocation center in 2011, replacing the aging Anderson Arena. The new 5,000-seat facility is named the Stroh Center, after Kermit and Mary Lu Stroh who donated $7.7 million to the project. The Stroh Center is also home to the largest falcon statue in the world, a gift from North Carolina philanthropist Irwin Belk. The university broke ground on the Stroh Center on September 3, 2009, a few hours prior to the football team's season opener at nearby Doyt Perry Stadium.
Slater Family Ice Arena
Slater Family Ice Arena is home to Bowling Green's men's hockey team. Opened in 1967, the arena is located on the east end of campus across from the Student Recreation Center. The university had planned to renovate the arena in 2009, but has since postponed the upgrades due to the current economic situation. The arena was renamed in 2017.
Steller Field
Warren E. Steller Field was the home to the Falcons baseball team from 1964 to 2020. The field is named in honor of Warren E. Steller, a former instructor at the school who coached the school's football team from 1924 to 1934 and the baseball team in 1925 and again from 1928 to 1959. The stadium is located on the Bowling Green campus, next to Slater Family Ice Arena and across the street from Perry Field House.
Other facilities
Mickey Cochrane Stadium is home to the Bowling Green's men's and women's soccer teams and is located behind the Slater Family Ice Arena. Opened in 1966, the stadium was renamed on October 11, 1980, in honor of Bowling Green's first men's soccer coach. The stadium was renovated in 1993 and 1994, which included the installation of a permanent grandstand that seats 1,500. Cochrane Stadium is also home to the United States Youth Soccer Association's Olympic Development Program Region II camps.
Cooper Pool is home to Bowling Green's women's swimming and diving team. Cooper Pool is located in the Student Recreation Center on the east end of campus.
Whittaker Track is home to Bowling Green's women's track and field team. Located northeast of Doyt Perry Stadium, Whittaker Track underwent a renovation in 2007 and was reopened in 2008 in time to host the MAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
College Park Rugby Field is home to the Bowling Green State University Rugby Football Club. Located on the northwest corner of campus at the corners of North College and Poe Road. It is one of the few dedicated collegiate rugby pitches in the United States. It has grandstand seating for 150, an electronic scoreboard, an onsite changing room and parking for 100 cars
National championships Football: 1959 NCAA College Division National Championship Figure skating: USCFS Championship Alissa Czisny 2004, 2008 Ice hockey: 1984 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament Rugby: 2018 USA Rugby D1-AA National Championship Cheerleading: 2014 UCA National Championship, D1A Small Coed
Notable athletes