Centennial Season Look Back: Falcons Give the Reins to Weinert – 1975-85

News: The Centennial Season
Falcon Fans Photo Poster: Submit Your Photos Today!
Schedule: 2015-16 BGSU Men's Basketball Schedule
Tickets: Men's Basketball Season Tickets on Sale Now!

Bowling Green, Ohio – Throughout the 2015-16 Bowling Green State University men's basketball season, the BGSU athletics department will take a look back at each decade over the men's basketball program's history as part of the Centennial Season celebration leading up to the Centennial Game on Jan. 23, 2016 versus Kent State.

From Haley to Weinert
With a total of three coaches from 1963-1971 after the retirement of Harold Anderson following the 1962-63 season, the decade of BGSU men's basketball from 1975-85 saw just two head coaches lead the program with Pat Haley passing the torch on to John Weinert.

Haley, who took over as head coach in 1971-72, coached his final season in 1975-76. Recording an overall record of 62-69 during his five years at BGSU, which included three .500 seasons and a program high 18 wins since Coach Anderson's final year in 1962-63, Haley's teams improved to 15-11 in 1973-74 and then went 18-10 in 1974-75 to earn a spot in the NCIT postseason tournament. However, in 1975-76 the Falcons went just 12-15 overall and finished tied for fourth in the MAC at 8-8 in conference play.

Entered John Weinert, who would coach at BGSU for 10 seasons from 1976-77 to 1985-86. Under Weinert, BGSU went 146-133 overall, which included 139 wins from 1976 to 1985. Bowling Green had six straight winning seasons from 1978-79 to 1983-84 and totaled 20 wins or more twice with 20 wins in 1979-80 and 21 victories in in 1982-83. The Falcons also won two MAC regular season titles in 1980-81 and 1982-83, and made two NIT postseason appearances in 1979-80 and 1982-83.

Weinert was named the MAC Coach of the Year in 1978 and was also named the Basketball Times Coach of the Year in 1980. He retired from BGSU and coaching all together following the conclusion of the 1985-86 season.

Two MAC Championships
The Bowling Green State University men's basketball team picked up their fifth and sixth MAC Championship Titles during the 1975-85 decade, earning the conference crown in both 1980-81 and 1982-83.

The 1980-81 team, which were co-MAC Champions, comprised up of Bill Szabo, David Greer, Dan Shumaker, Joe Faine, Marcus Newbern, Guy Neal, Curtis Jewell, Larry Green, Russ DeMor, John Flowers, David Jenkins, Bill Faine, Emzer Shurelds, John Miller, Mike Miday, Paul Abendroth, Colin Irish, Tim Browne and head coach John Weinert.

That season, the Falcons finished in a five-way atop the MAC regular season standings at 10-6 overall in MAC play. BGSU defeated Kent State at home in the regular season finale to grab a piece of the regular season conference championship. However, the Falcons fell in the quarterfinals of the MAC Championship Tournament to another co-regular season champion in Northern Illinois.

After finishing second in the MAC the following year, Coach Weinert and the Falcons won the MAC Championship outright in 1982-83 with a 15-3 league record. Bowling Green closed out the regular season with a 12-2 overall record to win the conference championship by three games over Ohio.

The 1982-83 team, which went 21-9 overall, went on to play in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) that year, falling to Michigan State by just one point at 72-71 in the first round of the postseason tournament.

Coach Weinert's 1982-83 team consisted of Ken Waddell, Arnie Morris, Brian Miller, Al Thomas, David Greer, Keith Taylor, Ken Swint, Time Browne, David Jenkins, Paul Abendroth, Joe Harrison, Avon Davey, Lamar Jackson, Bill Faine, Colin Irish and Bill Szabo.

New Territory – the MAC Championship Tournament
In 1980, the Mid-American Conference introduced the MAC Men's Basketball Championship Tournament at the end of the 1979-80 season. The postseason tournament, which continues today, was a way to wrap up the MAC basketball season with the tournament winner receiving the bid to the NCAA Championship Tournament each year.

Over the first five years of the conference tournament, the Falcons made two championship game appearances in both 1980 and 1984, and took third-place honors in 1982 with a win in the consolation game.

In the first-ever MAC Championship Tournament in 1980, BGSU defeated Eastern Michigan 54-49 in the quarterfinals to advance to the semifinals where BGSU beat Northern Illinois 78-63. In the championship game, the Falcons fell to Toledo, the regular season champions, 85-70 in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Following a quarterfinals loss to co-MAC Champions Northern Illinois in 1981, BGSU defeated Western Michigan 86-83 in the consolation game in the 1982 tournament to finish in third-place overall.

The Falcons returned to the championship game in 1984, as the first-place Falcons defeated Ball State 79-69 in the semifinals. BGSU was then defeated by Ohio 59-56 in the championship game the following day.

Return to the NIT
The Falcons returned to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) twice from 1975-85, earning bids to the national postseason event in both 1980 and 1983.

With BGSU's return to the NIT in the 1979-80 season, the Falcons ended a 26-year absence from the postseason tournament and returned to postseason play for the first time since competing in the National Commissioners Invitational Tournament in 1974-75.

Bowling Green went 11-5 in MAC play to finish second overall in 1979-80 and advanced to the MAC Championship Tournament title game, before losing to the regular season MAC Champions in Toledo. The Falcons then moved on to the NIT, where the Orange and Brown suffered a first round loss to the University of Minnesota, 64-50, in Minneapolis, Minn.

Three years later, BGSU returned to the NIT in 1983 after going 15-3 in the MAC and winning the regular season title. The Falcons drew Michigan State in the first round that year and were edged by the Spartans, 72-71, in Lansing, Mich.

National Honors
Led by David Jenkins Associate Press (AP) All-American Honorable Mention honors in 1983-84, a trio of Falcons were recognized nationally during the 1975-85 era of BGSU men's' basketball.

Jenkins was recognized as an AP All-American Honorable Mention in 1983-84, becoming BGSU's first All-American since Walt Piatkowski in 1967-68. That season, Jenkins scored a total of 465 points overall and led the Falcons in scoring with 17.9 points per game. A First-Team All-MAC selection that season, Jenkins led the Falcons to an 18-10 overall record, which included wins over Ohio State and California.

Marcus Newbern earned a spot on the NABC All-District Second-Team in 1982-83 in which he led the Falcons in scoring with 20.1 points per game. A First-Team All-MAC selection that season, Newbern guided the Falcons to an 18-11 overall record and a second-place MAC finish with a 10-6 conference record.

Joe Faine was named to the Academic All-American Second-Team in 1979-80.

1,000 Point Scorers
A total of eight different players joined the 1,000 career points club for the Falcons from 1975-85.

Colin Irish, who played for the Falcons from 1979-84, which included a medical redshirt during the 1981-82 season, finished his career at BGSU with a total of 1,567 career points. Despite averaging over 14 points per game for his career, Irish never led the Falcons in scoring during his time at BGSU, but was a two-time MAC Champion. However, he was consistent, as Irish averaged 12.9 points per game as a freshman, jumped up to 14.5 points per game his sophomore season and then improved that once again to 14.9 points per contest his junior year. He would average 14.7 points per game his senior season. Irish still ranks eighth all-time on BGSU's career scoring list.

A teammate of Irish for four years from 1980-84, David Jenkins totaled 1,525 career points as a Falcon. Also a two-time MAC Champion, Jenkins went from averaging 4.6 points per game as a freshman in 1980-81 to leading the team in scoring with 18.7 points per game in 1982-83 and 17.9 points per contest in 1983-84. His junior season, Jenkins totaled 543 points on the year while shooting over 50 percent from the field overall. Jenkins ranks 10th on BGSU's all-time career points list.

Marcus Newbern finished his career at BGSU from 1978-82 with 1,504 career points, which still ranks 11th all-time in BGSU's 100-year history. Newbern, who was a key factor on the 1980-81 MAC Championship Team, had a strong senior season in 1981-82 in which he scored 582 points overall and led the Falcons in scoring with an average of 20.1 points per game. Newbern improved on his field goal percentage each and every season, going from 46.7 percent his freshman year to shooting 50.6 percent overall his senior season.

Ranked 15th all-time on BGSU's career scoring list, Joe Faine tallied 1,409 career points for the Falcons from 1977-81. Faine, who averaged double digit points all four years he was at BGSU, increased his scoring output each season – averaging 12.3 points per game in 1977-78, 14.7 points per contest in 1978-79, 16.5 points per game in 1979-80 and then finished his career with 18.2 points per game as a senior in 1980-81. He led BGSU in scoring in both 1979-80 with 16.5 points per game and in 1980-81 with 18.2 points per contest. Faine was efficient from the free throw line during his career at BGSU, as he made 265-of-317 foul shot attempts which is ranked third all-time in BGSU's career record books with a career free throw percentage of 83.6 percent overall.

Keith Taylor, who played for BGSU from 1981-85, was not only a member of the 1982-83 MAC Championship Team but he also scored 1,283 career points during his time at Bowling Green. Taylor, who averaged 1.9 points per game in only 14 games as a freshman in 1981-82, led BGSU with an average of 22.2 points per game as a senior in 1984-85. His 600 points that year ranks as the eighth most points by a Falcon in a single season, while his average of 22.2 points per game in 1984-85 is tied for the 10th highest single season scoring average by a Falcon in BGSU's history. Taylor poured in a career-high 39 points at Western Michigan on Jan. 19, 1985.

Ron Hammye finished his BGSU career with 1,208 career points, in which he scored 325 points or more in three different seasons including 376 points as a sophomore. Suiting up for the Falcons from 1974-78, Hammye averaged only 5.9 points per game as a freshman despite shooting 51.7 percent from the field overall on the year. He increased his scoring output to 14.5 points per game the following season in 1975-76 and then concluded his career with an average of 13.5 points per contest in both 1976-77 and 1977-78.

In only two years at BGSU, Tommy Harris not only led the Falcons in scoring but he also totaled 1,137 career points overall from 1975-77. Harris scored 513 points overall and averaged a team-high 19.0 points per game in his first season at BGSU in 1975-76. He followed that year up with 624 points and a team-best 23.1 points per game in 1976-77. His 624 total points in 1976-77 ranks as the fifth most points by a Falcon in a single season, while his single season scoring average of 23.1 points per game that same season ranks sixth all-time in BGSU history. Harris scored 40 points in single game twice during his time as a Falcon, posting 40 points at Marshall in an overtime contest on Dec. 20, 1976 and then matching that with 40 points at Northern Illinois less than a month later on Jan. 15, 1977. Harris' career scoring average of 21.1 points per game still ranks fourth all-time in BGSU's 100-year history.

Bill Faine eclipsed the 1,000 career points mark in his senior season at BGSU and finished his career with 1,055 career points. Faine, who played at BGSU from 1980-84, went from an average of 2.0 points per game as a freshman to 13.4 points per game his senior season. A member of two MAC Championship Teams, scored a total of 381 points and averaged 12.7 points per game in 1982-83, the year of BGSU's sixth MAC Championship. He shot over 50 percent from the field and over 71 percent from the free throw line for his career at BGSU.

All-MAC Accolades
Headlined by BGSU's first-ever MAC Coach of the Year recipient in John Weinert in 1977-78, the Falcons had a total of 21 All-MAC performers and two Academic All-MAC selections over the 10-year period.

Tommy Harris earned All-MAC honors in back-to-back seasons while at BGSU, picking up second-team recognition in 1975-76 and first-team accolades in 1976-77. Harris, who was also named the BGSU Team MVP both seasons, led the Falcons in scoring both years with 19.0 points per game in 1975-76 and 23.1 points per game in 1976-77. In 1976-77, Harris scored 40 points in a single game twice, while his season points total of 624 still ranks fifth all-time for the most points by a Falcon in a single season. Harris also led the team with 86 assists in 1975-76.

Ron Hammye was a two-time All-MAC Honorable Mention selection in both 1975-76 and 1977-78. Hammye, who averaged 14.5 points per game in 1975-76 and 13.5 points per game in 1977-78, led the Falcons in rebounding three straight seasons from 1975-78. He pulled down a team-high 237 rebounds in 1975-76, 225 boards in 1976-77 and 229 rebounds in 1977-78. He was also named the BGSU Team MVP for the 1977-78 season. Hammye still ranks sixth all-time in BGSU career rebounding list with 810 career rebounds and ranks 10th all-time in BGSU history with a career rebounding average of 8.0 boards per game.

Duane Gray was an All-MAC Second-Team honoree in 1978-79 after earning honorable mention recognition in 1977-78. Gray led the Falcons in scoring both seasons, averaging a team-high 13.9 points per game in 1977-78 and a team-best 16.0 points per contest in 1978-79. Gray also led the Falcons in assists with 97 overall in 1977-78 and was tabbed the BGSU Team MVP in 1978-79. He shot a team-high 86.1 percent from the free throw line in 1978-79, which ranks sixth all-time on BGSU's single season free throw percentage list, and he still ranks fourth in BGSU history with a career free throw percentage of 83.2 percent knocking down 134-of-161 free throw attempts overall.

Joe Faine was a two-time All-MAC Second-Team recipient, earning the all-conference honors in both 1979-80 and 1980-81. Faine led the Falcons in scoring with 16.5 points per game in 1979-80 and then averaged a team-high 18.2 points the following season in 1980-81. Faine posted a free throw percentage of 86.6 percent in 1979-80, which still ranks as the third best free throw percentage by a Falcon in BGSU's single season history. He still ranks third all-time on BGSU's career free throw percentage list with a percentage of 83.6 percent overall, making 265-of-317 free throw attempts over his four years at BGSU. Tabbed the BGSU Team MVP in 1980-81, Faine set a new BGSU record with eight steals in a game against Central Michigan on Jan. 17, 1981. That record still stands today.

Marcus Newbern picked up honorable mention honors in both 1979-80 and 1980-81, and then was awarded First-Team All-MAC honors as a senior in 1981-82. Newbern averaged 13.0 points per game in 1979-80 on 49.3 percent shooting from the field and 77.8 percent shooting from the free throw line on the season. He then averaged 12.6 points per game on 49.6 percent shooting in the Falcons' MAC Championship season in 1980-81. As a senior in 1981-82, Newbern led the Falcons with 582 points and an average of 20.1 points per game. Named the BGSU Team MVP in 1981-82, Newbern was named to the BGSU's All-Anderson Team in 2011-12.

Colin Irish was a four-time All-MAC performer, as he picked up honorable mention honors in 1979-80 and 1980-81. He the earned second-team accolades in both 1982-83 and 1983-84. Named the BGSU Team MVP in 1979-80, Irish led the Falcons in rebounding with 239 boards on the season. As a freshman in 1979-80, he averaged 12.9 points per game, on 53.6 percent shooting, and 8.2 rebounds per contest. Irish also led BGSU in rebounding in 1980-81 with 156 rebounds and scored 14.5 points per game that season. He then averaged 14.9 points per game in 1982-83 after missing all but four games the previous year due to an injury. In 1983-84, Irish averaged 14.7 points per game and a team-high 9.3 rebounds per game with a total of 251 rebounds on the season. Irish still ranks fourth all-time in career rebounds with 851 over his Falcon career. Irish was named to BGSU's All-Anderson Team in 2011-12.

Rosie Barnes received All-MAC honorable mention honors in 1979-80 in which he led the team with 142 assists on the season. He also averaged 8.1 points per game that season, shooting 41.5 percent from the field overall and 66.7 percent from the free throw line on the year. Barnes, who also had 163 assists in 1978-79, which ranks as the eight most by a Falcon in a single season in the program's history, still ranks fifth all-time in BGSU history with 395 career assists. He also ranks eight all-time with 160 career steals.

Like Irish, David Greer was a three-time all-conference honoree with honorable mention honors in both 1980-81 and 1981-82, as well as First-Team All-MAC recognition in 1982-83. Greer led the Falcons in assists three consecutive seasons from 1980-83 and ranks first all-time in BGSU's history with 768 career assists. In 1980-81 he led the team with 189 assists and averaged 10.4 points per game in the Falcons' MAC Championship season. He then passed out a program record 242 assists and averaged 9.7 points per game in 1981-82, and then followed that season up with 217 assists and 7.9 points per contest his senior year in 1982-83, in which the BGSU Team MVP led BGSU to another MAC Championship Title. His 242 assists in 1981-82 is still a BGSU single season record, while his 217 assists the following year in 1982-83 is second all-time in BGSU's single season history. He also holds the single game record with 15 assists versus Marshall on Dec. 30, 1980. Greer was named to BGSU's All-Anderson Team in 2011-12.

1983-84 AP All-American Honorable Mention David Jenkins was also a three-time all-conference recipient while at BGSU. Jenkins was named an honorable mention in 1981-82, before earning First-Team All-MAC honors in both 1982-83 and 1983-84. In 1981-82, Jenkins averaged 13.7 points per game for the Falcons as a sophomore and led the team with 72 steals overall on the year. He then went on to lead the Falcons in scoring with 18.7 points per game and in steals with 61 swipes in 1982-83, guiding BGSU to become the MAC regular season champions with a 15-3 league record. Jenkins then averaged 17.9 points per game in 1983-84 as a senior, picking up All-American honorable mention, First-Team All-MAC and BGSU Team MVP honors on the year. He still ranks second all-time in BGSU history with 201 career steals.

Keith Taylor, who led the Falcons in scoring with 22.2 points per game, was named All-MAC Honorable Mention in 1984-85. Taylor, who scored a career-high 39 points versus Western Michigan on Jan. 19, 1985, totaled 600 points that season which ranks as the eight most points by a Falcon in a single season in the program's history. His scoring average of 22.2 points per game his senior season also ranks 10th all-time in BGSU's history. Taylor, who also led the Falcons in steals with 58 in 1983-84, tallied a team-high 49 steals in 1984-85 in which he was also named the BGSU Team MVP. He still ranks 10th all-time in career steals with 148 thefts.

Dan Hipsher (1977) and Greg Kampe (1978) both earned Academic All-MAC honors for the Falcons.

Other Notable Falcons
Brian Miller, who suited up for the Falcons from 1982-86, led BGSU in assists for three straight years from 1983-1986. He totaled 178 assists in 1983-84, which ranks as seventh all-time in BGSU history for assists in a single season by a Falcon. Miller also totaled 88 assists in 1984-85. He would be named to the All-MAC Second-Team and the BGSU Team MVP as a senior in 1985-86 in which he led the Falcons in scoring with 15.1 points per game and in assists with 98 on the year.

Mike Miday led the Falcons in rebounding with 164 boards in 1978-79. Miday, who played for BGSU from 1978-81, also pulled in 170 rebounds in 1979-80 which was second on the team to Colin Irish's team-high 239 rebounds.

Scott Spencer, who played just one season for the Falcons in 1978-79, shot a team-high 60.4 percent from the field overall on the year. His field goal percentage of 60.4 percent, in which he was 119-of-199 overall, still ranks ninth in BGSU history for the best season field goal percentage by a Falcon.

In 1981-82, Lamar Jackson led the Falcons with 196 rebounds on the season, an average of 6.8 per contest. Jackson, who just played two seasons with the Falcons from 1981-83, only pulled down 47 rebounds in 24 games the following year in 1982-83.

Falcons in the NBA Draft
Following a decade in which 13 different Falcons moved on to the professional ranks in either the NBA or ABA from 1965-75, a total of five Falcons in Tommy Harris, Ron Hammye, Rosie Barnes, Joe Faine and Colin Irish were drafted out of BGSU from 1975-85.

Harris was selected by the Boston Celtics in the eighth round of the 1977 NBA Draft, while Ron Hammye was picked in the eighth round by the Kansas City Kings in the 1978 NBA Draft.
Both Barnes and Faine would be drafted by the Houston Rockets. Barnes was selected in the eighth round of the 1980 NBA Draft, while Faine was drafted in the seventh round the following year in the 1981 NBA Draft.

Irish was drafted by the Washington Bullets in the fifth round of the 1984 NBA Draft. He went on to play professionally overseas for Hackney WH, Oxford Devils and the Team Solent in the United Kingdom.

David Greer – Hall of Famer
David Greer is the lone Falcon from 1975-85 that has been selected into the BGSU Athletics Hall of Fame, as he was inducted as part of the Class of 1999.

Greer came to Bowling Green from Canton, where he was a class AAA All-State selection as a senior at Canton McKinley High School. He was the first player in BGSU basketball history to shoot an overall percentage higher than 50% from the field and 80% from the free-throw line for a career. A three-time all-conference honoree with honorable mention honors in both 1980-81 and 1981-82, as well as First-Team All-MAC recognition in 1982-83, Greer led the Falcons in assists three consecutive seasons from 1980-83 and to this day still ranks first all-time in BGSU's history with 768 career assists. His 242 assists in 1981-82 is still a BGSU single season record, while his 217 assists the following year in 1982-83 is second all-time in BGSU's single season history. The two-time MAC Champion, also holds the single game record with 15 assists versus Marshall on Dec. 30, 1980.

Year-by-Year Breakdown

YEAR	RECORD	HEAD COACH	CAPTAIN(S)	LEADING SCORER
1975-76	12-15 (8-8 MAC)	Pat Haley	Andre Richardson	Tommy Harris – 19.0 ppg
1976-77	9-18 (5-11 MAC)	John Weinert	Dan Hipsher, Tommy Harris & Ron Hammye	Tommy Harris – 23.1 ppg
1977-78	12-15 (10-6 MAC)	John Weinert	Ron Hammye	Duane Gray – 13.9 ppg
1978-79	14-13 (6-10 MAC)	John Weinert	Roosevelt Barnes & Mike Miday	Duane Gray – 16.0 ppg
1979-80	20-10 (11-5 MAC)	John Weinert	Roosevelt Barnes & Mitch Kopystynsky	Joe Faine – 16.5 ppg
1980-81	15-12 (10-6 MAC)	John Weinert	Joe Faine & Marcus Newbern	Joe Faine – 18.2 ppg
1981-82	18-11 (10-6 MAC)	John Weinert	Marcus Newbern & David Greer	Marcus Newbern – 20.1 ppg
1982-83	21-9 (15-3 MAC)	John Weinert	David Greer	David Jenkins – 18.7 ppg
1983-84	18-10 (11-7 MAC)	John Weinert	David Jenkins	David Jenkins – 17.9 ppg
1984-85	12-15 (6-12 MAC)	John Weinert	Brian Miller & Keith Taylor	Keith Taylor – 22.2 ppg

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Recent Results