BGSU Decades Celebration – 1985: Brian McClure Bleeds Orange & Brown
Matt Markey, BGSU Athletics
8/6/2025
In the decades since his record-setting days under center, Brian McClure’s legacy as one of Bowling Green’s most decorated quarterbacks has only grown. The two-time MAC Player of the Year and Heisman Trophy candidate is remembered for his pinpoint passing, leadership, and ability to deliver in big moments. Yet, for all the statistics and accolades, McClure’s fondest memories are of the brotherhood he shared with teammates during an era of unmatched loyalty and camaraderie. As part of the BGSU Decades Celebration series, this is his story of excellence, resilience, and the lasting bonds forged in Orange and Brown.
He remembers the record passing yards, the two MAC championships, the undefeated season, and the team being nationally ranked in his senior year. Brian McClure also vividly recalls being a rare four-year starter, and being in the Heisman Trophy conversation as a senior.
But what the former Falcon quarterback recalls with the most enthusiasm, and where he places the most meaning, is with those teammates who went to battle with him some four decades ago.
“I might have received much of the attention and got a lot of the headlines, but I was nothing without those guys around me,” said the former two-time MAC Player of the Year. “It was a tight band of guys who just loved playing the game and fighting for each other. As an athlete, you feel privileged to be a part of that kind of team chemistry.”
McClure, arguably one of the most decorated Falcon football players in program history, became Bowling Green’s starter early in his freshman season and went on to be honored as the first freshman in Mid-American Conference history to be named First Team All-MAC.
“When my freshman class came in, the team was coming off a pretty successful season and we brought in a bunch of great ballplayers,” said McClure, who led Bowling Green to victory in 30 of the 36 conference games in his career.
“We were a very close group, and we didn’t like to lose, and we stuck together. And I think if you asked anybody from that team, they would not have left BG for any reason. I’m not sure you would see that kind of loyalty today.”
His many highlights as a Falcon include 479 passing yards in a win over Ohio in the 1985 season, a game in which McClure went 31-of-49 passing. He had 12 games in his career with 300 or more passing yards, tied for first place all-time at BGSU. McClure, a three-time MAC Offensive Player of the Year, is second all-time at BG with 900 pass completions. He was inducted into the Bowling Green Athletic Hall of Fame in 1991.
“Some of my best memories are the undefeated season, beating Toledo, seeing the hockey team win a National Championship, and getting to play football with a great group of teammates,” said McClure, who had 63 touchdown passes in his BG career.
When McClure completed his four seasons at Bowling Green, he ranked second in NCAA history in passing yards with 10,280. Only Doug Flutie had passed for more yards in a college career. Today, McClure ranks 137th on that career passing yardage list, a stark commentary on how much the college game has changed in the past 40 years.
“College football is really very different now – it is just hard for me to grasp how much it has changed,” he said. “I threw for over 10,000 yards at BG, but it was nothing like we were running a wide-open offense. We ran a tight end and two running backs, and I bet I had less than 100 completions out of the shotgun over all four years.”
We were a very close group, and we didn’t like to lose, and we stuck together. And I think if you asked anybody from that team, they would not have left BG for any reason. I’m not sure you would see that kind of loyalty today.BRIAN MCCLURE
McClure had a record of 32-9 as the Falcons’ starting quarterback.
“We had one pair of shoes that we used for practice and for the games, and we had one travel suit that we wore for all four years,” McClure said. “It was very different back then. We just went out and won games.”
McClure, a native of Rootstown Township, a tiny community located east of Akron, had led his high school to a 10-0 regular season as a senior and took the team to the state semifinals. His 6-6 frame and powerful passing arm brought him scholarship offers from national powers Miami (Fla.), Syracuse, Purdue, Penn State, and the Ohio State Buckeyes.
But it was a visit to the Bowling Green campus that ended McClure’s college search.
“I came from a small town, and I just loved the hometown feel I found at Bowling Green. It was a close-knit place where you could get to know the other students, the other athletes, and your professors. From the start, it was a very welcoming place, and the word ‘home’ always pops in my head when I think of Bowling Green. And it still always feels like home when I go back there.”
In the Heisman Trophy voting following his senior season, McClure finished 10th. Bo Jackson from Auburn won the award, and the only quarterbacks who finished ahead of McClure in the balloting were Chuck Long of Iowa, Vinny Testaverde of Miami (Fla.), Jim Everett of Purdue, and Robbie Boscoe of BYU.
When he enrolled at Bowling Green, McClure had no aspirations of playing professional football.
“I was the first in my family to go to college, so I wasn’t thinking about anything beyond that, but after I became the starter as a freshman, football kind of became my life,” he said. “Then it was after I had a good sophomore season that I really decided I wanted a shot at the NFL.”
McClure was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the 12th round of the 1986 NFL Draft. His brief professional career was marred by injuries, a quarterback heavy Buffalo roster, and the NFL players’ strike during the 1987 season.
In 1986, he played well in spot duty during the early exhibition games, but after getting hurt in the fourth exhibition contest, he spent the rest of his rookie year on Buffalo’s injured reserve list.
McClure was released in the final round of cuts in Buffalo’s 1987 preseason camp, then got called back to join the team after many of the league’s players went on strike. He started the third game of the strike period, which Buffalo won in overtime. When the strike ended, McClure stayed on Buffalo’s roster but was released in training camp in 1988.
At the time he was recently married to the former Lisa Berardinelli, his wife of 37 years who had played volleyball for the Falcons and is a 1987 graduate of the University. So, McClure decided to do what was best for his future and his family and leave football. He has no regrets about that decision.
“Looking back, it was time well spent. Not a lot of guys get the opportunity to reach the NFL, but I got my chance,” said McClure, the only quarterback in Buffalo Bills history to win every game that he started.
“I guess that’s my claim to fame,” joked McClure, who holds the NFL records for the most completions, passing attempts and passing yards thrown by any quarterback who played in just one NFL game.
McClure, who works as an equipment operator for Mentor, a city on Lake Erie, northeast of Cleveland, said his loyalty to BGSU runs deep.
“I still bleed Orange and Brown and follow the team every year,” he said. “I think bringing in Eddie George as the new coach is a great hire, and I hope he can get us back on top of the MAC.”
I still bleed Orange and Brown and follow the team every year. I think bringing in Eddie George as the new coach is a great hire, and I hope he can get us back on top of the MAC.BRIAN MCCLURE
