As the first intercollegiate sport played at Bowling Green, the men's basketball team obviously has a long and
storied tradition. Started by physical education professor Frederick G. Beyerman, who also coached the first six basketball
teams to play at BGSU, the program has played 89 seasons, making their mark at both the conference and national levels.
The 1920's teams featured players who participated in multiple sports, including five-sport athletes Carl Bachman and
Franklin Skibbie, who also played on the football, baseball, track and tennis teams. Much of this was due to the limited
number of men enrolled at the college at the time, but a few of these men excelled in whatever sport they were playing at
the time. During their time at BG, both Bachman and Skibbie, along with three sport star Hayden Olds, were named to the All-
Northwest Ohio Conference teams in both football and basketball.
In 1945, Wyndol Gray became the Falcons' first All-American, as The Sporting News named him to their first team as the brown
and orange would make it all the way to the title game of the National Invitational Tournament. The Falcons would continue
to make a name for themselves under head coach Harold Anderson, and it all came to a head in the early 1960's. Nate Thurmond
became one of college basketball's dominant big men, and Howard Komives lit it up from outside, leading Bowling Green to MAC
championships and NCAA tournament bids in 1962 and 1963, knocking off second-ranked and unbeaten Loyola (Chicago) in the
process during the latter season.
The Falcons made a return appearance to the NCAA Tournament in 1968, in head coach Bill Fitch's only season on the BG bench.
They wouldn't win their next MAC title until 1981, but would win it again in 1983. On December 18, 1990, the Falcons beat
Michigan State in East Lansing, Michigan, 81-79, in one of the biggest upsets in school history. The 1997 team won the
regular season MAC title, but a loss in the postseason tournament sent them to another NIT berth for the school.
The 1999-2000 season would see the Falcons win their eighth MAC championship, but also witness a bit of history on the floor
as well. On February 16, 2000, senior Anthony Stacey passed Howard Komives as the school's all-time leading scorer. His 1,
938 points scored remain the standard at the university.
A total of 26 Falcons have been drafted by NBA teams, including the top pick overall in the 1950 Draft, when the Boston Celtics
selected Charlie Share. The Falcons also boast three of the six highest NBA draft picks in MAC history.
The San Francisco Warriors took Nate Thurmond third overall in the 1963 Draft, the highest pick of a MAC player ever.
Antonio Daniels became the second earliest pick taken when Vancouver drafted him fourth in 1997, and Howard Komives was
taken thirteenth by the New York Knicks in 1964. Currently, Daniels (Seattle) and second all-time leading scorer Keith
McLeod (Utah) represent the Falcons in the NBA.