Bowling Green State University Athletics
Ask The AD -- Jan. 4, 2009
January 04, 2009 | Men's Soccer
Jan. 4, 2009
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (BGSUFalcons.com) - Bowling Green State University Assistant Vice President/Director of Athletics Greg Christopher answers a few of the many questions that have been submitted to BGSUFalcons.com. Here is the latest installment ...
As we enter the New Year, I hope that everyone had a terrific holiday season. We are excited about what 2009 will bring for Falcon Athletics and appreciate the support all fans provide our student-athletes. To start things off, here are a few updates and notes, followed by a couple of questions that were submitted.
CLAWSON ERA UNDERWAY
We welcome Dave, Catherine, Courtney and Eric Clawson to the BGSU Family!
When Dave was introduced as the 17th head football coach in Bowling Green's history on Dec. 12th, it ended a two-week search for a new leader of our football program.
While the press conference may have concluded the search process, the whirlwind was just beginning for Dave. He immediately jumped into a prime recruiting weekend, hosting prospects on BGSU's campus. The following days were spent on the phone and road, calling and visiting other recruits, along with assembling the new BGSU football staff.
The search for a new head coach began with a list of priorities - 15 in total. Using the list as an underpinning, we reached out to coaches, contacts and others throughout the country. Hundreds of phone calls were narrowed to a workable list of candidates, which resulted in about 10 substantive conversations and five in-person meetings away from campus. Ultimately, three finalists emerged and were brought to Perrysburg for interviews.
In the end, we believe that Dave Clawson matched the needs of BGSU football. His successful experiences as a head coach - managing an entire program - stood out among the candidates.
In about a week, our players will return to campus and begin winter workouts, leading toward spring practice. This off-season will be important as the team establishes a new foundation. It may seem like a long way off, but we are all looking forward to our season opener under the lights at The Doyt on Sept. 3rd, when Troy comes to Bowling Green. Make a note on your calendar now, because we'll need to fill Perry Stadium in order to set the tone for the 2009 campaign.
MEN'S SOCCER SEARCH
Now that the football search is completed, we will move forward with another head coach opening. With Fred Thompson stepping down, we will fill the head coach position with men's soccer in the coming semester.
Senior Associate Athletics Director Janna Blais, Women's Head Coach Andy Richards, and I will work together in the next few weeks to begin the interviews. Similar to any search within BGSU Athletics, we will utilize a set of priorities like those put together for the football search to guide our hiring in men's soccer.
While perhaps not as high-profile as football, the men's soccer hire is just as important for the future of the program. Men's soccer has a rich history at BGSU and it's a sport in which we should compete for MAC championships.
STROH CENTER UPDATE
In early December, we unveiled the initial Stroh Center plans to Falcon Club members at a pre-game reception, followed by a public release through the media. We also announced that we stand at $12.8 million in gifts and pledges toward the $14 million needed to complete the private giving portion of our overall Stroh Center campaign.
While everything continues on schedule with the Stroh Center project, we will need the help of all Falcon fans to make the vision of the Stroh Center a reality. No facility project ever in the history of Bowling Green State University has attempted to raise $14 million. The fact that we are on the home stretch is a testament to the generosity and leadership of a handful of amazing supporters. Now, as we transition to the wider grassroots campaign, we will need an "all hands on deck" mentality to finish off the project.
As information is made available later in 2009, we hope everyone associated with BGSU will find a way to be a part of the Stroh Center. This facility will become the new front porch to campus, so whether it's a naming opportunity or a brick in Falcon Plaza, we would like to see your name on the Stroh Center when it opens in 2011.
Renderings of the building can be seen on our website at www.bgsufalcons.com
SPRING FOOTBALL GAME
The kickoff of the Dave Clawson era is officially Sept. 3, 2009 when BGSU hosts Troy in The Doyt. Your first opportunity, though, to see the Orange and Brown under the new coaching staff will be the spring game on Friday, April 24th. An exact start time will be set later, but the game will be played under the lights at Perry Stadium on Friday night.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS...
Look for details in the spring, but we hope that you can join Falcon fans for one or more of these fun events this spring and summer. Whether it's Falcon Bash on campus, or one of the Barnstorming stops, the outreach events are a great way to meet other Falcon fans, our coaches and student-athletes, and simply support BGSU.
* April 17 - Toledo Barnstorming at the Mud Hens' game
* May 13 - Columbus Barnstorming at the Clippers' game
* June 2 - Detroit Barnstorming at the Tigers' game
* June 11 - Cleveland Barnstorming at the Indians' game
* August 22 - Falcon Sports Kickoff at Doyt Perry Stadium
And finally, a few questions from fans...
Q: Since we finished 6-6, I know that we were "bowl eligible." Did we get invited to any bowl game?
Trent in Cleveland
A: No - I was not contacted or called by any bowl representatives or the conference office about a possible bowl slot after the season ended. In the weeks leading up to the season's finale, we prepared and shared our bowl marketing materials and had various conversations about possible scenarios. In the end, things broke just right for a few 6-6 teams to receive bowl invitations. Our head-to-head loss to NIU likely impacted the circumstances, along with the fact we were focused on a head coach search.
Q: Has the MAC ever considered switching to nine conference games in football? Instead of just playing eight?
Gary in Bowling Green
A: The discussion actually just played out last year among the football coaches, AD's and the conference office. Similarly, the Big Ten went through an extensive research and decision process regarding eight vs. nine conference games. In the end, both the MAC and Big Ten decided to stay at eight conference games for now, although the reasons were different.
At the Big Ten level, one driver was protecting their ability to get to six or seven wins and thus bowl eligible. A ninth conference game could mean one less non-BCS opponent and a perceived potential win. Within the MAC, our schools felt the opportunity to play games outside the conference and capture "name" victories was important, along with some logistical issues tied to how far out many schools have games scheduled and the concepts behind an unbalanced conference slate (nine games would mean an unequal number of home/away conference contests).
Q: I've read about the layoffs and budget cuts on campus. Will the athletic department be impacted?
Larry in Bowling Green
A: Yes - similar to all parts of BGSU's campus, we will have to do with less in Athletics. The institution's enrollment decline, coupled with the State of Ohio's economic woes, is hitting everyone. Our Fiscal 2010 (July 2009 - June 2010) budget won't be put together until the spring. By that time, we hope to have a better picture from Columbus on what may be happening at the state level, along with a more accurate trend line for enrollment. For now, we are planning on a level of reductions, with additional budget models prepared depending on which direction is required. As I have told our coaches, the top priorities will be protecting sport operating budgets and our student-athlete scholarships. Those two areas impact our competitiveness more than anything else we do.
Q: I saw that Coach Clawson is retaining John Hunter and Doug Phillips. Any announcements on other new assistants?
Bill in Toledo
A: This has been a popular question. Dave has been working the phones with recruits and coaching candidates since the day he was hired. Once the dead period hit for recruiting, his time has been spent almost exclusively on building a staff. Over the last 10 days, several coaches have been on campus and by the time this is printed, a majority of the staff will be in place. Our intent is to hopefully have one release with all assistant coaches announced at a single time. I'm excited about the experience and connections Dave is putting in place for the Falcon football program.
