Bowling Green Falcons men's basketball
NCAA Division 1 program
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The Bowling Green Falcons men's basketball team is the basketball team that represents Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio. The school's team currently competes in the Mid-American Conference. The team last played in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament in 1968. Former head coach Michael Huger was fired after the 2022–23 season, and Todd Simon was hired to replace him on March 15, 2023.[2][3]
UniversityBowling Green State University
Head coachTodd Simon (3rd season)
LocationBowling Green, Ohio
ArenaStroh Center
(capacity: 4,700)
(capacity: 4,700)
| Bowling Green Falcons men's basketball | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
 | |||
| University | Bowling Green State University | ||
| Head coach | Todd Simon (3rd season) | ||
| Location | Bowling Green, Ohio | ||
| Arena | Stroh Center (capacity: 4,700) | ||
| Conference | Mid-American | ||
| Nickname | Falcons | ||
| Colors | Brown and orange[1] | ||
| NCAA Division I tournament Sweet Sixteen | |||
| 1963 | |||
| NCAA Division I tournament appearances | |||
| 1959, 1962, 1963, 1968 | |||
| Conference regular-season champions | |||
| 1959, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1981, 1983, 1997, 2000, 2009 | |||
| Conference division champions | |||
| 2000, 2009 | |||
| Uniforms | |||
| |||
Coaching history
| Coach | Career | Record | Conference Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| F. G. Beyerman | 1915–1921 | 25–40 (.385) | n/a |
| Earl Krieger | 1921–1922 | 4–10 (.286) | n/a |
| Allen Snyder | 1922–1923 | 9–4 (.692) | n/a |
| Ray B. McCandless | 1923–1924 | 3–15 (.167) | n/a |
| Warren Steller | 1924–1925 | 9–5 (.643) | |
| Paul Landis | 1925–1942 | 156–133 (.540) | 56–57 (.496) |
| Harold Anderson | 1942–1963 | 367–193 (.655) | 68–55 (.553) |
| Warren Scholler | 1963–1967 | 43–52 (.453) | 24–24 (.500) |
| Bill Fitch | 1967–1968 | 18–17 (.514) | 10–2 (.833) |
| Bob Conibear | 1968–1971 | 31–42 (.425) | 12–20 (.375) |
| Pat Haley | 1971–1976 | 62–69 (.473) | 32–32 (.500) |
| John Weinert | 1976–1986 | 146–133 (.523) | 89–79 (.530) |
| Jim Larranaga | 1986–1997 | 170–144 (.541) | 101–85 (.543) |
| Dan Dakich | 1997–2007 | 156–140 (.527) | 89–89 (.500) |
| Louis Orr | 2007–2014 | 101–121 (.455) | 54–60 (.474) |
| Chris Jans | 2014–2015 | 21–12 (.636) | 11–7 (.611) |
| Michael Huger | 2015–2023 | 126–125 (.502) | 64–82 (.438) |
| Todd Simon | 2023–present | 20–14 (.588) | 10–8 (.556) |
| Totals | 1915–present | 1,466–1,259 (.538) | 620–600 (.508) |
- Bowling Green was a member of the Northwest Ohio Intercollegiate Athletic Association from at least 1927–28 through at least 1930–31. Information about their conference record is unavailable.[4]
- Bowling Green was a member of the Ohio Athletic Conference from the 1933–34 through 1941–42 seasons, but never won an OAC title.[5]
- Harold Anderson took a leave of absence midway through the 1950–51 season. George Muellich coached the final 13 games of that season in place of Anderson and went 5–8
(.385); Anderson returned for the start of the 1951–52 season.
- Bowling Green joined the Mid-American Conference beginning with the 1953–54 season.[6]
- The Mid-American Conference did not hold a conference tournament until the 1979–80 season.
Postseason
NCAA tournament results
The Falcons have appeared in four NCAA Tournaments. Their combined record is 1–5. Their drought of 55 years (as of 2026) is tied for the third longest active and fourth longest all time between tournament appearances.
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| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | First round | Marquette | L 71–89 |
| 1962 | First round | Butler | L 55–56 |
| 1963 | First round Regional semifinal Regional third place Game | Notre Dame Illinois Mississippi State | W 77–72 L 61–70 L 60–65 |
| 1968 | First round | Marquette | L 71–72 |
NIT results
The Falcons have appeared in 14 National Invitation Tournaments. Their combined record is 6–15.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1944 | Quarterfinals | St. John's | L 40–44 |
| 1945 | Quarterfinals Semifinals Championship Game Charity Game | RPI St. John's DePaul NYU | W 80–74 W 57–44 L 54–71 L 61–63 |
| 1946 | Quarterfinals | Rhode Island | L 79–82 |
| 1948 | Quarterfinals | Saint Louis | L 53–69 |
| 1949 | First round Quarterfinals Semifinals Third-place game | St. John's Saint Louis San Francisco Bradley | W 77–64 W 80–74 L 39–49 W 82–77 |
| 1954 | First round Quarterfinals | Wichita State Western Kentucky | W 88–64 L 81–95 |
| 1980 | First round | Minnesota | L 50–64 |
| 1983 | First round | Michigan State | L 71–72 |
| 1990 | First round | Cincinnati | L 60–75 |
| 1991 | First round | Wisconsin | L 79–87 |
| 1997 | First round | West Virginia | L 95–98 |
| 2000 | First round | BYU | L 54–81 |
| 2002 | First round | Butler | L 69–81 |
| 2009 | First round | Creighton | L 71–73 |
CIT results
The Falcons have appeared in two CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. Their combined record is 1–2.
CBI results
The Falcons have appeared in one College Basketball Invitational (CBI). Their record is 0–1.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | First round | Stetson | L 52–53 |
CCAT results
The Falcons appeared in one Collegiate Commissioners Association Tournament, a tournament that was only held twice. Their record is 1–1.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Quarterfinals Semifinals | Tennessee Drake | W 67–58 L 78–65 |
Awards
Mid-American Conference Player of the Year
- Jim Penix (1969–1970)
- Antonio Daniels (1996–1997)
- Anthony Stacey (1999–2000)
- Keith McLeod (2001–2002)
Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year
- John Weinert (1978)
- Jim Larranaga (1997)
- Louis Orr (2009)
Mid-American Conference Freshman of the Year
- Shane Kline-Ruminski (1992)
- Antonio Daniels (1994)
- Anthony Stacey (1996)
Mid-American Conference Defensive Player of the Year
- DeMar Moore (1997)
- Richaun Holmes (2015)
Falcons in the NBA
| Name | Years in NBA |
|---|---|
| Johnny Payak | 1950–1953 |
| Mac Otten | 1950 |
| Don Otten | 1950–1953 |
| Leo Kubiak | 1950 |
| Chuck Share | 1952–1960 |
| Al Bianchi | 1957–1966 |
| Jimmy Darrow | 1962 |
| Nate Thurmond | 1964–1977 |
| Howard Komives | 1965–1974 |
| Cliff Williams | 1969 |
| Walt Piatkowski | 1969–1972 |
| Al Hairston | 1969–1970 |
| Cornelius Cash | 1977 |
| Antonio Daniels | 1998–2011 |
| Keith McLeod | 2004–2007 |
| Richaun Holmes | 2016–present |
| Daeqwon Plowden | 2024–present |
Notable awards
- Don Otten — NBL Most Valuable Player (1949), All-NBL First Team (1949), All-NBL Second Team (1948), NBL scoring champion (1949)
- Chuck Share — NBA champion (1958)
- Al Bianchi — ABA Coach of the Year (1971)
- Nate Thurmond — Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, 7× NBA All-Star (1965–1968, 1970, 1973, 1974), 2× NBA All-Defensive First Team (1969, 1971), 3× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1972–1974), NBA All-Rookie First Team (1964), NBA anniversary team (50th, 75th), No. 42 retired by Golden State Warriors, No. 42 retired by Cleveland Cavaliers
- Howard Komives — NBA All-Rookie First Team (1965)
- Walt Piatkowski — ABA All-Rookie (1969)
- Antonio Daniels — NBA champion (1999)
Draft history
- 12 total NBA draft picks.
- 3 first round picks.
- 1 overall No. 1 pick – Chuck Share
- 3 top ten picks.
| Year | Round | Pick | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | 4 | N/A | Leo Kubiak | Waterloo Hawks |
| 1949 | 3 | N/A | Mac Otten | Indianapolis Olympians |
| 1950 | 1 | 1 | Chuck Share | Boston Celtics |
| 1954 | 2 | 18 | Al Bianchi | Minneapolis Lakers |
| 1960 | 5 | 38 | Jimmy Darrow | St. Louis Hawks |
| 1963 | 1 | 3 | Nate Thurmond | San Francisco Warriors |
| 1964 | 2 | 15 | Howard Komives | New York Knicks |
| 1968 | 5 | 52 | Al Hairston | Seattle SuperSonics |
| 1968 | 8 | 99 | Walt Piatkowski | San Francisco Warriors |
| 1975 | 2 | 24 | Cornelius Cash | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 1997 | 1 | 4 | Antonio Daniels | Vancouver Grizzlies |
| 2015 | 2 | 37 | Richaun Holmes | Philadelphia 76ers |
