Bowling Green State University Athletics
Tom Stubbs: 2007 BGSU Hall of Fame Inductee
September 13, 2007 | General
Sept. 13, 2007
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (BGSUFalcons.com) - The Bowling Green State University Athletic Hall of Fame welcomes seven new members on the weekend of Sept. 21-22. The 2007 class will be inducted during a formal dinner on the BGSU campus.
The Class of 2007 includes Antonio Daniels '97 (men's basketball), Wade Diefenthaler '59 (baseball), Talita (Scott) Braddix '94 (women's basketball), Charles Simpson (gymnastics coach), Tom Stubbs '49 (swimming and diving), Paul Talkington '69 (men's cross country and track) and Bernard White (football).
The official induction ceremony will take place Friday, Sept. 21, in the grand ballroom of BGSU's Bowen-Thompson Student Union. The social hour begins at 6:00 p.m., with dinner served at 7:00 p.m. and the program starting shortly thereafter.
In addition to the induction ceremony, the class will be introduced at halftime of the Sept. 22 BGSU-Temple football game at Doyt Perry Stadium. The game begins at noon and is designated at Hall of Fame Day.
Tickets for the Sept. 21 dinner are $35 ($30 for Varsity BG members), and advanced reservations are required. Tickets can be reserved by calling the Falcon Club office at (419) 372-7100. Football game tickets can be purchased through the ticket office by phone, at 1-877-BGSUTICKET, or on the web at BGSUFalcons.com.
The public is invited to attend the induction dinner.
The following is the fifth of a seven-part series that takes a brief look at this year's inductees...
Tom Stubbs (Men's Swimming, 1943-1949; Swimming Coach, 1963-1981)
Tom Stubbs had a storied career as both an athlete and a coach at BG. After competing for the Falcons in the 1940s, he returned to his alma mater as head coach for 18 seasons. He led Bowling Green's men's swimming teams to a total of 102 wins in that time. Stubbs coached the women's program as well as the men's team in his final four years, and led the women's team to a dual-meet record of 29-5 during that span. Under Stubbs' direction, the women won three state championships in his first three seasons. That streak was finally snapped in his last year, but the Falcons went on to win the MAC title that winter (1980-81).
Born in Chicago and graduated from Lakewood High School, Stubbs earned his undergraduate degree at Bowling Green and earned four letters as a member of the swim team. His career was interrupted by a stint in the military during World War II, in which he was a member of the 11th Airborne Division and worked his way up to the rank of First Lieutenant. His military service extended from 1943-46, before his return to BG and the completion of his undergraduate degree. A freestyler, he helped the Falcons produce a 28-8 record in his final three seasons.
After graduating in 1949, he attended Kent State, earning his master's degree in 1951. He moved to Michigan to become head swimming coach at East Grand Rapids High School and then Battle Creek Central, before returning to Bowling Green in 1963. Seven of his high-school team won state championships. Thirty-four of his swimmers were high school All-Americans, and six set national high school records. He was the first president of the Michigan Swimming Coaches Association, from 1954-56. Some of Stubbs' other honors over the years included the Battle Creek "Roy Sparks Award" for outstanding contributions to swimming, and the Michigan Swimming Coaches Association's "Matt Mann Award" for service to swimming on the state and national levels.
In 1963, he returned to BGSU. In addition to his successful coaching tenure, he wore many other hats at his alma mater. He was appointed as the BGSU Director of Aquatics in 1977, was selected to the BGSU chapter of Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership society, and also served as an assistant professor. Stubbs served two terms on the NCAA Swimming Rules Committee and was the head referee at four NCAA Championships. He was the first person to ever serve as head referee at both the NCAA Division I and II swimming championships in the same year. He was honored by the Ohio High School Athletic Association for outstanding contributions to the sport of swimming. He has remained active in the community to this day, receiving numerous honors including the Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce's outstanding citizen award. Stubbs was also honored with the BG Varsity Club Silver Anniversary Award, and the National Red Cross Humanitarian Award. The women's swimming team's home relay event bears his name, as the Falcons host the Tom Stubbs Relays each season.
Stubbs and his wife, Glenna, were married for 42 years before she passed away in 1989. The couple had four children. Stubbs remarried in 1997, and he and his current wife, Anabel, reside in Bowling Green. He has two step-children, and has a total of seven grandchildren.
The 2007 class of inductees, the 44th class in history, brings membership in the Athletics Hall of Fame to 206. The 1983-84 national championship hockey team is also enshrined in the Hall.
