Fred Beyerman came to BGSU (then Bowling Green Normal College) in September of 1915 as an instructor of physical education,
teaching all six courses offered at that time. Born in New York, N.Y., in 1878, he received his bachelor of philosophy degree from
Columbia University just prior to the turn of the century. He began his intercollegiate coaching career at Michigan State Normal
(Eastern Michigan University) in 1910 before coming to BGNC.
While hired primarily to teach, he was interested in the development of an athletic program. Beyerman began collecting candidates
from a sparse male enrollment for the school's first basketball team. That 1915-16 team played 11 games, with the first win coming
against Defiance College, 26-10, on BG's home court.
Even though there were very few male students on campus due to World War I, baseball was added to the intercollegiate program
in 1918. Beyerman, who became the school's athletic director while coaching both basketball and baseball, also provided the
leadership in organizing the Northwestern Ohio Athletic Association. BG, Bluffton, Defiance, Findlay and Toledo joined the league
that began with baseball and basketball contests in 1919-20. Football, tennis and track competition followed within three years.
Beyerman, who served as conference president for four years, won BG's first championship in 1921, as the baseball team captured
the NWOAA title. Beyerman established the first BG athletic committee, and developed the school's first track team in 1923 before
leaving BGNC to start the Wood County Insurance Company.
Beyerman, very active in community affairs in Bowling Green, was a charter member of both the Kiwanis Club and Town and Gown.
Beyerman's son, Fred, Jr., was a BGNC tennis letterwinner in 1925 and 1926, and his daughter, Betty, graduated from BG in 1930.
Beyerman passed away in December of 1955.
(Information on this page courtesy bgsufalcons.com press release, August 8, 2003.)