Bowling Green State University Athletics
Private Funds Have Made Ice Arena Renovation Possible
June 21, 2001 | Ice Hockey
June 21, 2001
Each time athletic department funding is discussed at a major university, it looks a bit like a diet commercial - the belt gets tightened another notch. It's no different at Bowling Green State University, where the needs seem to lap the resources whenever expansion and renovation are the topic.
So when the folks behind a long overdue improvement project at the BGSU Ice Arena felt it was time to move from sketches and drawings to steel and brick, they decided to go it alone and raise the $750,000 from private sources, including a number of former BG players who have found success in the professional ranks.
"The money's just not there for the university or the state to write a check for something like this," said former Falcon Dave Ellett, who retired last year after 16 seasons in the NHL. "But BG hockey has always been a very strong family, so a lot of people had to pull together and give this project some life. A lot of people cared enough about Bowling Green hockey to contribute. They wanted to restore the building, and the tradition."
Ellett, Nelson Emerson, Garry Galley and Rob Blake jumped in to give the fund-raising project some momentum, and one anonymous donor wrote a check for $100,000. Ellett said a brick campaign that allows smaller contributors to be a part of the project and have their name etched into the walkway leading to the new addition on the northeast corner of the Ice Arena is symbolic of the grassroots support BG hockey has enjoyed.
"Bowling Green hockey has always been like a family, so it was no surprise when all of these people wanted to help," said Emerson, who plays for the Los Angeles Kings. "They were around for the glory years, and they want to to get BG back to that level."
The Falcons won a national championship in 1984 and had been one of the dominant teams in the country for many years. But as the Ice Arena aged, the program's profile slipped, and top recruits - and victories - were harder to come by.
"Through no one's fault, our building didn't get worse but a lot of the other ones got better," Falcon head coach Buddy Powers said. "We recruit the same kids that Michigan, Michigan State and Boston College go after, and they kind of leap-frogged over us. Today's recruit, you have to wow them. You have to leave an impression and we had a hard time doing that when kids looked at our facility and then visited some of the other programs."
The Rev. Paul Yutzy chaired the brick campaign that has raised $93,000 to date, and has been a devoted follower of Falcon hockey since the 1970s.
"Hockey has been a very important part of this community for a long time, a great tradition, and it holds a special place in the hearts of many," he said. "That is why we were able to do this with 100 percent private money. You just don't hear about many major projects at state universities coming together with private funds, but we were able to do it here because enough people cared."
BGSU board of trustees member Mike Wilcox said the Ice Arena project was symbolic of what can be done with a cooperative effort of the administration, athletic department and supporters of the program.
"Without all of these people stepping up to the plate, this project most likely would not be a reality," Wilcox said. "Today's university clearly has many more needs than it has funding, but when all of these people and all of these resources pull together, they are capable of significant accomplishments. We've seen that happen here, without a single dollar of state money."
