Bowling Green State University Athletics
Phil Villapiano To Be Inducted Into The Cast Of Honor
October 08, 2019 | Football
In recognition of the 100th anniversary of Bowling Green State University Football, the BGSU Department of Athletics will induct ten football players into the Cast of Honor, recognizing the "Best of the Best" by hanging their names and numbers in Doyt L. Perry Stadium.
The criteria for selecting members to the Cast of Honor is extensive. The nominee must have received his or her undergraduate degree from BGSU or, in the event of early pursuit of a professional career, must have been a student in good academic standing and made significant progress towards a degree. The candidate must have been at least 10 years removed from graduation and be a member of the BGSU Athletics Hall of Fame, and must have exceptional athletic qualifications such as national award recognition, All-American status, and/or conference player of the year status. Finally, personal conduct, character, integrity, and community and University standing were considered.
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Full Cast of Honor Release
Football's 100th Anniversary Page
Part One: Bernie Casey
Part Two: Fred Durig
Part Three: Josh Harris
Part Four: Jack Hecker
Part Five: Kory Lichtensteiger
Part Six: Mark Miller
Part Seven: Vince Palko
Today we look at Phil Villapiano '71, who lettered for Bowling Green from 1968-70.
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Phil Villapiano, playing from 1968 to 1970, was a team captain on the 1970 team. That season, he was named BGSU MVP, MAC Defensive Player of the Year, and first team All-MAC. He was also selected to be a College All-Star and played in the Blue-Gray Classic and the Senior Bowl. Villapiano was inducted into the BGSU Hall of Fame in 1976 and the MAC Hall of Fame in 1992. Drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the second round of the 1971 NFL Draft, Villapiano collected several awards professionally. Named to the Pro Bowl four times, Villapiano was the 1971 AFC Defensive Rookie of the Year and an All-Pro selection in both 1975 and 1976. He was selected as a 2019 Senior Class candidate for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
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"College is where you start to have to get it all together, to think about the future, to think about growing up," Villapiano said. "Bowling Green was the perfect spot for me mentally and physically to grow up, and to do the thing I loved to do the most. It was the perfect place at the perfect time for my life. Now that I'm old enough to look back at it, I was lucky to play for a guy like Don Nehlen. You talk about hitting. The pros did not hit as hard as Bowling Green. They roughed us up.
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"I was young, probably seventh or eighth grade, and I remember Bowling Green playing in the NIT with Butch Komives and Nate Thurmond. They must've put the whole campus there. When it came time to choose a college, I loved the way the student body reacted to that basketball game. I was a city guy, but the beautiful thing is that my personality and upbringing was so different from all the Ohio people. My personality blended in really well with the guys that I hung out with and I learned that there are different people than Jersey people."
The criteria for selecting members to the Cast of Honor is extensive. The nominee must have received his or her undergraduate degree from BGSU or, in the event of early pursuit of a professional career, must have been a student in good academic standing and made significant progress towards a degree. The candidate must have been at least 10 years removed from graduation and be a member of the BGSU Athletics Hall of Fame, and must have exceptional athletic qualifications such as national award recognition, All-American status, and/or conference player of the year status. Finally, personal conduct, character, integrity, and community and University standing were considered.
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Full Cast of Honor Release
Football's 100th Anniversary Page
Part One: Bernie Casey
Part Two: Fred Durig
Part Three: Josh Harris
Part Four: Jack Hecker
Part Five: Kory Lichtensteiger
Part Six: Mark Miller
Part Seven: Vince Palko
Today we look at Phil Villapiano '71, who lettered for Bowling Green from 1968-70.
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Phil Villapiano, playing from 1968 to 1970, was a team captain on the 1970 team. That season, he was named BGSU MVP, MAC Defensive Player of the Year, and first team All-MAC. He was also selected to be a College All-Star and played in the Blue-Gray Classic and the Senior Bowl. Villapiano was inducted into the BGSU Hall of Fame in 1976 and the MAC Hall of Fame in 1992. Drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the second round of the 1971 NFL Draft, Villapiano collected several awards professionally. Named to the Pro Bowl four times, Villapiano was the 1971 AFC Defensive Rookie of the Year and an All-Pro selection in both 1975 and 1976. He was selected as a 2019 Senior Class candidate for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
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"College is where you start to have to get it all together, to think about the future, to think about growing up," Villapiano said. "Bowling Green was the perfect spot for me mentally and physically to grow up, and to do the thing I loved to do the most. It was the perfect place at the perfect time for my life. Now that I'm old enough to look back at it, I was lucky to play for a guy like Don Nehlen. You talk about hitting. The pros did not hit as hard as Bowling Green. They roughed us up.
Â
"I was young, probably seventh or eighth grade, and I remember Bowling Green playing in the NIT with Butch Komives and Nate Thurmond. They must've put the whole campus there. When it came time to choose a college, I loved the way the student body reacted to that basketball game. I was a city guy, but the beautiful thing is that my personality and upbringing was so different from all the Ohio people. My personality blended in really well with the guys that I hung out with and I learned that there are different people than Jersey people."
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