Bowling Green's basketball program started in 1915 in northwest Ohio and the Falcons compete in the Mid-American Conference. The program enjoyed its greatest success in the 1940s-60s under Harold Anderson, reaching the NIT finals multiple times when the NIT was the premier postseason tournament. Nate Thurmond, one of the NBA's all-time greats, played at Bowling Green.
The Falcons nickname was chosen in 1927 after Ivan 'Doc' Lake, a BGSU alumnus and sports editor of the local Sentinel-Tribune, read an article about falconry and proposed the name, noting that falcons were powerful for their size.
Nate Thurmond dominating college basketball in the early 1960s before becoming an NBA legend, putting Bowling Green on the national basketball map.
Bowling Green's Anderson Arena, opened in 1960, is named after legendary coach Harold Anderson and was once called 'The House That Roars' for its deafening crowd noise.
The Bowling Green Falcons compete in the MAC and hold an all-time record of 1498–1291 (.537 winning percentage) across 111 recorded seasons dating back to 1915-16.
| Season | Record | Conference | Coach | AP peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 18-14 | 9-9 (MAC) | Todd Simon | |
| 2024-25 | 14-18 | 8-10 (MAC) | Todd Simon | |
| 2023-24 | 20-14 | 10-8 (MAC) | Todd Simon | |
| 2022-23 | 11-20 | 5-13 (MAC) | Michael Huger | |
| 2021-22 | 13-18 | 6-14 (MAC) | Michael Huger | |
| 2020-21 | 14-12 | 10-8 (MAC) | Michael Huger | |
| 2019-20 | 21-10 | 12-6 (MAC) | Michael Huger | |
| 2018-19 | 22-12 | 12-6 (MAC) | Michael Huger | |
| 2017-18 | 16-16 | 7-11 (MAC) | Michael Huger | |
| 2016-17 | 13-19 | 7-11 (MAC) | Michael Huger | |
| 2015-16 | 16-18 | 5-13 (MAC) | Michael Huger | |
| 2014-15 | 21-12 | 11-7 (MAC) | Chris Jans | |
| 2013-14 | 12-20 | 6-12 (MAC) | Louis Orr | |
| 2012-13 | 13-19 | 7-9 (MAC) | Louis Orr | |
| 2011-12 | 16-16 | 9-7 (MAC) | Louis Orr | |
| 2010-11 | 14-19 | 8-8 (MAC) | Louis Orr | |
| 2009-10 | 14-16 | 6-10 (MAC) | Louis Orr | |
| 2008-09 | 19-14 | 11-5 (MAC) | Louis Orr | |
| 2007-08 | 13-17 | 7-9 (MAC) | Louis Orr | |
| 2006-07 | 13-18 | 3-13 (MAC) | Dan Dakich | |
| 2005-06 | 9-21 | 5-13 (MAC) | Dan Dakich | |
| 2004-05 | 18-11 | 10-8 (MAC) | Dan Dakich | |
| 2003-04 | 14-17 | 8-10 (MAC) | Dan Dakich | |
| 2002-03 | 13-16 | 8-10 (MAC) | Dan Dakich | |
| 2001-02 | 24-9 | 12-6 (MAC) | Dan Dakich | |
| 2000-01 | 15-14 | 10-8 (MAC) | Dan Dakich | |
| 1999-00 | 22-8 | 14-4 (MAC) | Dan Dakich | |
| 1998-99 | 18-10 | 12-6 (MAC) | Dan Dakich | |
| 1997-98 | 10-16 | 7-11 (MAC) | Dan Dakich | |
| 1996-97 | 22-10 | 13-5 (MAC) | Jim Larranaga | |
| 1995-96 | 14-13 | 9-9 (MAC) | Jim Larranaga | |
| 1994-95 | 16-11 | 10-8 (MAC) | Jim Larranaga | |
| 1993-94 | 18-10 | 12-6 (MAC) | Jim Larranaga | |
| 1992-93 | 11-16 | 8-10 (MAC) | Jim Larranaga | |
| 1991-92 | 14-15 | 8-8 (MAC) | Jim Larranaga | |
| 1990-91 | 17-13 | 9-7 (MAC) | Jim Larranaga | |
| 1989-90 | 18-11 | 9-7 (MAC) | Jim Larranaga | |
| 1988-89 | 12-16 | 6-10 (MAC) | Jim Larranaga | |
| 1987-88 | 12-16 | 7-9 (MAC) | Jim Larranaga | |
| 1986-87 | 15-14 | 10-6 (MAC) | Jim Larranaga | |
| 1985-86 | 7-20 | 5-13 (MAC) | John Weinert | |
| 1984-85 | 12-15 | 6-12 (MAC) | John Weinert | |
| 1983-84 | 18-10 | 11-7 (MAC) | John Weinert | |
| 1982-83 | 21-9 | 15-3 (MAC) | John Weinert | |
| 1981-82 | 18-11 | 10-6 (MAC) | John Weinert | |
| 1980-81 | 15-12 | 10-6 (MAC) | John Weinert | |
| 1979-80 | 20-10 | 11-5 (MAC) | John Weinert | |
| 1978-79 | 14-13 | 6-10 (MAC) | John Weinert | |
| 1977-78 | 12-15 | 10-6 (MAC) | John Weinert | |
| 1976-77 | 9-18 | 5-11 (MAC) | John Weinert | |
| 1975-76 | 12-15 | 8-8 (MAC) | Pat Haley | |
| 1974-75 | 18-10 | 9-5 (MAC) | Pat Haley | |
| 1973-74 | 15-11 | 7-5 (MAC) | Pat Haley | |
| 1972-73 | 13-13 | 7-5 (MAC) | Pat Haley | |
| 1971-72 | 4-20 | 1-9 (MAC) | Pat Haley | |
| 1970-71 | 7-18 | 2-8 (MAC) | Bob Conibear | |
| 1969-70 | 15-9 | 7-3 (MAC) | Bob Conibear | |
| 1968-69 | 9-15 | 3-9 (MAC) | Bob Conibear | |
| 1967-68 | 18-7 | 10-2 (MAC) | Bill Fitch | |
| 1966-67 | 11-13 | 5-7 (MAC) | Warren Scholler | |
| 1965-66 | 9-15 | 6-6 (MAC) | Warren Scholler | |
| 1964-65 | 9-15 | 6-6 (MAC) | Warren Scholler | |
| 1963-64 | 14-9 | 7-5 (MAC) | Warren Scholler | |
| 1962-63 | 19-8 | 9-3 (MAC) | Harold Anderson | |
| 1961-62 | 21-4 | 11-1 (MAC) | Harold Anderson | AP #7 |
| 1960-61 | 10-14 | 4-8 (MAC) | Harold Anderson | |
| 1959-60 | 10-14 | 6-6 (MAC) | Harold Anderson | |
| 1958-59 | 18-8 | 9-3 (MAC) | Harold Anderson | |
| 1957-58 | 15-8 | 6-6 (MAC) | Harold Anderson | |
| 1956-57 | 14-9 | 7-5 (MAC) | Harold Anderson | |
| 1955-56 | 4-19 | 1-11 (MAC) | Harold Anderson | |
| 1954-55 | 6-16 | 5-9 (MAC) | Harold Anderson | |
| 1953-54 | 17-7 | 10-3 (MAC) | Harold Anderson | |
| 1952-53 | 12-15 | Ind | Harold Anderson | |
| 1951-52 | 17-10 | Ind | Harold Anderson | |
| 1950-51 | 15-12 | Ind | George Muellich,Harold Anderson | |
| 1949-50 | 19-11 | Ind | Harold Anderson | AP #19 |
| 1948-49 | 24-7 | Ind | Harold Anderson | AP #9 |
| 1947-48 | 27-6 | Ind | Harold Anderson | |
| 1946-47 | 28-7 | Ind | Harold Anderson | |
| 1945-46 | 27-5 | Ind | Harold Anderson | |
| 1944-45 | 24-4 | Ind | Harold Anderson | |
| 1943-44 | 22-4 | Ind | Harold Anderson | |
| 1942-43 | 18-5 | Ind | Harold Anderson | |
| 1941-42 | 8-12 | Ind | Paul Landis | |
| 1940-41 | 10-11 | Ind | Paul Landis | |
| 1939-40 | 16-5 | Ind | Paul Landis | |
| 1938-39 | 12-7 | Ind | Paul Landis | |
| 1937-38 | 16-4 | Ind | Paul Landis | |
| 1936-37 | 4-11 | Ind | Paul Landis | |
| 1935-36 | 7-8 | Ind | Paul Landis | |
| 1934-35 | 6-9 | Ind | Paul Landis | |
| 1933-34 | 10-5 | Ind | Paul Landis | |
| 1932-33 | 9-5 | Ind | Paul Landis | |
| 1931-32 | 6-12 | Ind | Paul Landis | |
| 1930-31 | 10-5 | Ind | Paul Landis | |
| 1929-30 | 5-11 | Ind | Paul Landis | |
| 1928-29 | 6-11 | Ind | Paul Landis | |
| 1927-28 | 9-7 | Ind | Paul Landis | |
| 1926-27 | 12-7 | Ind | Paul Landis | |
| 1925-26 | 10-3 | Ind | Paul Landis | |
| 1924-25 | 9-5 | Ind | Warren Steller | |
| 1923-24 | 3-15 | Ind | Ray B. McCandless | |
| 1922-23 | 9-4 | Ind | Allen Snyder | |
| 1921-22 | 4-10 | Ind | Earl Krieger | |
| 1920-21 | 8-7 | Ind | F.G. Beyerman | |
| 1919-20 | 4-9 | Ind | F.G. Beyerman | |
| 1918-19 | 2-5 | Ind | F.G. Beyerman | |
| 1917-18 | 6-4 | Ind | F.G. Beyerman | |
| 1916-17 | 2-6 | Ind | F.G. Beyerman | |
| 1915-16 | 3-8 | Ind | F.G. Beyerman |
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| Rank | Team | Conference | All-Time Wins |
|---|
Top 100 by all-time D1 wins. Verified against the NCAA record book — and tiered so you can argue properly.
| # | COACH | RECORD | WIN % | SCHOOL(S) | YEARS | BEST SEASON / LEGACY |
|---|