Biggest win in school history

[Schadenfreude]

Its gotta be the Josh Harris to Chucky to beat Purdon't. That game really put us on the map. Could we have a similar game next week maybe? haha
Turner to Partridge...TOUCHDOWN!

I'm very surprised how many votes this game is getting.

This is why I disagree: Everything we accomplished in West Lafayette in 2003, we did in 1972. And, remember, in 1972, that was our first ever game against a Big Ten team. So I have to put the '72 win ahead of the '03 win.

[TG1996]

The 1921 Findlay game continues to make me mad. Carl Bachman missed three PAT's in that game!!! Special teams were terrible even 85 years ago!!!

Do you seriously have a box score from that game? I'd love to read an account.

Don't know if I have the actual box score, but I just remember the Bachman stat from the media guide. 19 of 22 PAT's.

Other notes I've uncovered on the game, Findlay had no first downs, BG rolled up almost 1500 yards of offense, and scored every two minutes, 27 seconds. Orville Raberding scored 8 TD's and Bachman also ran a kickoff back for a TD.

If you're looking for a Toledo game, they then played on Oct. 29, 1921 and BG won their first conference championship in football.

[TG1996]

I'm very surprised how many votes this game is getting.

This is why I disagree: Everything we accomplished in West Lafayette in 2003, we did in 1972. And, remember, in 1972, that was our first ever game against a Big Ten team. So I have to put the '72 win ahead of the '03 win.

I'm guessing that a lot of those votes are coming from current students, who a year or so into college watched BG beat a B10 team, which would leave quite the impression on most people.

[Schadenfreude]

Here's my top 5, based on the discussion we've seen so far:

1. 2003: Bowling Green (23) 34, Northern Illinois (12) 17. This was the highest-ranked team we've ever beaten, and we did it on national television in front of a packed house. This is the game that ensured our first ever ranking in the final AP poll that season, despite the pair of disasters that would follow against Miami.

2. 1972: Bowling Green 17, Purdue (17) 10. This was a monumental upset, in our very first game against a Big Ten school. Bowling Green had not been very good the prevous couple of years, either.

3. 1959: Bowling Green 30, Delaware 8. I'm deferring to the historians on this one. If Delaware was No. 1 headed into that game, than this was quite a statement we made that day. This was the game that put us on the road to the national title.

4. 1991: Bowling Green 28, Fresno State 21. To truly understand the importance of this win, you have to appreciate just how big a dog we were going in. I've read accounts of players sensing a lot of arrogance by folks in and around Fresno. Fresno State was headed to the WAC -- which, then, was more or less what the Mountain West is today. They didn't seriously consider the possibility that Bowling Green could win this game. It was our first bowl win, and it avenged three previous bowl losses to Fresno State.

5. 2003: Bowling Green 27, Purdue (16) 26. We are fond of this win, and it was done in incredibly dramatic fashion.

---

Orangeandbrown has suggested some Toledo games should be on this list. But I wonder if we are missing some Miami games -- from, perhaps, the Perry era.

[hammb]

I voted for the '03 Purdue game, because it was the greatest game I've ever been to live. On top of being an awesome game it was a huge win for this program. The '72 game may have been just as pivotal, but I wasn't alive then, and wasn't at the game, so I'm sticking with the '03 Purdue game.

I still think winning games against B10 teams does more for this program than any MAC game ever will.

[TG1996]

But I wonder if we are missing some Miami games -- from, perhaps, the Perry era.

1959 again. Bernie Casey turned in one of the greatest performances in BG history, and a team that hadn't beaten Miami(OH) in something like 12 years destroyed 'em, 33-16. In fact, I think it's one of the top games on my list to find archival footage of.

(Or rather, "...of which to find archival footage." )

[Schadenfreude]

But I wonder if we are missing some Miami games -- from, perhaps, the Perry era.

1959 again. Bernie Casey turned in one of the greatest performances in BG history, and a team that hadn't beaten Miami(OH) in something like 12 years destroyed 'em, 33-16. In fact, I think it's one of the top games on my list to find archival footage of.

(Or rather, "...of which to find archival footage." )

Okay. I've put a provisional list up there. I'd like to see your list.

[TG1996]

I'd like to see your list.

You're gonna have to buy me dinner first.

Hmmm... I don't know if I can put them in order, but as a top 5, I'm still torn on picking either OU or Delaware from 1959. The Delaware win was a whoopin that proved we deserved our ranking, but in the OU win, we fought through a tight game for a win against another top-ranked opponent (who would beat us the next year for the small college NC). I'd put those two at 1a and 1b, I guess.

The NIU game in '03 is up there for me, for reasons already stated.

I still think the Northwestern game in '01 was big, as it first validated BG's return under Meyer, and they way they traded punches and then pulled off that comeback showed alot about the team. Loses points for Northwestern being pretty average that year.

I think I'd put the '03 Purdue game slightly ahead of the '72 Purdue game, although I think only because the '03 game hasn't had time to play out through history. You're right that in '72, the previous couple seasons had been pretty average (1970 was pretty bad, '71 was 6-4) and coming out of the gate with a win like that (first game of the year) was huge, and led to the second of six straight winning seasons. But then the program tailed off for a few years before the McClure years. If the current program wanes into averageness, I think the '03 Purdue win loses some of its lustre in the same way. But if they pull this season out and get things in the right direction for a few years to come, that game can be pointed to as a landmark game.

The '91 Cal Bowl, too, for reasons RUIT mentioned, as far as being a heavy dog in a true road game, and getting the first bowl win in school history after previous embarrassments to the same Fresno State team.

I know I'm forgetting some, and there are old games that were big at the time but have since been forgotten, I'm sure, but will be brought up when this thread comes up again.

[Falconfreak90]

I voted for the NIU win in 2003 based on what has already been stated...the whole atmosphere, national TV, College Gameday, sell out crowd. I only wish the Doyt was that electric every home game.

[1987alum]

Schade:

When I was at the BG News, one of our writers did a big feature on the Findlay blow out. Wish now that I had saved it, because it was fascinating.

It's tough to compare the earlier games (including the '59 season) to current games because the dynamics of the sport have changed so much.

[Class of 61]

Obviously, if Bowling Green were to win this coming weekend, it would be the biggest win in school history.

So what is the biggest win in school history?

We have threads about this, but it seemed like a good week to do a poll.

Feel free to shame me if I've left a game out.

I think I know my answer, but I'm going to hold out for a while.

Schad,
(and others),
I know most of you will probably vote for one of the more recent "big" wins i.e. NIU when both teams were ranked. And some of you weren't even born before the FIRST BG-Purdue game in 1972. But it's the biggest win in school history TO ME, in that it was the FIRST TIME we'd played a school of that stature...And Purdue was picked to win the Big 10 that year. All I know is that there was a heck of an impromptu alum party after the game, and that I didn't get home with my friends who were with me until TWENTY SIX hours after we'd left on early Sat. Morning! It proved that BG could compete with the "Big boys" and was the start of many game trips for me and my friends, to Kentucky,Syracuse,Navy,Pitt, Mich.St. etc.

[Columbus_Zak]

OSU 2006.

[BGSUFootballFan]

I voted for the '03 Purdue game, because it was the greatest game I've ever been to live. On top of being an awesome game it was a huge win for this program. The '72 game may have been just as pivotal, but I wasn't alive then, and wasn't at the game, so I'm sticking with the '03 Purdue game.

I still think winning games against B10 teams does more for this program than any MAC game ever will.

I agree with this 100%. Don't forget I live in West Lafayette, and saw the direct impact it had on people around here. It was huge, I can't even explain how many more fans BG gained that day, even if PU is still people's favorite team they still highly respect BG now. Also another point is that we started off really slow, then came back and led almost the entire game then lost the lead and came back late in the 4th quarter on the road on a huge 4th down (see my avatar). An old saying goes "you can't be a champion unless you can come from behind>" Well we were down twice in this game with momentum and crowd against us and came back to win.

Also we were 11 point underdogs in this game despite clobbering a 1-AA team the week before, and also a highly touted sports writer for our local newspaper predicted "Purdue rolls easily 42-10." Just to justify how good he is, he successfully predicted every other single Purdue game right, both straight up and against the spread.

As for the 1972 game against Purdue, I'm sure that was big as well. However, I too, was not alive then. I think college football was not nearly as popular or known as nationally as it is today, making recent games more significant by default. Also Purdue's 1972 team went 6-5 and failed to make a bowl game, as opposed to its 2003 team that went 9-3 and took Georgia to OT in the Capital One Bowl!

I see why people voted for the NIU game, especially because of gameday crew. However, we were favored in that game and even though it was a big win in the MAC, we still didnt win the conference that year. I think beating Purdue on the road infront of 56,000 disbelievers, was bigger than a home win infront of 30,000 believers.

[1987alum]

Obviously, if Bowling Green were to win this coming weekend, it would be the biggest win in school history.

So what is the biggest win in school history?

We have threads about this, but it seemed like a good week to do a poll.

Feel free to shame me if I've left a game out.

I think I know my answer, but I'm going to hold out for a while.

Schad,
(and others),
I know most of you will probably vote for one of the more recent "big" wins i.e. NIU when both teams were ranked. And some of you weren't even born before the FIRST BG-Purdue game in 1972. But it's the biggest win in school history TO ME, in that it was the FIRST TIME we'd played a school of that stature...And Purdue was picked to win the Big 10 that year. All I know is that there was a heck of an impromptu alum party after the game, and that I didn't get home with my friends who were with me until TWENTY SIX hours after we'd left on early Sat. Morning! It proved that BG could compete with the "Big boys" and was the start of many game trips for me and my friends, to Kentucky,Syracuse,Navy,Pitt, Mich.St. etc.

Den:

Your perspective is so valuable in these discussions. It really adds context. Great points!

[JohnnySwoop '85]

I think it is fair to assume that the 2003 games reign big in recognition becuase they are more recent, sports especially College Football is bigger than ever, and then obviously Gameday environment - which probably selected the game to broadcast from in large part due to BG's win over Purdue and the MAC in general to that point in the season had several other upsets.

I'll always look back on that NIU game as my renaissance moment in BG sports...up until then I didn't go to home games and unless I had nothing better to do only went to a couple of Akron and kent home games when they hosted BG.

There, my son (Logan @ 9 yrs old) and myself standing amidst quite a few drunk students with him perched on top of my shoulders holding his sign "Look Mom I'm on ESPN Gameday" which got camera coverage at the beginning of the show. My wife got 5 calls immediately thereafter inquiring if it was really him, which helped because her first reaction once the show started was "what the hell has he gotten them in the middle of".

And then due to her failure to properly program the VCR that footage was forever a lost opportunity....or so I thought until one day I happened upon a little known web site of rabid BG fans and through Grant and Major Falcon was able to be furnished with the entire shows coverage! Thanks again guys.

So maybe NIU wasn't the greatest game ever, but it was the catalyst for a lot of great father-son memories....Gameday, Toledo come from behind Won the West, Detroit, Athens, Mobile Alabama, Buffalo.....hopefully Toronto 2007!