Legacy Series 5: Legendary Coaches Make Their Mark
September 23, 2014 | General, Heritage Sports
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Legacy Series Part One - Legacy Weekend To Take Place In October
Legacy Series Part Two - Falcon Club Celebrating 50th Anniversary
Legacy Series Part Three - Hall Of Fame Celebrating 50th Anniversary
Legacy Series Part Four - Hall Of Fame Honors Rich History Of BGSU Athletics
This is the fifth in a series of stories 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, is providing his insight for our Legacy Weekend series. Please check BGSUFalcons.com regularly as Jack tells the stories of BGSU's rich athletics history.
The legacy for several of the most successful coaches at Bowling Green State University lives on for the current student-athletes. Of the 18 current intercollegiate sports at Bowling Green, seven are contested at venues named for former coaches in that sport. When the BGSU Athletics Department holds Legacy Weekend Oct. 17-18 as part of the 50th anniversary of the Falcon Club and the Athletics Hall of Fame, many of those former coaches will be recognized and remembered.
While many fans may not realize who the various venues at BGSU are named after, it's important to remember those who made an impact on the early days of BGSU Athletics. Mickey Cochrane, Sam Cooper, Robert Keefe, Doyt Perry, Warren Steller and Robert Whittaker all left legacies at BGSU that continue to be remembered through the naming of facilities, while other forerunners have been remembered in other ways.
"BGSU Athletics has a long and storied history of producing great coaches," BGSU Athletics Director Chris Kingston said. "We have continued the tradition of first-class coaches, as evidenced by the ones we have today. This is another perfect example of how we Honor the Past and Create the Future for Falcon Athletics."
COCHRANE STADIUM (Named after Mickey Cochrane)Cochrane Stadium is the home for the Falcons' men's and women's soccer teams. Cochrane initiated both men's soccer and men's lacrosse programs at BG in 1965 after serving as club coach of both sports at the University the year before. Cochrane stepped down from his coaching duties in 1977 to concentrate on teaching as an associate professor in the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation. The men's soccer team had a 13-year record of 68-56-14, including a 61-39-10 mark over Cochrane's final 10 seasons. The Falcons made two NCAA tournament appearances during his tenure.
Cochrane received Ohio Collegiate Soccer Association Coach of the Year recognition on two occasions (1969 and 1972) and led the Falcons to an OCSA championship in 1973. He was inducted into the BGSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1992. He also is a member of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Hall of Fame. He received the NSCAA's prestigious Honor Award in 1978 (the association's highest prize signifying lifetime service to the sport), and received the Intercollegiate Soccer Association of America's Jeffrey Award in 1984 for his work in the preservation of soccer history, records and memorabilia. Cochrane currently serves as volunteer curator of the Athletic Archives at BGSU. The University soccer field was dedicated in his honor in 1980.
COOPER POOL (Named after Sam Cooper)Cooper Pool is located in the newly renovated Student Recreation Center and is the home for the women's swimming and diving team. Cooper was a head swimming and cross country coach and served as an assistant track coach at BGSU. When Cooper took over the BG swimming duties, the Falcons immediately became a power, winning four consecutive Ohio College Relays from 1946-50. He took a pair of Central Collegiate Conference titles in 1951 and 1952 before entering the Mid-American Conference. In 17 years, he coached the Falcons to a 160-49-1 dual meet record, winning the MAC title five straight years, adding a sixth in 1962. Cooper retired in 1963 after developing six All-America swimmers during his coaching career. He was inducted into the BGSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1975.
KEEFE COURTS (Named after Robert Keefe)Keefe Courts are the outdoor home of the women's tennis team. Keefe was the first full-time tennis coach at BGSU, serving in that capacity from 1955 until 1968. His teams compiled an 83-76 record, including sharing the 1964 Mid-American Conference championship. The 1964 team posted a 15-0 record in dual matches. In addition to the championship year, his teams had six winning seasons and placed third in the MAC three times. Keefe was inducted into the BGSU athletics Hall of Fame in 1997. While indoor matches are played at the Perrysburg Tennis Center, the on-campus home of the Falcons is nestled in between baseball Steller Field and softball's Meserve Field.
DOYT L. PERRY STADIUM (Named after Doyt Perry)Perry Stadium is the home for the Falcons' football team. Perry was 77-11-5 in 10 seasons as Bowling Green's head football coach. His teams won five Mid-American Conference championships between 1955-64. The 1959 team was the National College Division Champions, finishing 9-0. A 1932 graduate of BGSU, Perry was a quarterback on the football team during his undergraduate years. He was inducted into the BGSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1971, and the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame in 1988. Perry was the university's athletic director from 1965-70.
STELLER FIELD (Named after Warren Steller)Steller Field is the home of the Falcons' baseball team. It is named for Steller, who was Athletics Director while also coaching the football and baseball teams. He coached the football team for 11 seasons, baseball for 35 seasons, and was Athletics Director from 1924-1941. Steller compiled a 221-154 (.589) mark over 31 years as baseball coach and an 11-year record of 40-21-19 as the football coach. His 1944 baseball team captured the mythical Ohio state crown with a 20-3 record. Steller, who led BG to three Northwestern Ohio Intercollegiate Athletic Association championships, was also head of the University's physical education department. Steller was inducted to the BGSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1965.
WHITTAKER TRACK (Named after Robert Whittaker)Whittaker Track is the home for BGSU's women's outdoor track and field team. Whittaker served the University in a multitude of capacities at Bowling Green. From 1941-1954, Whittaker was the football coach. He also coached the track and field team from 1942-48 and 1956-60. As a track coach, Whittaker's 1944 team had an undefeated season while winning the All-Ohio meet. The Falcons also finished 1948 undefeated. Whittaker was inducted to the BGSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1968.
Three other venues are in use, one named for a Hall of Fame coach, one for a former student-athlete who is in the Hall of Fame, and the third for a former coach.
ANDERSON ARENA (Named after Harold Anderson)Anderson Arena is now the home of BGSU Gymnastics. It was named for former men's basketball coach Harold Anderson, who was also Athletics Director. Anderson coached 21 years at BGSU, compiling a 362-185 record from 1942-63. His teams won three Mid-American Conference championships, and he took six teams to the National Invitation Tournament in New York. Anderson coached 11 All-America players who all went on to play in the NBA. He was inducted into the BGSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1966. Anderson Arena was the home for men's basketball from Dec. 1960 until the opening of the Stroh Center in 2011. BGSU women's basketball and volleyball teams also played in Anderson Arena before the move to the Stroh Center.
FORREST CREASON GOLF COURSE (Named after Forrest Creason)The Forrest Creason Golf Course was the home for the Falcons' men's and women's golf teams until both sports moved to Stone Ridge Golf Club in Bowling Green. The men's and women's cross country teams currently use portions of the Creason Golf Course for their home meets. The golf course was designed by BGSU Athletics Hall of Fame members Bob Dudley and Ken Schoeni. Creason was the head BGSU men's golf coach from 1956-1969.
CHARLES E. PERRY FIELD HOUSE (Named after Charles Perry)The Charles E. Perry Field House is the indoor home of the Falcons track and field program and also serves as an indoor training facility for several other sports. Perry Field House supports a 200-meter track and has the necessary equipment to support all field events. Perry lettered in football, basketball, and baseball at Bowling Green. After graduation, Perry served as an admissions counselor before serving as Director of Admissions, Director of Development, and assistant to the President at BGSU. Perry went on to become a successful businessman, receiving the distinguished Alumnus Award in 1975 from BGSU. He was inducted into the BGSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1986.
Two other current venues have been named for BGSU athletics donors.
THE STROH CENTER (Named after Kermit and Mary Lu Stroh)The Stroh Center has been the home of the BGSU men's and women's basketball team and the Falcons' volleyball team since Sep. 2011. In 2008, Kermit Stroh, a trustee of the university from 1993–2002, and his late wife Mary Lu donated $8.7 million to BGSU toward interscholastic athletics with $7.7 million marked for the building of a new convocation center that was to replace venerable Anderson Arena. Harold Anderson and Anderson Arena are remembered with the Anderson Club at the Stroh Center. The Anderson Club consists of a club area and chair back seating for approximately 400 fans.
MESERVE FIELD (Named after Lee and Marge Meserve)Meserve Field is the home of the BGSU softball team. The venue was named for Lee and Marge Meserve in Nov. 2008. The Meserve's gift for athletics was valued at more than $650,000. The donation from the Meserves allowed lights to be installed at the field in addition to new bullpens and backstop improvements.
Uniquely, the BGSU hockey team is the only intercollegiate sport at Bowling Green which plays its home games in a venue with a generic name. The BG Ice Arena opened in Feb. 1967 and has a rich tradition. The 1983-84 Falcon hockey team won the NCAA Division I National Championship.
In addition to hosting the Falcons' home games, the Ice Arena has a wide variety of uses, including curling, figure skating and hosting the home games for Bowling Green High School. Scott Hamilton, a native of Bowling Green, got his start in skating at the Ice Arena and went to win the 1984 Olympic men's figure skating gold medal.
Although he does not have a venue named after him, Mel Brodt, a highly successful cross country and track coach for the Falcons, is honored with a plaque on the current cross country course at BGSU. Brodt retired in 1984 after 25 years as BG's cross country coach and 20 seasons as men's head track coach. He coached 53 Division I All-Americans, five collegiate record holders, 92 Mid-American Conference champions, and two MAC championship teams in cross country (1969) and track (1972). He also coached Olympic Gold Medal winner Dave Wottle. Brodt was inducted into the BGSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1987.
In the early years of athletics at BGSU, events were contested in the men's gym, women's gym, and the natatorium on campus. And before Perry Stadium was built, the football team played at University Stadium, which was near the current site of Anderson Arena.
The women's and men's gyms are now part of the Eppler Complex. The North gym at Eppler is named for Dorothy Luedtke, who was the first women inducted into the BGSU Athletics Hall of Fame. Known to colleagues and students as "Bergen", Luedtke came to BG in 1943 and graduated in 1946. As an undergraduate she was active in field hockey, soccer, basketball, volleyball, badminton and softball. After graduation, Luedtke organized and coached several different sports opportunities for women, both on the intramural and intercollegiate levels.
Luedtke completed 33 years of service to Bowling Green in 1984 and retired as an associate professor.
Also at the Student Recreation Center is the Andrews Pool which was dedicated in 1985 in honor of Iris Andrews who made major contributions to BGSU aquatics and physical education programs from 1945-1977, including coaching women's swimming and diving.
More information on the athletics Hall of Fame can be found in the Stroh Center on the Walk of Fame as part of the Cochrane Cunningham Archive and Museum.
A complete list of Hall of Fame members is available at BGSUFalcons.com by CLICKING HERE.
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