Doyt Perry Stadium, affectionately known to fans as “The Doyt,” has served as the home field of the Bowling Green State University Falcons football team since October 1, 1966, when the Falcons christened the new venue with a 13-0 win over Dayton. The stadium sits on the BGSU campus in Bowling Green, Ohio, and has anchored Falcons football for nearly six decades.
The stadium takes its name from Doyt Perry, the coach who built Bowling Green into a small-college powerhouse during the 1950s and early 1960s, compiling a 77-11-5 record, winning five Mid-American Conference titles, and capturing a national championship in 1959 before becoming the school’s athletic director. The venue has changed shape several times over the years, from its original grass bowl to a modern turf facility.
Stats at a Glance
- Team(s): Bowling Green Falcons (NCAA, Mid-American Conference)
- Location: Bowling Green, Ohio
- Opened: October 1, 1966
- Capacity: About 24,000 (since 2007)
- Playing Surface: FieldTurf (installed 2007; grass 1966-2006)
- Attendance Record: 33,527 vs. Toledo, October 8, 1983
- Named For: Doyt Perry, former BGSU head coach and athletic director
A Stadium Through Changing Eras
When it opened in 1966, Doyt Perry Stadium held about 23,272 fans on natural grass. Bowling Green’s football fortunes and facility grew together through the late 1970s and early 1980s, prompting an expansion that pushed capacity to 33,527 by 1982 — a figure that still stands as the venue’s peak. That capacity produced the stadium’s signature moment on October 8, 1983, when a sellout crowd packed in for the annual rivalry game against Toledo, setting both a school and Mid-American Conference attendance record that has never been broken.
The stadium was reconfigured again in 2007 to bring seating into line with NCAA regulations, settling at its current capacity of roughly 24,000. That same renovation added the Sebo Center behind the north end zone, bringing band seating, luxury suites, and training facilities into the stadium footprint, and swapped the original grass field for FieldTurf.
Honoring a Falcons Legend
The stadium’s namesake, Doyt Perry, remains one of the most decorated figures in Bowling Green athletics history. As head coach from 1955 to 1964, he won five MAC championships and an undefeated 1959 season that was recognized as a small-college national title, a run built in part on experience he gained as a backfield coach under Woody Hayes at Ohio State in the early 1950s. Perry later served as BGSU’s athletic director from 1965 to 1971 and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1988, cementing the stadium’s name as a lasting tribute to his legacy.
Explore more: Explore more iconic stadiums.
For upper-deck seats. Watch line play at the stadium, or the far side of the park from the top of a lift hill.
Sherpa-lined and windproof, with a waterproof back for wet bleachers. Folds into its own pouch.
For late-season football, outdoor hockey and October park nights. Shake, pocket, and stay warm for hours.
Doyt Perry Stadium FAQs
When did Doyt Perry Stadium open?
The stadium opened on October 1, 1966, with Bowling Green defeating Dayton 13-0 in its first game.
What is the capacity of Doyt Perry Stadium?
The stadium currently seats about 24,000 fans, down from a peak capacity of 33,527 that it held from 1982 to 2006.
Who is Doyt Perry Stadium named after?
It’s named for Doyt Perry, Bowling Green’s head football coach from 1955 to 1964 and later the school’s athletic director, who led the Falcons to five MAC titles and a 1959 national small-college championship.
Get More from Doyt Perry Stadium
Log the coasters, stadiums, and venues you’ve experienced, rate Doyt Perry Stadium, and see what your friends thought. Get the ThrillZing app.
Photo: Greenstrat / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.