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Early history
The university was one of several institutions established in the Progressive Era to meet demands for
training and professional development of teachers when representatives of the Ohio chose Bowling Green in 1910 as the location
for a northwest Ohio normal school.[6][7] The representatives established the school at a site on the eastern side of the town
on 82.5 acres (0.334 km2) of land that included a town park.[7] The school opened in 1914 and was originally known as Bowling G
reen State Normal School and enrolled 304 students in 1914, primarily from Ohio, Michigan, and New York who were taught by the
original faculty of 21.[6] The school graduated 35 certified teachers in 1915, the same year that the campus’ first two
buildings, University Hall and Williams Hall, opened their doors. Two years later the first baccalaureate degrees were
awarded. Setting the pace for teacher education in Ohio with four-year degree programs, Bowling Green State Normal School
achieved the status of college in 1929 and expanded its curriculum through the addition of the College of Liberal Arts,
now known as the College of Arts and Sciences.
On October 28, 1927, the nickname “Falcons” was originated by the sports editor of the Daily Sentinel-Tribune. He thought
the Falcon was fitting because it was indicative of a powerful bird that was small in stature, its coloring represented the
Bowling Green school colors, and like the athlete, the falcon is a bird that goes through a long period of training before
battle. At the time the school was still named Bowling Green State Normal College, Common nicknames, used by sports writers
throughout the state, were “B.G. Normals,” “Teachers,” and the “B.G. Pedagogues" [9] The addition of graduate programs and
the College of Business Administration helped to raise the status of the institution from the college level when it was
designated Bowling Green State University in 1935.[10] With continued growth, the Graduate School was formed, and BGSU
awarded its first doctoral degree in English in 1963.
Freddie or Frieda
Through the years Freddie and Frieda's
appearances have changed several times, perhaps by accident or maybe on purpose. During the summer of 1950, the old Falcon's Nest
(home to Freddie and Frieda) was located in a log cabin on the current site of the Bowen-Thompson Student Union. Apparently, some
hungry mice got into the cabin and devoured Freddie's papier-mâché head right down to the chicken wire frame. The following year,
Freddie's head had a new look. Instead of papier-mâché, he wore something resembling a rubber chicken mask. Today, Freddie and
Frieda's costumes look similar to other college mascots' outfits. They are made of fiberglass, paint and synthetic brown material to
look like feathers.
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