Bowling Green, Ohio - This season marks the 50th Anniversary of the Bowling Green Men's Rugby Club winning their first MAC Championship in 1974. Since their first win, the Falcons have won 42 MAC Titles: 1974, 1982-2021, 2024. Additionally, over the last eight years, BGSU has been National Runners-Up three times and won the National Collegiate Championship in 2018.
When asked about BGSU's first MAC Championship win in 1974, Director of Rugby Roger Mazzarella said,
"The Mid American Conference Rugby Championship is the longest continuously contested league championship in U.S. rugby history. The brainchild of then BGSU coach Tom Haigh and club president Rick Griswold back in 1973.
Hosted by the Falcons, that first edition was widely expected to be easily taken by a senior heavy BGSU team. Instead a brand new Ohio University Bobcat team made up of freshman and sophomores won in a wild and wooly shakeup that would dominate the MAC's first decade.
Since then, Bowling Green has dominated the conference championship, winning the crown in 42 of 52 years it has been contested, including a 40 year straight run from 1982 - 2021."
Last season the Falcons reclaimed their MAC title and the current defending champions. It is hard to forget the members of the 2024 MAC Champion team with only 4 members not returning. However, the very first championship team from all the way back in 1975 is often forgotten. That will be changed. Forgotten until this Saturday, the Falcon ruggers of 50 years ago will be honored at halftime of the Bowling Green v University of Pittsburgh game this Saturday, October 4, approximately 2:40pm.
Twenty two members of that squad, most of whom are now in their seventies, will take the field one more time to be honored as the winners of Bowling Green's first Mid American Conference championship.
Attending the halftime ceremony will be:
Mick Dwyer
Om Wentz
John Garlough
Roger Hamilton
Jim Weber
Ken Ladik
Ed Calhoun
Mike McCarthy
Mark Dobeck
Dave Desenberg
Dr. Ray Horwood
Jeff Gatti
Ken Ware
Randy Lawson
Roger Mazzarella
Rick Griswold
Jim Haynes
Dr. Bill Feeman
Bill O'Malley
Greg Mayernik
Jim Tremoulis
Mike Baus
Dave Wainio
Paul LaPoint
Joe Bonifas
A moment of silence will honor the team members that have already passed: Mike Terwoord and John Kuhn.
The championship match of that 1975 tournament (each team played four games over the 2 day weekend, no substitutions - even for injury, tries were worth just four points) against Miami University would set the tone for the MAC final for the next forty years as BG and Miami would meet 22 more times to decide the championship. As it turned out the final was one of the few times the game was one sided, let alone a shut out. Wing Rick Griswold (nicknamed the "Merchant of Speed") opened the game with a try while fly half Randy Lawson crossed the goal line twice as well as kicking two conversion kicks. Center Mike Terwoord topped off the 18-0 victory with a try late in the second half.
The October 4 schedule:
11:00am breakfast at Bob Evans in Bowling Green
12:30pm 1975 alumni interact with current players, other alumni and BGSU Rugby recruits
2:00pm BGSU vs University of Pittsburgh
@ 2:40pm the 1975 alumni will be honored on the field at BG v Pitt halftime
@ 5:00pm there will be an on field cookout hosted by Vince Dallicardillo, father of senior flanker Vinnie Dallicardillo.
