This ongoing project showcases the memories of individual students, faculty, staff, and community members in a diverse selection of photos, videos, articles, and personal stories from library and rec department archives. The story told here portrays a narrative reflecting our shared experience, interests, and pride in recreation as a community-oriented history.
The authors wish to express gratitude to BGSU Center for Archival Collections (CAC), and librarians Becky Denes, Eric Honneffer, and Jason Clevenger, as well as BGSU Office of Design and Construction, who were abundantly helpful in the research and photo collection phases of the project. Deepest appreciation is also due to Janet Parks, Mickey Cochrane and Thad Long, whose contributions added personal knowledge and historical perspective. Many additional staff and students also contributed to the project including; Libbey Snyder, Mike Rockovich, Sean Bostater, Alexia Chesbrough, Brent Darah, Mark Richards, Allison Bierman, Nicole Farley, Autumn White, Haley Zywiczynski, Lindsey Ingle, and Sydney Niekamp.
The Bowling Green State Normal College was established in 1910 as a teacher-training institution. The first classes were held in 1914, and the first bachelor's degrees were awarded in 1917.
In 1915 $288.00 was appropriated for the surfacing, leveling, grading, and topping of tennis courts.
The first campus gymnasium was constructed in 1915 inside the Administration Building (University Hall).
The Physical Training Department held the second annual physical training demonstration in the College gymnasium on March 27, 1918.
The first intercollegiate football game was held in 1919 on the playing field adjacent to the Ridge Street School.
The Normal College Athletic Committee was formed in 1920 with the purpose to “control and manage all athletic interests of the Bowling Green State Normal College.” In addition to athletics, intramural contests were also controlled by the Athletic Committee.
A new athletic field was constructed and dedicated as the College Field during the 1923 Homecoming celebration.
Bleachers were constructed along the College Field in time for the Homecoming game on November 8, 1924.
A new, quarter mile track was constructed around College Field in 1925.
The Women's Athletic Association (WAA) was formed in May 1926 with the goal of fostering women's athletics and an emphasis on "athletics for all."
In order to accommodate the rapidly enlarging student-body and relieve the crowded condition of the Women’s Gym, the decision was made in 1925 to construct a new Physical Education Building, commonly referred to as the Men's Gym.
The new $175,000 Men’s Gymnasium and $275,000 Library Building were dedicated on Saturday, November 19, 1927 during the sixth annual Homecoming celebration.
In 1934, after nearly two decades of use, the Board of Trustees made the decision to convert the gymnasium into recreation hall. By that time, the Men's Gymnasium (South Eppler) had already been in use for nearly seven years.
Construction of a concrete football stadium was completed by April 1938 at a cost of $44,410.58.
The Modern Dance Club was organized during the 1937-1938 academic year by Miss Emilie Hartman to “create an interest in modern dance on the campus by presenting demonstration programs and sponsoring dance concerts.”
A crowd of 2500 attended the dedication ceremony for the new College Field Stadium and football game against Capital University on Saturday, October 16, 1937.
The University’s first swimming pool, the Natatorium, was constructed during 1938-1939 at a cost of $152,000.
The Table Tennis Club, also referred to as the “Ping Pong” Club, was founded in September 1938 “to give table tennis enthusiasts an outlet for excess energy” as well as to provide skilled players with adequate competition.
Horseback riding was established as a part of the women’s physical education program in September of 1939 when a stable of riding horses was moved to the University.
Melvin Bud Cox, a 1938 graduate of Ohio State, was hired by the Physical Education Department to supervise the new Natatorium.
The founding of the Swan Club was set in motion in December of 1939 when Jean Drake, the new swim teacher, invited 32 women from her swimming classes “to practice water formations for a swim pageant, as part of the [Natatorium] dedication program.”
On Friday, January 5, 1940, a dedication ceremony for the new Natatorium was held.
The BGSU Outing Club, open to every woman interested in the "call of the wild," convened for the first time on October 2, 1941.
By March 1946 construction of the new University Golf Course was complete and was open for play in late summer after grass had grown on the greens.
To accommodate the rapid increase in enrollment after WWII, the University utilized every possible space for student housing. As a result, the Stadium Club dormitory was constructed under the football stadium and temporary housing was created in the Men’s Gym.
Between 1959 and 1961 the University purchased approximately 560 acres of land adjacent to the Eastern edge of campus to expand into what is now known as the Athletic District.
The rapid increase in student enrollment, inadequate size of the original football stadium, and need for land to build future academic sites prompted the University to begin planning for the construction of a new football stadium that would be used for instruction in physical education, intramural sports, and informal recreational activities in addition to intercollegiate competition.
During the summer of 1961, the Recreation Hall was transformed into a 287-seat theatre.
The new nine-hole, 3,372 yard University Golf Course officially opened on June 7, 1965.
Constructed from 1965 – 1967, the BGSU Ice Arena became one of the finest in the country. In 2017, the ice arena was renamed to the Slater Family Ice Arena in honor of Scott Slater.
The campus ski slope, commonly referred to as "Mt. Jerome" or "Bill's Hill," and the adjacent lagoon were completed in October 1967.
Students Ken Pritchard and Larry Dufresne began the process of forming the rugby club during the fall 1967 semester with an informational meeting for interested students on Sunday, November 19 at 8 PM in Memorial Hall.
Founded as the Falconettes in the 1969-70 school year by Phyllis (Hendrix) Preston, the skating team performed at five hockey games between the first and second periods.
Colleen Bury started spreading flyers and soon had received over 50 calls from women interested after former women’s varsity coach Mark Hardaway encouraged her to form a club.
During the summer of 1972, the University's nine-hole golf course was expanded to 18 holes in order to increase the University's golf instructional and recreational facilities.
President Dr. Hollis A. Moore appointed a committee to study campus recreation needs on May 3, 1973 during a University Board of Trustees meeting.
Lights were installed on the University Golf Course driving range in the fall of 1973.
The Ladies Day event, held on Monday, June 17, 1974, was the first official event held on the newly expanded University Golf Course.
Michael R. Wilcox, a 1975 University graduate, formed a student committee to determine student interest in a recreation center in September 1974.
The University Board of Trustees selected a location for the proposed Student Recreation Center on January 8, 1976.
On March 11, 1976 the BGSU Board of Trustees approved the planning and construction of the Student Recreation Center and selected the firm of Thomas T. K. Zung Architects, Inc. as the project architect.
A groundbreaking ceremony officially marked the beginning of the Student Recreation Center construction on Thursday, January 6, 1977.
On December 15, 1977, Ben McGuire was selected as the first Student Recreation Center director.
The Natatorium was demolished in the summer of 1978 to allow for the construction of a new physical activity center which connected the Men’s Gym and the Women’s Gym in what is now Eppler Center.
Deborah Howard, a June graduate, won the Student Government Association contest to design the new Student Recreation Center logo.
After about two years of construction, the new Student Recreation Center officially opened on Thursday, January 2, 1979.
Four of the 14 racquetball/handball courts at the Student Recreation Center opened on January 16, 1979.
On January 18, 1979 the Board of Trustees named the conference room in the Student Recreation Center the Agnes Hooley Conference Room in tribute to Dr. Agnes Hooley.
The first annual BGSU “Tipover for Hemophilia” competition, sponsored by Student Activities and the Northwest Ohio Hemophilia Foundation, was held in the activities area of Student Recreation Center in February 1979 on the 5th, 12th, and 19th.
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