“What’s in a name that which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet” -Bill Shakespeare Romeo and Juliet.

What, might you be wondering, does a classic Shakespearean line have to do with B.G.S.U. athletics? (Please excuse the rhetorical question, this is my first-ever blog post and I am trying to make it sound as web-worthy as possible). The line I am referencing came to mind recently when the athletic department revealed plans to “dress up” our beloved football stadium. Included in the plans were updated signage and stunning graphics to give the stadium a more modern feel. It is the one graphic, set to take its place on the West side press box, that has prompted me to state my feelings on a subject that has been on my mind for the past few seasons.

Welcome to The Doyt
It’s not even the fact that our 10 Mid-American Conference championship seasons are being covered- heck I’ll submit that even our mighty “Home of The Fighting Falcons 1984 National Champions” sign looked a bit dated in the early ‘90s at the Ice Arena and needed to be changed. The thing that has got my tail feathers slightly ruffled is that this hallowed temple of football worship has been minimized to a trendy catch phrase. Even worse, in my opinion, is that by doing so you are offering a bit of disservice to the legendary man for whom first the field, and now the stadium are named for each and every time Perry Stadium is referenced as The Doyt.

With this captive audience there is no need to go in to a history lesson on how important Doyt L. Perry is to Bowling Green football. He is our Lombardi, our Auerbach, our Woody, our Bo- heck he had Bo on one of his staffs and is credited as being a bit of a mediator between the Buckeye and Wolverine headmen!

I am reminded of a few years back when San Diego’s Jack Murphy Stadium was relegated to being called “The Murph”. At the time, I was in my early teens, I read an article about how by doing that you are disrespecting Jack Murphy- a notable local sportswriter who is routinely credited for bringing major league baseball to the area. (I’d hate to read the author’s thoughts now that the stadium naming rights have been sold to a computer-tech company) That notion has stuck with me and resonated a few years back when many in burnt orange and seal brown began referring to our fall Saturday afternoon meeting place as The Doyt.

Have I called Perry Stadium The Doyt? Yes. Will I again? Probably. But, after a perusal of my thoughts on this page I have come to the understanding that it is not so much the fact that “The Doyt” is in our vernacular, it is the fact that it has now become concrete- the phrase will now adorn the inner sanctum of our gridiron arena. I had an inkling of this same feeling a few years ago when we added a new scoreboard and signage to the outside of the board facing Wooster Street. I was subconsciously worried that the sign would read “The Doyt”. Thankfully that sign read, and still reads, Doyt L. Perry Stadium.

The Swamp, The Bayou, The Big House, Death Valley et al
All are trendy and cute names for “big time” college football stadiums. Only one of the listed examples has an individual’s name attached to it and that individual was a major benefactor, rather than a major innovator. I want to be able to tell anyone who drives by I75 about Doyt Perry; I want our M.A.C. brethren to hear the name of the man who left such a strong legacy at Bowling Green and throughout the college football coaching ranks. I am reminded of how cool it was to hear ESPN’s Reese Davis utter the words “You don’t just walk into Doyt Perry Stadium and come away with a victory” to a national television audience and how bland it would have been if he said “They Doyt” instead. I want to honor the legacy of a rich football tradition. What I don’t want is for that history to be minimized or lost to catch phrases and innuendos on why our colors don’t include a green hue, and snippets featuring professional bowlers rather than the legends of our fine institution.

Since 1966 the Falcons have been playing football at what was once University Stadium, then Doyt L. Perry Field, and now Doyt. L. Perry Stadium with its enhanced scoreboard and sparkling new Sebo Athletic Center. With a fresh outlook and commitment to improving the venue, I hope that we can continue to instill our link to the past regarding the patriarch of Falcon football. I am not advocating the banning of the phrase “The Doyt”, but rather I ask that whenever possible we still refer to the stadium by its full name. At a time when the athletic department is re-branding itself with new logos and a consistent presence, it is the least we can do to honor a man who was “our Doyt.”

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