Doyt Stadium Turns 50 in 2016

Birthdays are the one day of the year where the day is completely about you. Valentine's Day? All about the people you love. Arbor Day? Let's focus on the trees. Christmas is similar to a birthday in that you get gifts, but it's a day for all and there's also that one big birthday that's going to overshadow your attention. But the wonder of birthdays is that it is entirely about you. Want to do a bar crawl? Crawl away. Want to celebrate with a golf outing and a barbecue? Fore and fire it up. Want to dominate Chuck E Cheese skeeball and cash in some sweet tickets? Clear it with your parole officer and then go to town.

So you can understand the fun and festivities that are set to pop off with the Bowling Green Falcons as their friendly confines, Doyt L. Perry Stadium, turns 50 years old this year. BG announced today that a host of activities are planned for the birthday celebration, including the culmination of the celebration on October 1 at Homecoming.

"So many great players competed in Doyt Perry Stadium and so many great coaches walked the sidelines in 50 years," BGSU football coach Mike Jinks said in a released statement. "We're privileged to be a part of the celebration. We can't wait to kick the season off Sept. 3 and then to honor our past in front of a packed stadium during Homecoming Oct. 1."

That date is significant because that's 50 years to the day of the first game played at the Doyt, a 13-0 win over Dayton. Times change in the MAC, as a 13-0 game now would make me demand my money back for the lack of sweet tasty MACtion. Something tells me the October 1 game in 2016 (against Eastern Michigan) may have just a smidgen more points on the board.

Whether you're a fan of birthdays for objects, it's hard to argue the success of the Falcons at the building, with a 166-87-6 record at home over the course of its occupancy. I have noticed a signifcant lack of mention of birthday cake, though, so let's try to get that remedied by Homecoming. #TeamBirthdayCake