Bowling Green State University Athletics
15 Moments In 15 Years Of The Stroh Center: Opening The Doors
June 23, 2026 | General, Stroh Center
This summer, join BGSU Athletics in a look back at the first 15 years inside the Stroh Center. To begin, we go back to the start with the first events held in the Stroh Center in 2011.
The Making of the Mission
On March 1, 2008, a transformational gift was announced with $7.7 million investment from Kerm and Mary Lu Stroh for the construction of a new arena. Additional gifts joined the fold from Bill Frack, Larry Miles and Allen Schmidthorst to move the project forward with the Bill Frack Court, Champions Court and the Schmidthorst Pavillion.Â
The project broke ground on Sept. 3, 2009, the first steel beam arrived on Jan. 25, 2010 and the last structural beam was signed and placed as part of a Topping Off Ceremony on May 3, 2010.
The dedications continued at the new venue leading up to the first event, including the Falcon Spirit Plaza outside the Stroh Center. Dedicated on June 9, 2011, the plaza dedication included Jon Hair, the sculptor of the, at the time, world's largest falcon statue, as well as major contributors Irwin Belk and John Bureau.Â
The BGSU Athletics coaches and administrators picked up keys on July 1, 2011 and "took over the Stroh Center" as the announcement release stated from the day. The new ticket office, Falcon Team Store and coaching staffs for volleyball, men's basketball and women's basketball moved into the new building.Â
Fate Sets The First Event
The Stroh Center's story of events started out almost as an accident. On Feb. 9, 2011, it was announced that the first public event to be held in the Stroh Center would be a concert scheduled for Aug. 13, 2011. Bowling Green had landed GRAMMY Award nomination Christian group Sanctus Real and Dove Award winner Tenth Avenue North to headline the concert and open the new venue.Â
However, fate, by way of Mother Nature, had a different idea.Â
While the concert still happened on Aug. 13, the first event inside the Stroh Center came a week early. With the 271st graduation ceremony set to be on the lawn in front of University Hall on Aug. 6, Mother Nature intervened and forced the event inside to the rain location, the Stroh Center.Â
In a poetic change of venue, the Stroh Center held its first event on Aug. 6, 2011. Fitting for any university, Bowling Green opened the Stroh Center with graduates walking across the stage. A week later, the concert still happened as 4,103 fans poured into the arena, but history went to the education base of the institution.Â
A Day Three-And-A-Half Years In The Making
On Sept. 9, 2011, the Stroh Center reached the greatest milestone yet. Dedication and competition. Open to the public, Bowling Green welcomed the community to the Stroh Center for a celebration and dedication that included the fight song, the BGSU birds and countless high-fives as Bowling Green Athletics entered a new era. The dedication preceded the first athletic event in the facility, which will be featured in the next part of this series.
On March 1, 2008, a transformational gift was announced with $7.7 million investment from Kerm and Mary Lu Stroh for the construction of a new arena. Additional gifts joined the fold from Bill Frack, Larry Miles and Allen Schmidthorst to move the project forward with the Bill Frack Court, Champions Court and the Schmidthorst Pavillion.Â
The project broke ground on Sept. 3, 2009, the first steel beam arrived on Jan. 25, 2010 and the last structural beam was signed and placed as part of a Topping Off Ceremony on May 3, 2010.
The dedications continued at the new venue leading up to the first event, including the Falcon Spirit Plaza outside the Stroh Center. Dedicated on June 9, 2011, the plaza dedication included Jon Hair, the sculptor of the, at the time, world's largest falcon statue, as well as major contributors Irwin Belk and John Bureau.Â
The BGSU Athletics coaches and administrators picked up keys on July 1, 2011 and "took over the Stroh Center" as the announcement release stated from the day. The new ticket office, Falcon Team Store and coaching staffs for volleyball, men's basketball and women's basketball moved into the new building.Â
Fate Sets The First Event
The Stroh Center's story of events started out almost as an accident. On Feb. 9, 2011, it was announced that the first public event to be held in the Stroh Center would be a concert scheduled for Aug. 13, 2011. Bowling Green had landed GRAMMY Award nomination Christian group Sanctus Real and Dove Award winner Tenth Avenue North to headline the concert and open the new venue.Â
However, fate, by way of Mother Nature, had a different idea.Â
While the concert still happened on Aug. 13, the first event inside the Stroh Center came a week early. With the 271st graduation ceremony set to be on the lawn in front of University Hall on Aug. 6, Mother Nature intervened and forced the event inside to the rain location, the Stroh Center.Â
In a poetic change of venue, the Stroh Center held its first event on Aug. 6, 2011. Fitting for any university, Bowling Green opened the Stroh Center with graduates walking across the stage. A week later, the concert still happened as 4,103 fans poured into the arena, but history went to the education base of the institution.Â
A Day Three-And-A-Half Years In The Making
On Sept. 9, 2011, the Stroh Center reached the greatest milestone yet. Dedication and competition. Open to the public, Bowling Green welcomed the community to the Stroh Center for a celebration and dedication that included the fight song, the BGSU birds and countless high-fives as Bowling Green Athletics entered a new era. The dedication preceded the first athletic event in the facility, which will be featured in the next part of this series.
Thursday, June 18
Saturday, June 13
Monday, June 08
Saturday, June 06