“We are thrilled and excited to be Falcons now,” said Athletic Director Gregory Christopher at a campus press conference June 15.

The new director said he accepted the position because Bowling Green is “a first-rate academic institution, a terrific community for families and it has a rich athletic tradition—by all accounts, this is a terrific opportunity,” he said.

The former associate athletic director for external relations at Purdue University, Christopher jokingly referred to the BGSU football game against Wisconsin in Cleveland this September, saying, “Whether you’re gold (Purdue) or brown, it’s great to beat the Badgers.”

Christopher and his wife got a warm welcome from students, coaches, faculty and administrators at a reception that evening in the Bowen-Thompson Student Union.