Back In the Day

[Cap City 7]

I know we are all sort of discouraged about the present state of Bowling Green basketball and with good reason. With that in mind I thought I would share with you some of my recollections back when I first became a fan of the Falcons. Recently I turned 65 years of age so this story began some time ago. I grew up on a farm near Findlay and had my bedroom on the second story of our farmhouse. By the way it was an unheated bedroom and winter nights were a challenge. Despite the cold I spend much of the basketball season in my room listening to college basketball games on the radio. I would first conquer the cold under the covers of the bed and flip on the radio. Back in those days very few game in any sport were televised so the radio was the way to go. I had two favorite teams in college basketball. Bowling Green and the Cincinnati Bearcats. I listened to UC on WLW a 50,000 watt clear channel station and recall listening to games in exotic (to a 12-year old kid) places like Wichita State, Bradley and St Louis. All part of the original Missouri Valley Conference. I don't recall the name of the play by play guy for UC but he was good and made the game come alive. Imagination was a handy thing to have back then. I remember him beginning every game saying "..the Bearcats are moving left to right on your radio dial". And I would visualize that very thing. I remember for me cherished names like Ron Bonham, Tony Yates, Tom Thacker and Ira Harque leading UC to two straight national titles over Ohio State back in the early 1960's. As I recall I was the only one in my household who enjoyed the results of those games.
As fond as I was of the Bearcats it was Bowling Green that captured my heart. I never missed a game broadcast on WFOB, (the FOB) out of Fostoria with Dave Carr doing play-by-play. In those days BG basketball was well-known nationally and well respected. Back in the 1950's it was common for BG to play at least one game each season in Madison Square Garden. Back then the NIT was a more prestigious tournament than the NCAA tournament and one year BG finished runner up in the NIT to George Mikan and the DePaul Blue Demons. That was how good Bowling Green was once upon a time. But that was before my time and I became a fan during the days of Nate Thurmond, Butch Komives and Wavey Junior among others. In those heady days BG was always ranked in the top 10-15 in the nation. The year after UC's second National Title (1963, I believe), Loyola of Chicago beat Cincinnati in the championship game to end UC's hopes for a third straight title. That year BG was one of only two teams to beat Loyola and I recall that game as though it were yesterday. No one in the country could have beaten BG that night and they routed Loyola by something like 18 points. Had Wavey Junior not gotten hurt in the NCAA tournament win over Notre Dame I believe BG might have made the final four that year. Thurmond was a beast inside and Komives led the nation in scoring. Bowling Green could play with any team in the nation and they played a very representative non-conference schedule as well. As much as I would like to see it happen again I doubt if we will ever enjoy that type of national success. However, I firmly believe the days will get better and there is no reason I can think of why BG cannot be relevant again. We have a proud legacy at Bowling Green and let's look forward to the day we add to that legacy.

[Globetrotter]

We can't even buy out a coach. That's the big issue here. That's the reason we can't be relevant again.

[Globetrotter]

What could be

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/robert-m ... -nit-59-57

[HoopsFan]

Likewise, I got my first transistor radio back in 1961 and I remember Ohio State games on 610 WTVN. This is in the days of Jerry Lucas, but I didn't follow OSU all that much. Yeah, radio was the only way to go, but about 1964 or '65 WTOL used to televise the Toledo-BG game. Ray Woolford was one of the UT players, and I remember him because his sister was our orchestra teacher.

Without TV, a basketball player had no real incentive to travel to a far away place to play basketball. He could stay close to home, get an education, and play the game in front of his hometown fans. The NBA wasn't that big a deal back in the 60's and your game was broadcast on a local radio station at best.

Now, with the BTN, ESPNs, and networks carrying the "big" game practically every night, the kids want to go where they can be on TV. Geeze, even the Horizon league has a better TV package than the MAC. However, one would think that with streaming video and the internet, watching basketball would be something everybody could do. I caught most of the road games, at least for the women, for free on the internet, but, I'm a basketball fan of my home team.

Whether BG can be the next Gonzaga, remains to be seen, but it won't happen for at least 5 years, if ever. The infusion of money doesn't begin until the donor dies, and we seem to be stuck on stupid with the current staff. I think the climate of keeping the "haves" in power and not letting the "have-not's" into the game will continue until the NCAA opens up the tournament to all 300+ teams, and even then, a Hoosiers like history is highly improbable.
But, in basketball, a good recruiting year and a couple of excellent players can pretty much win on a regular basis. It's just finding those guys willing to come to the flatlands.

HoopsFan

[Class of 61]

I know we are all sort of discouraged about the present state of Bowling Green basketball and with good reason. With that in mind I thought I would share with you some of my recollections back when I first became a fan of the Falcons. Recently I turned 65 years of age so this story began some time ago. I grew up on a farm near Findlay and had my bedroom on the second story of our farmhouse. By the way it was an unheated bedroom and winter nights were a challenge. Despite the cold I spend much of the basketball season in my room listening to college basketball games on the radio. I would first conquer the cold under the covers of the bed and flip on the radio. Back in those days very few game in any sport were televised so the radio was the way to go. I had two favorite teams in college basketball. Bowling Green and the Cincinnati Bearcats. I listened to UC on WLW a 50,000 watt clear channel station and recall listening to games in exotic (to a 12-year old kid) places like Wichita State, Bradley and St Louis. All part of the original Missouri Valley Conference. I don't recall the name of the play by play guy for UC but he was good and made the game come alive. Imagination was a handy thing to have back then. I remember him beginning every game saying "..the Bearcats are moving left to right on your radio dial". And I would visualize that very thing. I remember for me cherished names like Ron Bonham, Tony Yates, Tom Thacker and Ira Harque leading UC to two straight national titles over Ohio State back in the early 1960's. As I recall I was the only one in my household who enjoyed the results of those games.
As fond as I was of the Bearcats it was Bowling Green that captured my heart. I never missed a game broadcast on WFOB, (the FOB) out of Fostoria with Dave Carr doing play-by-play. In those days BG basketball was well-known nationally and well respected. Back in the 1950's it was common for BG to play at least one game each season in Madison Square Garden. Back then the NIT was a more prestigious tournament than the NCAA tournament and one year BG finished runner up in the NIT to George Mikan and the DePaul Blue Demons. That was how good Bowling Green was once upon a time. But that was before my time and I became a fan during the days of Nate Thurmond, Butch Komives and Wavey Junior among others. In those heady days BG was always ranked in the top 10-15 in the nation. The year after UC's second National Title (1963, I believe), Loyola of Chicago beat Cincinnati in the championship game to end UC's hopes for a third straight title. That year BG was one of only two teams to beat Loyola and I recall that game as though it were yesterday. No one in the country could have beaten BG that night and they routed Loyola by something like 18 points. Had Wavey Junior not gotten hurt in the NCAA tournament win over Notre Dame I believe BG might have made the final four that year. Thurmond was a beast inside and Komives led the nation in scoring. Bowling Green could play with any team in the nation and they played a very representative non-conference schedule as well. As much as I would like to see it happen again I doubt if we will ever enjoy that type of national success. However, I firmly believe the days will get better and there is no reason I can think of why BG cannot be relevant again. We have a proud legacy at Bowling Green and let's look forward to the day we add to that legacy.

Cap,
I'm just a "bit" older than you and I recall the BG play by play man as Mel Murray, whose favorite phrase in late 50's was, " Rex Leach goin like a Lizard". (Leach was on the teams with Jimmy Darrow, who still was the best pure shooter I think I've ever seen)...If the 3 pt. line had been around then, I can't even imagine how many pts. Darrow would've scored...not bad for a chubby, 5'10" guy who didn't look at all like a basketball player....until he hit the floor.

[Globetrotter]

I love the history.

[zete]

SAme for me, I was hooked on BG basketball in the 80s. I think that team and those wins did for BGSU what the WNIT championship did recently for the Toledo women's program -
It bothers me greatly we have a coach losing 19 games and he is still in place. What the heck, SH fired him for winning 18 and going to the NCAA Tournament.

[Globetrotter]

Its spring so I promise only to be positive for now on!

[Rollo83]

I got hooked for a couple of reason...one was watching BG on TV with Oris Tabner (?) do they games on channel 11 or 13 in Toledo...can't remember which? Cornelius Cash, Mike Miday, Rosie Barnes were just some of the names I remember watching.

Secondly, when I was about 10 years old I went to Hoosier Basketball Camp in Angola, Indiana, run by Dave McCrackern...the son of legandary IU coach Branch McCracken. My camp counselor my first year there was none other than Greg Kampe..BG point guard, football punter and current Oakland University head coach.

Third, I attended so many great high school tournament games at Anderson Arena, watching the likes of Ottoville, Continental, Kalida, Patrick Henry and Ottawa-Glandorf high schools.

BG was my basketball home from the start!

[Globetrotter]

I am surprised, and excited by how old some of you guys are. Great history here. Love the stories. I didn't realize how many great stories there are.

[Cap City 7]

Believe me when I say I'm not that excited about being as old as I am but I understand and appreciate your comment. Actually I find it hard to believe how quickly I got to be so old and I like to think I'm younger than I actually am but my body tells me otherwise. One thing that helps the mid-major teams like BG who want to build their program to the national level is the "one and done" situation that now exists. Taking nothing away from Butler but one of the main reasons they have been so successful the past few years is the one and done. Butler, Virginia Commonwealth and other smaller schools have benefited from having veteran rosters made up of players with three and four years of experience. They are teams in the truest sense of the word. This experience helps offset the talent level of the individual players. Bulter has been able to recruit good players but few great players. Kentucky, Duke, North Carolina and many teams from the power conferences have more talent but never develop the team concept because their best players don't stay around long enough for it to develop.
I guess that is why I believe it could happen at Bowling Green. Probably wont, but if could. It would take a committment to the program that is not there at this time. It would take the right coach who could recruit the right type of player and mold them into a team that expects to win. It would take additional money that probably doesn't exist either. However, I saw what Ohio U did last year by getting to the Sweet 16 and then took #1 seed North Carolina to overtime. That is where I want to see BG get and if OU can do it why can't BG?

[BGSU33]

Whether BG can be the next Gonzaga, remains to be seen, but it won't happen for at least 5 years, if ever.

We don't have to be the next Gonzaga - ever - I would 100% settle for being the next Ohio, Akron, Kent State or even Miami-Ohio. All of these MAC East teams have been to the NCAA Tournament in the last decade (Akron 3 times, Ohio 3 times, Kent State 2 times and Miami 1 time) whereas BG hasn't been to it now in 45 years. Those four teams have also won 9 of the last 10 MAC Tournament Championships (Akron 3 times, Ohio 3 times, Kent State 2 times and Miami 1 time) while BG has never won it in the tournament's 24-year history. Three of those teams have also advanced to either the Sweet 16 (Ohio and Miami) or Elite Eight (Kent State) in either recent or somewhat recent years. I want BG to win as much or more as anyone, but we could be a damn fun team to watch and follow if we could simply do what most of our very own MAC East foes are doing or able to do. I don't think it's too unrealistic to expect to win a MAC Tournament once a decade, which would obviously send you to the tournament. But to sit through year after year of never winning the MAC Tournament or getting to the NCAA Tournament while nearly every other MAC East foe does or has is extremely frustrating.

[Falconfreak90]

Cap City,

Thank you for the history lesson about BG hoops! My mom and dad were on campus in the early 60's and my dad never missed a BG hoops game. He was at the Loyola game and, to this day, swears the fire Marshall looked the other way in terms of AA's capacity. He loved watching those teams, especially Komives. Both of my parents graduated from BG in '64....man were they lucky. BG hoops was nationally ranked and the great Doyt Perry's teams were tearing up the MAC on a yearly basis. To say I'm jealous of them is an understatement. LOL

Thanks again...like GT, I love hearing of BG's athletic past.

[zete]

Some of you will think I am full of it but this is true. My first Falcon game was THE game vs. Loyola of Chicago in '63. I was aprox. 9 years two months. I was able to go because an older cousin from Maumee didn't want to. Thus I attended with my parents and several relatives. I still can recall just about where we sat. It was pure pandemonium from start to finish. As i stated earlier, I was a Falcon for life after that experience. I have often wondered if there is anyone living in the area younger than I whom attended that game.

[BleedOrange]

Whether BG can be the next Gonzaga, remains to be seen, but it won't happen for at least 5 years, if ever.

We don't have to be the next Gonzaga - ever - I would 100% settle for being the next Ohio, Akron, Kent State or even Miami-Ohio. All of these MAC East teams have been to the NCAA Tournament in the last decade (Akron 3 times, Ohio 3 times, Kent State 2 times and Miami 1 time) whereas BG hasn't been to it now in 45 years. Those four teams have also won 9 of the last 10 MAC Tournament Championships (Akron 3 times, Ohio 3 times, Kent State 2 times and Miami 1 time) while BG has never won it in the tournament's 24-year history. Three of those teams have also advanced to either the Sweet 16 (Ohio and Miami) or Elite Eight (Kent State) in either recent or somewhat recent years. I want BG to win as much or more as anyone, but we could be a damn fun team to watch and follow if we could simply do what most of our very own MAC East foes are doing or able to do. I don't think it's too unrealistic to expect to win a MAC Tournament once a decade, which would obviously send you to the tournament. But to sit through year after year of never winning the MAC Tournament or getting to the NCAA Tournament while nearly every other MAC East foe does or has is extremely frustrating.

As for me, I would NEVER settle for being any of those programs.