How did Bowling Green lose out on an eventual world-record holding track athlete? What is the Stroh Center Rap? These questions and more are answered in this week's campus report.
Bowling Green in winter 2009.
Bowling Green State University Quick Facts
Founded: 1910Location: Bowling Green, Ohio, (approximately 694 miles west of Amherst)
Enrollment: 17,577 in 2011 (2012 stats were not available)
All-time football record: 311-236-11, .567 W-L%
MAC Championships: 7
Last Bowl Appearance: 2009 Humanitarian (Lost to Idaho 43-42)
What is a Bowling Green anyway?
To my knowledge bowling is normally done in an alley. As a former league bowler back in my college days, I can attest that all competitions were held indoors on wooden alleys.
But, history proves me mistaken. Lawn bowling, or "bowls" is definitely a thing.
According to the Internet's most reliable source, Wikipedia, a bowling green is essentially a bowling field, which is divided into strips called "rinks."
I thought hockey was played on rinks. I'm even more confused now.
Anyways, from reading the Wikipedia page, my understanding is that bowls is an awesome combination of bocce, shuffleboard and curling.
I want to play. So should I just show up in Bowling Green, Ohio (or Kentucky, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Missouri, South Carolina or Virginia)?
Dude, wrong Bowling Green
In case you didn't realize just now, there are a bunch of places in the United States called "Bowling Green" despite the fact that it doesn't seem you can actually lawn bowl in any of them (huge disappointment, I have to say).
Once, though, this fact came back to bite Bowling Green State University in its behind.
According to the school's website (which has a bunch of fun facts by the way — I know you're curious), this happened:
Nick Rose, a BGSU National Recruit from England, accidentally took the wrong plane to campus, and ended up in Bowling Green, KY., home of the Western Kentucky University. The WKU track coach convinced him to stay and he went on to place in the mile at the NCAA meet.
More research on the Internet's most reliable website didn't mention this, but it did turn up that Rose was the world record holder in the half marathon at one point, and competed in two Summer Olympics (1980 and 1984).
I have to know if this story is true. I'm making it my personal crusade. By 2013, I will talk to Nick Rose, mark my words. If it is, that's amazing. If not, shame on Bowling Green State University for claiming they almost had a world-record holder.
Where my Falcons at?
Sometimes I really have to root around YouTube for a while to find a video for UMass' opponent. This week, that was not a problem. Ladies and gentlemen, enjoy this, it's as good as it gets as far as school spirit videos go. At some point later in the year, I'm doing a "School Spirit YouTube Video Power Rankings." This will be on there.
Bravo, Bowling Green. Bravo.