Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
Bowling Green State University, along with the National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Football Hall of Fame will jointly honor 2025 College Football Hall of Fame electee Coach Urban Meyer with an NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute. The Salute will take place during the Falcons' season-opening home game against Lafayette on Aug. 28.
Meyer's salute will also serve as the first football game of head coach Eddie George’s Bowling Green tenure. George was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2011.
"Bowling Green is where I started my head coaching career, and it's only appropriate that my first NFF On-Campus Salute is at Doyt Perry Stadium," Meyer said. "BGSU is a special place and was an integral part of my trajectory as a head coach. I inherited an incredible senior class in 2001 that inspired the nation's top turnaround in college football, going from 2-8 to 8-3. I was also surrounded by great staffs along the way — and that was especially true at BGSU. We cherished our time at Bowling Green, and I am proud to be a Falcon for the rest of my life. Shelley and I are looking forward to seeing many familiar and friendly faces when we return on August 28."
The NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute program, which began with the inaugural College Football Hall of Fame Class in 1951, has become a hallowed tradition, and to this day the singular events remain the first of numerous activities in the Hall of Fame experience.
"Winning 85 percent of his games and claiming three national titles, Urban Meyer guided four different FBS programs and became one of the most successful and transformative coaches in college football history," NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell said. "We are thrilled to honor him at Doyt Perry Stadium as a member of the 2025 College Football Hall of Fame Class."
During the NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes, each electee returns to his respective school to accept a Hall of Fame plaque that will stay on permanent display at the institution. The events take place on the field during a home game, and many Hall of Famers cite the experience as the ultimate capstone to their careers, providing them one more chance to take the field and be recognized in front of their home crowd.
Meyer began his head coaching career at Bowling Green, where he engineered a dramatic turnaround. Taking over a team that had finished 2-9 the previous year, he led the Falcons to an 8-3 record in his first season and earned MAC Coach of the Year honors in 2001. In 2002, BGSU opened with an 8-0 start and finished 9-3, climbing to No. 20 in the final AP poll.
Over two seasons, Meyer compiled a 17-6 overall record, and in 2001, the Falcons became the first Mid-American Conference team to post a 3-0 mark against BCS opponents in a single season. He went on to coach at Utah, Florida, and Ohio State, winning 85.4 percent of his games (187-32-0) and capturing three national championships while cementing his legacy as one of the most successful and transformative coaches in college football history.
The Toledo, Ohio, native now becomes the third coach from Bowling Green to enter the College Football Hall of Fame. He joins former BGSU head coaches Doyt Perry (1988) and Don Nehlen (2005) in the College Football Hall of Fame.
Meyer is a member of the Utah Athletics Crimson Club Hall of Fame, the Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame, and the Ashtabula County Football Hall of Fame. He currently serves as a host and analyst on FOX's Big Noon Kickoff.
THE 2025 CFB HALL OF FAME CLASS INDUCTION
The 2025 class includes Montee Ball (Wisconsin), Gregg Carr (Auburn), Blake Elliott (Saint John's [MN]), Greg Eslinger (Minnesota), Terry Hanratty (Notre Dame), Graham Harrell (Texas Tech), John Henderson (Tennessee), Michael Huff (Texas), Jim Kleinsasser (North Dakota), Alex Mack (California), Terrence Metcalf (Mississippi), Haloti Ngata (Oregon), Steve Slaton (West Virginia), Darrin Smith (Miami, FL), Michael Strahan (Texas Southern), Dennis Thurman (Southern California), Michael Vick (Virginia Tech), Ryan Yarborough (Wyoming), and coaches Larry Blakeney (Troy), Larry Korver (Northwestern College [IA]), Urban Meyer (Bowling Green, Utah, Florida, Ohio State) and Nick Saban (Toledo, Michigan State, LSU, Alabama).
The 2025 College Football Hall of Fame Class will officially be inducted during the 67th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 9, 2025, at Bellagio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
Including the 2025 Hall of Fame Class, only 1,111 players and 237 coaches have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame from the nearly 5.86 million who have played or coached the game during the past 157 years. In other words, less than two one-hundredths of a percent (0.02 percent of the individuals who have played/coached the game have earned this distinction.
