Bowling Green State University Athletics
BGSU Athletics Announces 2026 Hall Of Fame Class
July 10, 2026 | Football, General, Women's Basketball, Women's Track and Field, Falcon Club, Hall of Fame
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University Athletics Department has announced the latest class of inductees into the Athletics Hall of Fame. The Class of 2026 includes Gary Blackney (football coach), Paul Krebs (director of athletics), Andrea Nordmann (women's basketball), Kevin O'Neill (football) and the 1976-78 women's track & field teams.
The induction ceremony and related events will take place on the weekend of Oct. 9-10, 2026, with the induction ceremony set for Friday evening, Oct. 9, and the inductees recognized at the football game vs. Sacramento State on Saturday, Oct. 10. Details on the induction ceremony will be announced at a later date.
"Congratulations to this very accomplished group," said BGSU Vice President for Athletics Strategy Derek van der Merwe. "It is so important we effectively recognize the achievements of this class because who they are and what they have accomplished is an important part of our history and legacy.
"Our Hall of Fame represents the best of what we have achieved in athletics during our 115-year University story. We are honored to recognize these individuals and this team for their contribution to this amazing story."
Biographical sketches of each of the inductees follow...
GARY BLACKNEY
Blackney coached the BGSU football team for 10 years, from 1991-2000. He burst onto the scene with a bang in 1991, taking over a program that had not had a winning season in five years and promptly leading the Falcons to back-to-back seasons of double-digit wins and bowl-game appearances – at a time when only one Mid-American Conference team qualified for a bowl game each year. In his first season, Blackney tied the NCAA record for most wins by a first-year head coach, with 11. He would guide the Orange and Brown to back-to-back unbeaten MAC seasons in 1991 and '92 and was named the MAC Coach of the Year in both years. Blackney became only the second coach in conference history to earn back-to-back C-O-Y honors. He was the first coach in school history to win a bowl game, as the Falcons topped Fresno State, 28-21, in the 1991 California Raisin Bowl, and guided the Falcons to another thrilling victory the following season, 35-34 over Nevada in the Las Vegas Bowl. He began his BGSU career with a then league-record 19 consecutive MAC wins, and was unbeaten in his first 22 conference games. Blackney was named the American Football Coaches Association Region 3 Coach of the Year in both 1991 and '92, and was named the Ohio Collegiate Coach of the Year in the latter season. He had been a finalist for the Football News National Coach of the Year in 1991. Blackney had a 60-50-2 record with the Falcons, amassing the third-most wins in program history. In 1996, he was named to the prestigious 16-member Board of Trustees for the AFCA. Blackney had come to BG after serving 21 years as an assistant at schools including Connecticut (GA), Brown, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, UCLA, Syracuse and Ohio State. At the time he left BGSU, he was the only coach from the MAC to have his recruiting classes receive the AFCA Academic Achievement Award (70 percent or better graduation rate) each year of the award's existence. After leaving BGSU, he spent five years on the staff at Maryland, and wrapped up his career at UCF in 2008. A native of Plainview, N.Y., he is a 1967 graduate of the Univ. of Connecticut, where he was a running back/defensive back.
PAUL KREBS
Krebs, a 1978 BGSU graduate, returned to his alma mater as Director of Athletics in 1999, and held that position for seven years. He also held the title of Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs at BGSU during the final few years of his tenure (2003-06). Under his leadership, BGSU hired a pair of first-time college head coaches in Urban Meyer (football) and Curt Miller (women's basketball). He oversaw a financial overhaul of the athletic department that resulted in the restructuring of sport offerings at the University, and also oversaw the construction of the Sebo Athletic Center at the north end of Doyt Perry Stadium, spearheading a $3.5 million donation which was the largest of its kind at that time. Krebs also oversaw plans for new track and tennis courts. During his tenure, the football team won a pair of division titles and a pair of bowl games, and the women's basketball team began a three-year NCAA Tournament run. The women's soccer team made a pair of national tournament appearances, softball and baseball each advanced to the NCAA Championships and Marny Oestreng won an individual NCAA Championship in gymnastics. In the classroom, the BGSU graduation rate for student-athletes exhausting eligibility was at least 92% each year from 2003-05. Following his seven-year tenure at BGSU, Krebs was named VP and Director of Athletics at New Mexico, spending over 11 years with the Lobos. His career also included over 14 years (1985-99) at Ohio State, beginning as ticket director and culminating in a five-year stint as Senior Associate AD.
ANDREA NORDMANN
Nordmann scored 1,164 points and pulled down 702 rebounds during her women's basketball tenure with the Falcons. She averaged 10.2 points per game in her career. After averaging 2.2 points as a freshman in 1989-90, Nordmann led the team in both scoring (12.8 ppg) and rebounding (7.7 rpg) as a sophomore in '90-91. Nordmann was named to the All-MAC Second Team that season, becoming only the second-ever BGSU player to earn all-conference honors as a soph. She was named the team's MVP that year, then was named to the All-MAC First Team the following season, again leading the Falcons in both scoring (14.3 ppg) and rebounding (7.5 rpg) as BGSU went 24-5 and finished second in the MAC with a 14-2 conference record. Her senior season saw Nordmann earn All-MAC honorable mention, as she averaged 11.7 points and 6.9 rebounds and helped BGSU to MAC regular-season and tournament titles. The 1992-93 Falcons went 25-5 overall and 17-1 in the MAC, winning their three conference tournament games by an average of more than 30 points per contest. BG hosted an NCAA Championships first-round game at venerable Anderson Arena, losing to Florida by a narrow 69-67 score. That 1992-93 team became the first-ever MAC club to crack the Associated Press Top 25, and BG also spent time in the USA Today/CNN poll. That season marked Nordmann's second national tournament appearance, as the third-seeded Falcons had won the MAC Tournament in her freshman season. A three-time Academic All-MAC honorable-mention selection in the classroom, Nordmann ended her career ranked sixth at BGSU in both scoring and rebounding, as well as fourth in field-goal percentage (.528) and second in free-throw pct. (.776). She still ranks seventh in field-goal accuracy and 20th in free-throw marksmanship, while sitting in 14th place in career rebounding and 27th in scoring.
KEVIN O'NEILL
O'Neill came to BGSU as a walk-on, and ended his career ranked second in school history in career tackles, with 462. He was a Dick Butkus Award candidate as both a junior in 1996 and a senior in '97. O'Neill was a team captain in both of those seasons, and was also an All-MAC First-Team selection in both 1996 and '97. O'Neill was a scout-team linebacker in 1993, before starting the final three games of the year in 1994. He finished third on the squad in tackles that year. O'Neill would lead the team in tackles in each of his final three seasons. In 1995, the sophomore had 134 tackles, ranking second in the MAC, and he was fourth in the conference in tackles for loss. He had 18 tackles in that season's Toledo game, and 14 or more stops in five other games. As a junior in 1996, he had 120 tackles, 40 more than any other BGSU player. He finished seventh in the MAC in tackles (10.9 per game) and second in tackles for loss (23) that season, en route to his first all-conference first-team accolade. O'Neill again was named to the all-league first team in 1997 after leading the Falcons and tying for second in the MAC with 133 tackles (12.1 per game). He had 15 tackles for loss that fall, tying for sixth (with his brother, Joe) in the MAC. O'Neill was the team MVP in '97, and also earned the team's President's Award that year. His career total of 462 tackles still ranks second in BGSU history, and he is currently tied for ninth in career sacks, with 13. In addition to earning All-MAC First-Team honors, O'Neill was also named to the Academic All-MAC team in both 1996 and '97. He signed with the NFL's Detroit Lions in 1998, and was one of only two undrafted free agents to make the roster that year. O'Neill was on the active roster for the Lions from 1998-2000, and was the special teams captain in 2000.
1976-78 WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD TEAMS
David Williams took the reins of the BGSU women's track and field program in the fall of1975 and began an outstanding three-year stint in which the Falcons team continued to build a reputation as one of the best teams in the state and region and a player on the national stage. The Falcons won three consecutive All-Ohio Championships and Mid-American Invitationals (the precursor to the MAC Championship which began in 1981) from 1976-78. The 1976 team won the state title at the Ohio Twilight Relays at Ohio State, as Debbie Romsek had individual titles in the 400-meter hurdles, the 100-meter hurdles and the 440-yard dash. Romsek joined Stanene Strouss, Lynne Heckman and Jan Samuelson as champions in the mile relay. After a Falcon victory at the Mid-American Invitational, Jenny Gill (pentathlon), Romsek (400-meter hurdles), Strouss (880-yard dash) and the mile relay team of Samuelson, Romsek, Heckman, and Strouss competed in the 1976 AIAW Nationals at Kansas State, where the Falcons tied for 29th among the 145 teams represented. Romsek and Gill finished fourth and seventh, respectively, earning All-America status in their events. The 1977 squad also won the team championship at the All-Ohio and at the Mid-American Invitational. State titles went to Romsek (400-meter hurdles), Pam Koeth (shot put), Lorna Miller (discus and javelin), the mile relay team of Becky Dodson, Gail Billet, Samuelson and Heckman, and the 800-meter team. Miller and the two-mile relay team of Dodson, Romsek, Billet, and Samuelson qualified for the AIAW national meet at UCLA. That 1977 team set 10 school records. Then, in 1978, the Falcons won their third consecutive All-Ohio and Mid-American Invitational team championships. State champions included Romsek (400-meter hurdles), Billet (800 meters), Dodson (1500 meters), Betsy Miller (3000 and 5000 meters), Koeth (shot put), Sue Klembarsky (discus), the mile relay team of Samuelson, Jenny Thornton, Romsek, and Deb Wernert, and the two-mile relay team of Robin Mansfield, Billet, Dodson, and Betsy Miller. Jane Guilford (100 meter dash), Miller (5000 meters), and the 3200-meter relay team of Romsek, Billet, Dodson, and Samuelson represented the Falcons at the AIAW nationals in Knoxville, Tenn. Mary Zarn (high jump) and Koeth (shot put) qualified for the 1978 AIAW indoor meet at the University of Missouri. Koeth, a two-time OAISW shot put champion, finished in seventh place, thus earning All-America status.
1976-78 WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD TEAM MEMBERS
Coach David Williams
Janet Acton - 1977
Gail Billet - 1977, 1978
Susan Cowman - 1977, 1978
Jody Creps - 1978
Pamela Culler - 1976, 1977
Debbie Daft - 1978
Becky Dodson - 1977, 1978
Kermetta Folmar - 1978
Sandy Gilbert - 1977, 1978
Jenny Gill - 1976, 1977
Jane Guilford - 1978
Lynne Heckman - 1976, 1977
Jane Herman - 1978
Kathy Hodkey - 1977, 1978
Kathy Huebner - 1978
Rindie James - 1976, 1977
Josie Jude - 1977, 1978
Sue Klembarsky - 1978
Polly Koch - 1976, 1977
Pam Koeth - 1977, 1978
Laura Kolb - 1977
Aimee Kraus - 1977
Janet Litzinger - 1977
Pat Loveland - 1977
Connie Mack - 1978
Robin Mansfield - 1977, 1978
Anne McKenna - 1976, 1977
Karen McQuilkin - 1978
Betsy Miller - 1977, 1978
Lorna Miller - 1976, 1977
Robin Noel - 1977
Carol Pyle - 1977
Barbara Reardon - 1977
Mary Rickner - 1977
Linda Roberts - 1978
Debbie Romsek - 1976, 1977, 1978
Mary Sue Rush - 1977, 1978
Jan Samuelson - 1976, 1977, 1978
Liz Sheets - 1978
Kathy Spillane - 1977, 1978
Michelle Stevens - 1977, 1978
Stanene Strouss - 1976
Ann Weikel - 1978
Debbie Wernert - 1977, 1978
Paula Whetsel - 1977, 1978
Mary Zarn - 1977, 1978
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The induction ceremony and related events will take place on the weekend of Oct. 9-10, 2026, with the induction ceremony set for Friday evening, Oct. 9, and the inductees recognized at the football game vs. Sacramento State on Saturday, Oct. 10. Details on the induction ceremony will be announced at a later date.
"Congratulations to this very accomplished group," said BGSU Vice President for Athletics Strategy Derek van der Merwe. "It is so important we effectively recognize the achievements of this class because who they are and what they have accomplished is an important part of our history and legacy.
"Our Hall of Fame represents the best of what we have achieved in athletics during our 115-year University story. We are honored to recognize these individuals and this team for their contribution to this amazing story."
Biographical sketches of each of the inductees follow...
GARY BLACKNEY
Blackney coached the BGSU football team for 10 years, from 1991-2000. He burst onto the scene with a bang in 1991, taking over a program that had not had a winning season in five years and promptly leading the Falcons to back-to-back seasons of double-digit wins and bowl-game appearances – at a time when only one Mid-American Conference team qualified for a bowl game each year. In his first season, Blackney tied the NCAA record for most wins by a first-year head coach, with 11. He would guide the Orange and Brown to back-to-back unbeaten MAC seasons in 1991 and '92 and was named the MAC Coach of the Year in both years. Blackney became only the second coach in conference history to earn back-to-back C-O-Y honors. He was the first coach in school history to win a bowl game, as the Falcons topped Fresno State, 28-21, in the 1991 California Raisin Bowl, and guided the Falcons to another thrilling victory the following season, 35-34 over Nevada in the Las Vegas Bowl. He began his BGSU career with a then league-record 19 consecutive MAC wins, and was unbeaten in his first 22 conference games. Blackney was named the American Football Coaches Association Region 3 Coach of the Year in both 1991 and '92, and was named the Ohio Collegiate Coach of the Year in the latter season. He had been a finalist for the Football News National Coach of the Year in 1991. Blackney had a 60-50-2 record with the Falcons, amassing the third-most wins in program history. In 1996, he was named to the prestigious 16-member Board of Trustees for the AFCA. Blackney had come to BG after serving 21 years as an assistant at schools including Connecticut (GA), Brown, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, UCLA, Syracuse and Ohio State. At the time he left BGSU, he was the only coach from the MAC to have his recruiting classes receive the AFCA Academic Achievement Award (70 percent or better graduation rate) each year of the award's existence. After leaving BGSU, he spent five years on the staff at Maryland, and wrapped up his career at UCF in 2008. A native of Plainview, N.Y., he is a 1967 graduate of the Univ. of Connecticut, where he was a running back/defensive back.
PAUL KREBS
Krebs, a 1978 BGSU graduate, returned to his alma mater as Director of Athletics in 1999, and held that position for seven years. He also held the title of Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs at BGSU during the final few years of his tenure (2003-06). Under his leadership, BGSU hired a pair of first-time college head coaches in Urban Meyer (football) and Curt Miller (women's basketball). He oversaw a financial overhaul of the athletic department that resulted in the restructuring of sport offerings at the University, and also oversaw the construction of the Sebo Athletic Center at the north end of Doyt Perry Stadium, spearheading a $3.5 million donation which was the largest of its kind at that time. Krebs also oversaw plans for new track and tennis courts. During his tenure, the football team won a pair of division titles and a pair of bowl games, and the women's basketball team began a three-year NCAA Tournament run. The women's soccer team made a pair of national tournament appearances, softball and baseball each advanced to the NCAA Championships and Marny Oestreng won an individual NCAA Championship in gymnastics. In the classroom, the BGSU graduation rate for student-athletes exhausting eligibility was at least 92% each year from 2003-05. Following his seven-year tenure at BGSU, Krebs was named VP and Director of Athletics at New Mexico, spending over 11 years with the Lobos. His career also included over 14 years (1985-99) at Ohio State, beginning as ticket director and culminating in a five-year stint as Senior Associate AD.
ANDREA NORDMANN
Nordmann scored 1,164 points and pulled down 702 rebounds during her women's basketball tenure with the Falcons. She averaged 10.2 points per game in her career. After averaging 2.2 points as a freshman in 1989-90, Nordmann led the team in both scoring (12.8 ppg) and rebounding (7.7 rpg) as a sophomore in '90-91. Nordmann was named to the All-MAC Second Team that season, becoming only the second-ever BGSU player to earn all-conference honors as a soph. She was named the team's MVP that year, then was named to the All-MAC First Team the following season, again leading the Falcons in both scoring (14.3 ppg) and rebounding (7.5 rpg) as BGSU went 24-5 and finished second in the MAC with a 14-2 conference record. Her senior season saw Nordmann earn All-MAC honorable mention, as she averaged 11.7 points and 6.9 rebounds and helped BGSU to MAC regular-season and tournament titles. The 1992-93 Falcons went 25-5 overall and 17-1 in the MAC, winning their three conference tournament games by an average of more than 30 points per contest. BG hosted an NCAA Championships first-round game at venerable Anderson Arena, losing to Florida by a narrow 69-67 score. That 1992-93 team became the first-ever MAC club to crack the Associated Press Top 25, and BG also spent time in the USA Today/CNN poll. That season marked Nordmann's second national tournament appearance, as the third-seeded Falcons had won the MAC Tournament in her freshman season. A three-time Academic All-MAC honorable-mention selection in the classroom, Nordmann ended her career ranked sixth at BGSU in both scoring and rebounding, as well as fourth in field-goal percentage (.528) and second in free-throw pct. (.776). She still ranks seventh in field-goal accuracy and 20th in free-throw marksmanship, while sitting in 14th place in career rebounding and 27th in scoring.
KEVIN O'NEILL
O'Neill came to BGSU as a walk-on, and ended his career ranked second in school history in career tackles, with 462. He was a Dick Butkus Award candidate as both a junior in 1996 and a senior in '97. O'Neill was a team captain in both of those seasons, and was also an All-MAC First-Team selection in both 1996 and '97. O'Neill was a scout-team linebacker in 1993, before starting the final three games of the year in 1994. He finished third on the squad in tackles that year. O'Neill would lead the team in tackles in each of his final three seasons. In 1995, the sophomore had 134 tackles, ranking second in the MAC, and he was fourth in the conference in tackles for loss. He had 18 tackles in that season's Toledo game, and 14 or more stops in five other games. As a junior in 1996, he had 120 tackles, 40 more than any other BGSU player. He finished seventh in the MAC in tackles (10.9 per game) and second in tackles for loss (23) that season, en route to his first all-conference first-team accolade. O'Neill again was named to the all-league first team in 1997 after leading the Falcons and tying for second in the MAC with 133 tackles (12.1 per game). He had 15 tackles for loss that fall, tying for sixth (with his brother, Joe) in the MAC. O'Neill was the team MVP in '97, and also earned the team's President's Award that year. His career total of 462 tackles still ranks second in BGSU history, and he is currently tied for ninth in career sacks, with 13. In addition to earning All-MAC First-Team honors, O'Neill was also named to the Academic All-MAC team in both 1996 and '97. He signed with the NFL's Detroit Lions in 1998, and was one of only two undrafted free agents to make the roster that year. O'Neill was on the active roster for the Lions from 1998-2000, and was the special teams captain in 2000.
1976-78 WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD TEAMS
David Williams took the reins of the BGSU women's track and field program in the fall of1975 and began an outstanding three-year stint in which the Falcons team continued to build a reputation as one of the best teams in the state and region and a player on the national stage. The Falcons won three consecutive All-Ohio Championships and Mid-American Invitationals (the precursor to the MAC Championship which began in 1981) from 1976-78. The 1976 team won the state title at the Ohio Twilight Relays at Ohio State, as Debbie Romsek had individual titles in the 400-meter hurdles, the 100-meter hurdles and the 440-yard dash. Romsek joined Stanene Strouss, Lynne Heckman and Jan Samuelson as champions in the mile relay. After a Falcon victory at the Mid-American Invitational, Jenny Gill (pentathlon), Romsek (400-meter hurdles), Strouss (880-yard dash) and the mile relay team of Samuelson, Romsek, Heckman, and Strouss competed in the 1976 AIAW Nationals at Kansas State, where the Falcons tied for 29th among the 145 teams represented. Romsek and Gill finished fourth and seventh, respectively, earning All-America status in their events. The 1977 squad also won the team championship at the All-Ohio and at the Mid-American Invitational. State titles went to Romsek (400-meter hurdles), Pam Koeth (shot put), Lorna Miller (discus and javelin), the mile relay team of Becky Dodson, Gail Billet, Samuelson and Heckman, and the 800-meter team. Miller and the two-mile relay team of Dodson, Romsek, Billet, and Samuelson qualified for the AIAW national meet at UCLA. That 1977 team set 10 school records. Then, in 1978, the Falcons won their third consecutive All-Ohio and Mid-American Invitational team championships. State champions included Romsek (400-meter hurdles), Billet (800 meters), Dodson (1500 meters), Betsy Miller (3000 and 5000 meters), Koeth (shot put), Sue Klembarsky (discus), the mile relay team of Samuelson, Jenny Thornton, Romsek, and Deb Wernert, and the two-mile relay team of Robin Mansfield, Billet, Dodson, and Betsy Miller. Jane Guilford (100 meter dash), Miller (5000 meters), and the 3200-meter relay team of Romsek, Billet, Dodson, and Samuelson represented the Falcons at the AIAW nationals in Knoxville, Tenn. Mary Zarn (high jump) and Koeth (shot put) qualified for the 1978 AIAW indoor meet at the University of Missouri. Koeth, a two-time OAISW shot put champion, finished in seventh place, thus earning All-America status.
1976-78 WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD TEAM MEMBERS
Coach David Williams
Janet Acton - 1977
Gail Billet - 1977, 1978
Susan Cowman - 1977, 1978
Jody Creps - 1978
Pamela Culler - 1976, 1977
Debbie Daft - 1978
Becky Dodson - 1977, 1978
Kermetta Folmar - 1978
Sandy Gilbert - 1977, 1978
Jenny Gill - 1976, 1977
Jane Guilford - 1978
Lynne Heckman - 1976, 1977
Jane Herman - 1978
Kathy Hodkey - 1977, 1978
Kathy Huebner - 1978
Rindie James - 1976, 1977
Josie Jude - 1977, 1978
Sue Klembarsky - 1978
Polly Koch - 1976, 1977
Pam Koeth - 1977, 1978
Laura Kolb - 1977
Aimee Kraus - 1977
Janet Litzinger - 1977
Pat Loveland - 1977
Connie Mack - 1978
Robin Mansfield - 1977, 1978
Anne McKenna - 1976, 1977
Karen McQuilkin - 1978
Betsy Miller - 1977, 1978
Lorna Miller - 1976, 1977
Robin Noel - 1977
Carol Pyle - 1977
Barbara Reardon - 1977
Mary Rickner - 1977
Linda Roberts - 1978
Debbie Romsek - 1976, 1977, 1978
Mary Sue Rush - 1977, 1978
Jan Samuelson - 1976, 1977, 1978
Liz Sheets - 1978
Kathy Spillane - 1977, 1978
Michelle Stevens - 1977, 1978
Stanene Strouss - 1976
Ann Weikel - 1978
Debbie Wernert - 1977, 1978
Paula Whetsel - 1977, 1978
Mary Zarn - 1977, 1978
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