Anderson Arena Memories - Volume 13
August 04, 2010 | General, Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball
Clip show edition
Throughout the 2010-11 season, the BGSU Department of Intercollegiate Athletics will be celebrating the storied history of venerable Anderson Arena, as we are 'Closing the Doors of The House That Roars' and preparing for the opening of the Stroh Center in the fall of 2011.
To share your favorite memory of Anderson Arena, to see the timeline of events or to keep up with the latest Stroh Center happenings, Click Here. We will be posting some of your fondest memories of Anderson here at BGSUFalcons.com in the coming weeks and months.
While BGSUFalcons.com has received multiple recollections of big events such as the men's basketball win over Michigan State in 1990, not every submitted Anderson Arena memory can be neatly placed into a category. Today, we share a veritable potpourri of your memories of 'The House That Roars' ...
---------
MARK
My Dad took me to my first college basketball game there in the early 70's. BG played Ohio. Looking back, going to the games through my high school years was a way my Dad and I spent time together. My parents have season tickets to this day.
I remember in the late 70's when Al McGuire and Marquette came to BG. Anderson Arena was packed. I was in 9th grade and my buddies and I could only get general admission tickets way up in the southeast corner. The highlight of the night (at least to us) came when Marcus Newburn slammed one home and brought the house down. We went nuts.....it was awesome!
The same buddies and I used to come over to the arena in the winter looking for a place to play basketball. We would search all around to find an open door. When inside with the whole place to ourselves we would play 2 on 2 etc. Also....if the doors to the stairs on the north side of the court were locked....you could climb up at one of the corners...the northwest one I think....and make your way to the catwalks in the rafters for a look around. (shhhh....we probably weren't supposed to do that).
All the VERY loud rivalry games against Toledo! Too many to count.
In college at BGSU I used to go sit in the stands and study between classes. I remember writing a radio commercial for an RTVF class there.
I was there for the INXS concert along with a few Michael Stanley Band concerts.....AND when John Waite pretty much got booed off the stage after coming on after opening act Cheap Trick! Whoever booked the concert didn't realize the magnitude of Northwest Ohio's Cheap Trick fan base, and scheduled them the opening act. It should've been the other way around.
I wasn't sad about "closing the doors of the house that roars" until just now.
TODD
I will never forget seeing Ronald Reagan there.
JANE
10,000 Maniacs came to BG in the late 1980's and I was there for the concert....they were so great! Of course, not as great as my commencement ceremony in December of 1990....but still...both events were awesome!
MEGAN
When Lauren Prochaska blocked a shot against syracuse to win the WNIT game.
NATE
The "Bair Lair"! Joe Bair had a small, but energetic following in the 90's. They all sat under the basket and patiently waited for him to play the last few seconds of a blow-out win (or loss).
DAN
One of my most vivid memories of Anderson Arena occurred during the Peter Frampton concert one cold evening in early 1976.
I was not there because I bought a ticket. Actually, the photo editor of The Key assigned me to attend and take pictures, so that means I got to stand directly in front of the stage -- and in front of all the people who had purchased tickets -- and take close-up photos of the man, his guitar, and the band that had the entire building rocking to his tunes that night.
And, of course, I ran over to Finder's the very next day to buy the legendary "Frampton Comes Alive" double album so I could add his music to my memories -- along with the pictures I took.
ERIC
I was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon when I went to BG. By some good fortune, our fraternity was responsibile for portions of security during concerts at Anderson Arena. I remember when INXS and UB40 were in concert and my roommate and I worked the stage (primarily to keep anyone from trying to touch Michael Hutchence- RIP). We were able to get up close and personal to these bands and even chatted with them and had some beers on their tour buses.
Whether it was basketball, concerts or some other event, Anderson always delivered great memories and fun. As with my beloved fraternity house, which was torn down, I am sad to see it go, but look forward to the future and the new facilities. Hopefully, they will be sure to pack a box of all of the spirits, memories and all of that energy and let it loose on the Stroh Center! Go BG!
JIM
In the early morning hours of January 3, 1974, the Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity house burned and created a need for our Fraternity to raise monies to purchase new furniture that was destroyed by the fire. With the help of the Union Activities Organization, the members of TKE Fraternity (of which I was a member) served as 'roadies' for the rock band Bachman-Turner Overdrive and the pop musical duo of Karen and Richard Carpenter - both appearing live, in concert, at Anderson Arena during the Winter and Spring quarters of 1974.
While I don't remember all the details of our working the BTO concert, I do remember very well working with Karen and Richard Carpenter the afternoon prior to their evening performance....Karen ordering large veggie trays in to munch on from Kaufman's Restaurant (downtown BG) and making them available to all who were in the Arena working to make the evening's performance a success. It was during this afternoon, while we setting up chairs, etc. that we got to hear, in person, Karen and Richard practice, warm-up, and just talk back and forth to each other AND TO US. But the most memorable part of their performance for me came in the early evening, before the doors for the concertgoers were opened...when I was given the responsibility (and honor!) of escorting Karen and Richard's father and mother to the front of the stage where they were seated. I can still clearly visualize the events of that afternoon and evening, there in Anderson Arena.
BRIAN
I was the University Activities Organization (UAO) Concert Director in 1999-2000 as a Junior ... I began the year with a Concert Committee of 1 (me), and by the end of the concert had 85 fantastic volunteers planning and overseeing the show. The Student Activities Advisers rallied behind the concept of a major UAO concert, and with the strong, (and risky) support of Kim Jacobs, we were able to secure the MTV Campus Invasion Concert featuring Moby and Bush.
The show basically sold out in a day (the few straggling tickets sold in the next couple of weeks) and Anderson Arena finally had the major concert that I had been waiting 3 years to attend.
Having a musician (Moby) with such a critically acclaimed album with such a diverse blend of musical styles perform at Anderson Arena in his prime was something that Bowling Green should be eternally proud of. ... Bush had sold more than 10 million albums, and headlined concerts across the globe, and now they were performing for 4,300 ecstatic college kids inside of Anderson Arena.
Gavin Rossdale (lead singer/guitarist of Bush) jumped off stage multiple times during songs, and played his wireless guitar as he walked/climbed/ran around Anderson Arena, giving the type of intimate feel of a high school band playing a graduation party!
During the entire day of the concert, there was also the "MTV Interactive Village" in the field next to Anderson Arena that was free and open to everyone on campus and in the community. Students auditioned to be on the hit MTV show "Real World", new video games were debuted, new bands and videos played on tv screens all day, free samples of various products were distributed, along with tons of other tents, events, and fun nonsense as well.
Now that Anderson Arena is on its way out, I have to say that bringing this concert to Bowling Green was the best memory of my entire college experience. It taught me that ANY student can accomplish ANYTHING if you are willing to work really hard, develop thick skin, build a talented team, and rely on intuition, hard data, research, numbers, and facts.
I can only hope that Bowling Green will forever have a UAO Concert Committee and that the new Stroh Center will be a Midwest Mecca for music. After all, B.G. is right in between Cleveland, Chicago & Detroit. Plenty of professional musicians will be looking for a midpoint to perform.
Bowling Green deserves quality entertainment, and a new state of the art complex should provide the perfect venue for great concerts for decades to come! And if you've been at school for a few years, and think that you have some good entertainment ideas, join UAO, and set a goal for a sold out event at Stroh Center, and turn your dreams into reality.
SCOTT
I was a senior at BGSU in 1996, and had played guitar in a well known local rock band called State of Green. Not only did it afford me the opportunity to make some extra money to pay for books, it allowed me to truly get to know the city of Bowling Green, Ohio. We played every local bar, Dance Marathons, and countless fraternity and sorority functions.
My fondest memory though, was playing a sold out Anderson Arena with National touring act the Violent Femmes in 1996. The event was put on by the UAO and it was a huge success. I remember hearing the chant of the audience as we warmed up under the stands in the locker rooms. The mood was absolutely electrifying. As we were led onstage by the roadies carrying small flashlights I remember seeing shadows of many of the students I had spent the last 4 years with and I was overcome with pride as we all shared this moment together.
Thirty seconds later, the stage lights came on as we broke into our first song. The crowd roared as my fellow bandmates and worked the 40 foot stage. This memory of Anderson Arena will not be forgotten. Thank you BGSU and UAO for this lasting memory of Anderson Arena.
CRAIG
My fondest memory of Anderson Arena happened frequently during my undergraduate days between 1970-74. Occasionally, there were days when things were not going as well as I would have liked and I may have been struggling with a class or some other issue. Those seemed to be the times I would wander over to Memorial Hall and up to the Physical Education offices on the west side. I would enter at the south end and be greeted with a friendly smile by one of the Bobb sisters (I can never remember which one was at which end) at the receptionist desk and then proceed to Dr. Parson's office and then to Dr. Keefe's before heading down the hallway. I remember the coaches, who also taught most of my P.E. classes, with their doors open, smiling and giving me a welcoming, "Hi, Craig! How's it going?", before inviting me in to visit for a few minutes. If they were there, they were available and I will never forget that. They were part of a strong and caring BGSU family and I loved them for that.
By the time I reached Dr. Sandy's office and the other Bobb sister at the north end, my outlook had brightened. Things were never as bad as they may have seemed back then and I have the coaches and teachers of the Athletic and Physical Education departments to thank for helping me realize that. What special mentors and advisors they were to me.
During my 28 years at Defiance College, I have found myself trying to emulate those same qualities and characteristics. If I am in my office, my door is open and I am accessible. I appreciate what our students are going through and I know what they want and need from me. I just ask myself, "What would Coach Bellard do in this situation?", and go from there. That philosophy hasn't failed me yet. I guess what goes around comes around and I simply try to share the lessons I learned from my coaches and teachers at BG with the students at DC. Thank you, Anderson Arena, for the role you played in my life!
"Time will treat you kindly, years from now you'll be, ever dearer in our hearts our University."
MICHAEL
The memories at AA that stick out for me are watching all the great women's hoops teams the last decade as they dominated the MAC, attending the INXS concert in 1987, my sophomore year, and the awesome finish to the BG-UT men's game in 2005. We drove through a snowstorm from Akron to see this game and I thought the place would be half empty due to the weather. By the time the game started, EVERY seat in the house was filled. UT ran all over us in the first half and led 34-17 at the break. But the Falcons staged a huge comeback and when Josh Almanson hit a jumper with about 8 seconds left, BG had a 70-69 lead. We had to hold our breath as UT missed a last second shot from the corner and the comeback was complete. We were in the top row on the east side of AA and the place went crazy. The students rushed the floor and all was well in the world.
My dad, a 1964 BG grad, has some of the best memories of AA...watching some of the greatest BG teams under Harold Anderson and players like Butch Komives, Nate Thurmond and Jimmy Darrow.
AA is a great venue and I'll miss seeing games there. But I am really looking forward to the Stroh Center!
ROLL ALONG! AY ZIGGY ZOOMBA!!
To share your favorite memory of Anderson Arena, to see the timeline of events or to keep up with the latest Stroh Center happenings, Click Here. We will be posting some of your fondest memories of Anderson here at BGSUFalcons.com in the coming weeks and months.
While BGSUFalcons.com has received multiple recollections of big events such as the men's basketball win over Michigan State in 1990, not every submitted Anderson Arena memory can be neatly placed into a category. Today, we share a veritable potpourri of your memories of 'The House That Roars' ...
---------
MARK
My Dad took me to my first college basketball game there in the early 70's. BG played Ohio. Looking back, going to the games through my high school years was a way my Dad and I spent time together. My parents have season tickets to this day.
I remember in the late 70's when Al McGuire and Marquette came to BG. Anderson Arena was packed. I was in 9th grade and my buddies and I could only get general admission tickets way up in the southeast corner. The highlight of the night (at least to us) came when Marcus Newburn slammed one home and brought the house down. We went nuts.....it was awesome!
The same buddies and I used to come over to the arena in the winter looking for a place to play basketball. We would search all around to find an open door. When inside with the whole place to ourselves we would play 2 on 2 etc. Also....if the doors to the stairs on the north side of the court were locked....you could climb up at one of the corners...the northwest one I think....and make your way to the catwalks in the rafters for a look around. (shhhh....we probably weren't supposed to do that).
All the VERY loud rivalry games against Toledo! Too many to count.
In college at BGSU I used to go sit in the stands and study between classes. I remember writing a radio commercial for an RTVF class there.
I was there for the INXS concert along with a few Michael Stanley Band concerts.....AND when John Waite pretty much got booed off the stage after coming on after opening act Cheap Trick! Whoever booked the concert didn't realize the magnitude of Northwest Ohio's Cheap Trick fan base, and scheduled them the opening act. It should've been the other way around.
I wasn't sad about "closing the doors of the house that roars" until just now.
TODD
I will never forget seeing Ronald Reagan there.
JANE
10,000 Maniacs came to BG in the late 1980's and I was there for the concert....they were so great! Of course, not as great as my commencement ceremony in December of 1990....but still...both events were awesome!
MEGAN
When Lauren Prochaska blocked a shot against syracuse to win the WNIT game.
NATE
The "Bair Lair"! Joe Bair had a small, but energetic following in the 90's. They all sat under the basket and patiently waited for him to play the last few seconds of a blow-out win (or loss).
DAN
One of my most vivid memories of Anderson Arena occurred during the Peter Frampton concert one cold evening in early 1976.
I was not there because I bought a ticket. Actually, the photo editor of The Key assigned me to attend and take pictures, so that means I got to stand directly in front of the stage -- and in front of all the people who had purchased tickets -- and take close-up photos of the man, his guitar, and the band that had the entire building rocking to his tunes that night.
And, of course, I ran over to Finder's the very next day to buy the legendary "Frampton Comes Alive" double album so I could add his music to my memories -- along with the pictures I took.
ERIC
I was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon when I went to BG. By some good fortune, our fraternity was responsibile for portions of security during concerts at Anderson Arena. I remember when INXS and UB40 were in concert and my roommate and I worked the stage (primarily to keep anyone from trying to touch Michael Hutchence- RIP). We were able to get up close and personal to these bands and even chatted with them and had some beers on their tour buses.
Whether it was basketball, concerts or some other event, Anderson always delivered great memories and fun. As with my beloved fraternity house, which was torn down, I am sad to see it go, but look forward to the future and the new facilities. Hopefully, they will be sure to pack a box of all of the spirits, memories and all of that energy and let it loose on the Stroh Center! Go BG!
JIM
In the early morning hours of January 3, 1974, the Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity house burned and created a need for our Fraternity to raise monies to purchase new furniture that was destroyed by the fire. With the help of the Union Activities Organization, the members of TKE Fraternity (of which I was a member) served as 'roadies' for the rock band Bachman-Turner Overdrive and the pop musical duo of Karen and Richard Carpenter - both appearing live, in concert, at Anderson Arena during the Winter and Spring quarters of 1974.
While I don't remember all the details of our working the BTO concert, I do remember very well working with Karen and Richard Carpenter the afternoon prior to their evening performance....Karen ordering large veggie trays in to munch on from Kaufman's Restaurant (downtown BG) and making them available to all who were in the Arena working to make the evening's performance a success. It was during this afternoon, while we setting up chairs, etc. that we got to hear, in person, Karen and Richard practice, warm-up, and just talk back and forth to each other AND TO US. But the most memorable part of their performance for me came in the early evening, before the doors for the concertgoers were opened...when I was given the responsibility (and honor!) of escorting Karen and Richard's father and mother to the front of the stage where they were seated. I can still clearly visualize the events of that afternoon and evening, there in Anderson Arena.
BRIAN
I was the University Activities Organization (UAO) Concert Director in 1999-2000 as a Junior ... I began the year with a Concert Committee of 1 (me), and by the end of the concert had 85 fantastic volunteers planning and overseeing the show. The Student Activities Advisers rallied behind the concept of a major UAO concert, and with the strong, (and risky) support of Kim Jacobs, we were able to secure the MTV Campus Invasion Concert featuring Moby and Bush.
The show basically sold out in a day (the few straggling tickets sold in the next couple of weeks) and Anderson Arena finally had the major concert that I had been waiting 3 years to attend.
Having a musician (Moby) with such a critically acclaimed album with such a diverse blend of musical styles perform at Anderson Arena in his prime was something that Bowling Green should be eternally proud of. ... Bush had sold more than 10 million albums, and headlined concerts across the globe, and now they were performing for 4,300 ecstatic college kids inside of Anderson Arena.
Gavin Rossdale (lead singer/guitarist of Bush) jumped off stage multiple times during songs, and played his wireless guitar as he walked/climbed/ran around Anderson Arena, giving the type of intimate feel of a high school band playing a graduation party!
During the entire day of the concert, there was also the "MTV Interactive Village" in the field next to Anderson Arena that was free and open to everyone on campus and in the community. Students auditioned to be on the hit MTV show "Real World", new video games were debuted, new bands and videos played on tv screens all day, free samples of various products were distributed, along with tons of other tents, events, and fun nonsense as well.
Now that Anderson Arena is on its way out, I have to say that bringing this concert to Bowling Green was the best memory of my entire college experience. It taught me that ANY student can accomplish ANYTHING if you are willing to work really hard, develop thick skin, build a talented team, and rely on intuition, hard data, research, numbers, and facts.
I can only hope that Bowling Green will forever have a UAO Concert Committee and that the new Stroh Center will be a Midwest Mecca for music. After all, B.G. is right in between Cleveland, Chicago & Detroit. Plenty of professional musicians will be looking for a midpoint to perform.
Bowling Green deserves quality entertainment, and a new state of the art complex should provide the perfect venue for great concerts for decades to come! And if you've been at school for a few years, and think that you have some good entertainment ideas, join UAO, and set a goal for a sold out event at Stroh Center, and turn your dreams into reality.
SCOTT
I was a senior at BGSU in 1996, and had played guitar in a well known local rock band called State of Green. Not only did it afford me the opportunity to make some extra money to pay for books, it allowed me to truly get to know the city of Bowling Green, Ohio. We played every local bar, Dance Marathons, and countless fraternity and sorority functions.
My fondest memory though, was playing a sold out Anderson Arena with National touring act the Violent Femmes in 1996. The event was put on by the UAO and it was a huge success. I remember hearing the chant of the audience as we warmed up under the stands in the locker rooms. The mood was absolutely electrifying. As we were led onstage by the roadies carrying small flashlights I remember seeing shadows of many of the students I had spent the last 4 years with and I was overcome with pride as we all shared this moment together.
Thirty seconds later, the stage lights came on as we broke into our first song. The crowd roared as my fellow bandmates and worked the 40 foot stage. This memory of Anderson Arena will not be forgotten. Thank you BGSU and UAO for this lasting memory of Anderson Arena.
CRAIG
My fondest memory of Anderson Arena happened frequently during my undergraduate days between 1970-74. Occasionally, there were days when things were not going as well as I would have liked and I may have been struggling with a class or some other issue. Those seemed to be the times I would wander over to Memorial Hall and up to the Physical Education offices on the west side. I would enter at the south end and be greeted with a friendly smile by one of the Bobb sisters (I can never remember which one was at which end) at the receptionist desk and then proceed to Dr. Parson's office and then to Dr. Keefe's before heading down the hallway. I remember the coaches, who also taught most of my P.E. classes, with their doors open, smiling and giving me a welcoming, "Hi, Craig! How's it going?", before inviting me in to visit for a few minutes. If they were there, they were available and I will never forget that. They were part of a strong and caring BGSU family and I loved them for that.
By the time I reached Dr. Sandy's office and the other Bobb sister at the north end, my outlook had brightened. Things were never as bad as they may have seemed back then and I have the coaches and teachers of the Athletic and Physical Education departments to thank for helping me realize that. What special mentors and advisors they were to me.
During my 28 years at Defiance College, I have found myself trying to emulate those same qualities and characteristics. If I am in my office, my door is open and I am accessible. I appreciate what our students are going through and I know what they want and need from me. I just ask myself, "What would Coach Bellard do in this situation?", and go from there. That philosophy hasn't failed me yet. I guess what goes around comes around and I simply try to share the lessons I learned from my coaches and teachers at BG with the students at DC. Thank you, Anderson Arena, for the role you played in my life!
"Time will treat you kindly, years from now you'll be, ever dearer in our hearts our University."
MICHAEL
The memories at AA that stick out for me are watching all the great women's hoops teams the last decade as they dominated the MAC, attending the INXS concert in 1987, my sophomore year, and the awesome finish to the BG-UT men's game in 2005. We drove through a snowstorm from Akron to see this game and I thought the place would be half empty due to the weather. By the time the game started, EVERY seat in the house was filled. UT ran all over us in the first half and led 34-17 at the break. But the Falcons staged a huge comeback and when Josh Almanson hit a jumper with about 8 seconds left, BG had a 70-69 lead. We had to hold our breath as UT missed a last second shot from the corner and the comeback was complete. We were in the top row on the east side of AA and the place went crazy. The students rushed the floor and all was well in the world.
My dad, a 1964 BG grad, has some of the best memories of AA...watching some of the greatest BG teams under Harold Anderson and players like Butch Komives, Nate Thurmond and Jimmy Darrow.
AA is a great venue and I'll miss seeing games there. But I am really looking forward to the Stroh Center!
ROLL ALONG! AY ZIGGY ZOOMBA!!
---------
We'd love to hear about your favorite memories of Anderson Arena. Click here to share them with us, and perhaps you will see your own recollections of 'The House That Roars' right here at BGSUFalcons.com in the very near future. Roll Along!Emme Butera Post-Match Interview (Sept. 14, 2025)
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