Legacy Series: Falcon Club Celebrating 50th Anniversary

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Legacy Series Part One - Legacy Weekend To Take Place In October

This is the second in a series of stories over the next few months about the upcoming Falcon Athletics Legacy Weekend planned by the Bowling Green State University Athletics Department. BGSU Athletics will be recognizing the 50th anniversaries of both the Falcon Club and the Hall of Fame, while also promoting the BGSU Athletics Walk of Fame and History, featuring the Cochrane Cunningham Archive and Museum. As well, BGSU Athletics will recognize our Heritage sports -- those no longer fielded by the University.

BGSU Athletics is proud to announce that Jack Carle, who recently retired as beat writer for BGSU Athletics after more than 35 years of covering Falcon sports, will be providing his insight for our Legacy Weekend series. Among the stories planned are pieces about the Athletics Hall of Fame, the Falcon Club, Freddie and Frieda Falcon and BGSU's Olympic gold medalists. Please check BGSUFalcons.com regularly as Jack tells the stories of BGSU's rich athletics history.

Thanks to the foresight of three people 50 years ago, the Falcon Club is a flourishing entity providing scholarship dollars for student-athletes at Bowling Green State University. The Falcon Club is one of several organizations that will be recognized during Legacy Weekend, Oct. 17-18 at BGSU.

Legendary football coach and athletics director Doyt Perry, Chuck Perry and Jim Hof were the idea men behind the start of the Falcon Club. Doyt Perry coined the term "Falcon Club" while Chuck Perry and Hof worked in the development office.

"All three of us were sitting there talking, and we decided we really needed money for athletics," said Hof, a BGSU alumnus with both undergraduate and graduate degrees. He worked in various areas at BGSU, including admissions, development, and with the Alumni Association. "We didn't have anything, and nobody was giving us a lot."

Key people on campus as well as in the community were contacted for donations to help get the Falcon Club started.

33323 — Jim Hof (left) and Doyt Perry (center) meet with Representative
from Ohio's 5th District Delbert Latta in Washington, D.C.

There were 40 charter members, including Dr. William T. Jerome III (who was President of BGSU at the time), Doyt Perry, Sam Cooper, Don and Harriet Cunningham, C. Richard Marsh, a local attorney, and the owners of the former Kaufman's restaurant in downtown Bowling Green.

"It wasn't too hard to do," Hof said about getting people interested in the concept of the Falcon Club. "Everybody was kind of enthusiastic about it and as a consequence we were able to get started. It was a big boost for athletics. We needed that, and we needed the extra money to do some things that we ordinarily wouldn't be able to do. It started people thinking about (athletics) and started getting people to recognize that we had some things we would like to do and that's why we needed that money."

In 1964, the fee for membership in the Falcon Club was $25.

"We went to the barber shops, the car dealers and the businesses. It was a local thing. We probably did not go beyond the city limits of Bowling Green," said Jim Lessig, as the move was made to expand the membership. Lessig held several different positions at BGSU, including assistant coach on the last men's basketball team to appear in the NCAA tournament (in 1968) and athletics director. Lessig would later be named the commissioner of the Mid-American Conference.

"At that time we were not looking for major gifts, we were looking for $25 while trying to grow the membership and bring in a little extra money to the athletic department," Lessig said. "It was just to provide a little cream on top with some extra benefits for athletics."

There were a total of 137 Falcon Club members in 1964. Memberships passed the 1,000 mark in 1977. Currently there are approximately 2,500 members.

"I can't believe it has grown that much. That just seems impossible," Hof said. "I knew it was going to grow, but I can't believe there are that many members now. That's fantastic to see we have that kind of support.

"I don't know what the total amount of money given over the years would be, but it would have to be in the millions," Hof added. "It has helped the athletic program, no doubt about that."

As the Falcon Club expanded its base and the membership grew, benefits were made available to members, including parking, and functions before and after games, Lessig said. The Falcon Club changed to a 100 percent scholarship-based and educational needs-based organization in 2000, but the need is still there.

"The mission of the Falcon Club is to support the educational needs and the athletic opportunities of our 425 student-athletes who wear the Orange and Brown," said Jane Myers, the assistant athletics director for development. "Over the last 50 years the Falcon Club has grown from the 40 charter members, who saw the value of supporting the education of our young Falcons early on, to nearly 2,500 members today who continue to understand the importance of supporting our leaders of tomorrow."

Membership renewal for the Falcon Club is now underway.

For those who have been Falcon Club members in the past, BGSU Athletics asks each to consider an anniversary gift to support the BGSU Athletics Walk of Fame and History, featuring the Cochrane Cunningham Archive and Museum.

Falcon Club memberships begin at the $100 level and, in this anniversary year, includes parking privileges that were once only available at the $250 giving level. Falcon Club members also receive special pricing on events, bus trips and other opportunities. As well, the All-American Society giving level has been added this year for those willing to commit to a $25,000 annual donation.

"Our membership is made up of alumni, letter winners, community members and friends from all over the country who believe that the values inherent within a strong athletic department is to not only be an asset to our Falcon student-athletes, but the University as a whole," Myers said. "They are truly the Team behind the Teams."

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Legacy Series: Falcon Club Celebrating 50th Anniversary

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