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BGSU Hall of Fame Inductees
• Pete Farrell, 1982 • Dennis Mepham, 1986 • Neil Ridgway, 1990 • Mickey Cochrane, 1993 % • Dave Dyminski, 1994 • Gary Palmisano, 1998
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• Bud Lewis, 2000 • Rob Martella, 2002 • Steve Klein, 2006 • Scott Vallow, 2009
% inducted into NSCAA Hall of Fame in 1995
PETE FARRELL – 1982
Pete Farrell was a standout on both the Falcon soccer and lacrosse teams when those sports were in their early stages at Bowling Green. Born and raised in the Baltimore, Md., area, Farrell came to BG in 1965. He played on the freshman soccer and lacrosse teams in 1965-66, and then was a three-year regular on the varsity team in both sports.
Farrell was co-captain of the soccer team as both a junior and senior. In his senior season, he was voted as the team’s most valuable player and was named to the All-Ohio team at his centerback position after helping the Falcons to their first winning season.
In his three years on the lacrosse team, Farrell helped the Falcons to a 24-9 record. He was named first team All-Midwest three times, and received honorable mention on the All-America team as a sophomore and junior. As a senior, Farrell was a second team All-America pick, and scored the winning goal in the North-South All-Star game.
DENNIS MEPHAM – 1986
Dennis Mepham played four years of soccer and two years of basketball during his Falcon tenure. He was twice named All-Ohio and All-Mideast, and was a 1979 All-American striker. As a senior, Mepham co-captained the soccer team, while leading the team in scoring as a junior and senior. Upon graduation, he held the school records for goals in a season (11) and career (25). He also had the BG records for points in a season (13) and career (34).
Mepham was drafted by the Rochester Lancers of the North American Soccer League in 1980, and played for the Lancers as well as the Rochester Flash of the American Soccer League. He also played outdoors for the Buffalo Storm of the United Soccer League in 1984. Mepham’s professional experience also included a lengthy tenure indoors, as he played with the Buffalo Stallions of the Major Indoor Soccer League from 1980-84, and the Cleveland Force from ‘84 through ‘88. Mepham also saw time with the Cleveland Crunch in the MISL. He was named to the MISL All-Star team on multiple occasions, and also was named to the USL (1984) and ASL (1981-82) All-Star teams.
NEIL RIDGWAY – 1990
Neil Ridgway left BGSU holding almost every record possible. The Stockport, England, native finished his Falcon tenure as the school’s career leader in assists, with 33, and points, with 107. On the single-season list, Ridgway dished out 17 assists in the 1983 campaign, which at the time was six more than any other player in school history.
The team MVP as a sophomore, junior and a senior, Ridgway earned All-Amercan honors in 1982 and 1983 while he was a three-time all-region and All-Ohio pick. Additionally, he was the top midfielder in the state of Ohio in both his junior and senior seasons.
Ridgway began his professional career in 1984 with the Memphis Americans of the Major Indoor Soccer League, and also had a lengthy tenure in the American Indoor Soccer Association, which later became the National Professional Soccer League. He played outdoors with the Chicago Sting of the NASL, and his indoor career saw him play for multiple franchises in the AISA and NPSL. Additionally, he has over 30 years of youth coaching experience.
MICKEY COCHRANE – 1993
Cornelius “Mickey” Cochrane, the father and architect of the BGSU men’s soccer and lacrosse programs, has earned nearly every award possible. He initiated both the soccer and lacrosse programs at BG in 1965, after serving as club coach of both sports at the University the year before.
On the soccer pitch, just seven short seasons after the sport’s inception at the varsity level, he coached the Falcons to the first of two consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances in 1972. The Falcons also captured the Ohio Conference championship in ‘73 en route to that NCAA trip.
By the time he stepped down from his coaching duties in 1977 (to concentrate on teaching as an associate professor in the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation), Cochrane had compiled a 13-year record of 68-56-14 at BG, including a 61-39-10 mark over his final 10 seasons.
Cochrane received Ohio Collegiate Soccer Association Coach-of-the-Year recognition on two occasions (1969 and 1972) and led the Falcons to an OCSA championship in ’73. He was bestowed the OCSA’s Honor Award in 1989 and was inducted into the BGSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1993. He also is a member of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Hall of Fame.
Cochrane was a member of the first NCAA Soccer Tournament selection committee that shaped the inaugural tourney in 1959. He received the NSCAA’s Letter of Commendation in 1964, served as the association’s president in 1969, was given the NSCAA’s prestigious Honor Award in 1978 (the association’s highest prize signifying lifetime service to the sport), and received the Intercollegiate Soccer Association of America’s Jeffrey Award in 1984 for his work in the preservation of soccer history, records and memorabilia.
In lacrosse, Cochrane had an outstanding record of 88-24 in his 10 years as head coach. He led the Falcons to an undefeated season in 1970, securing the Midwest Lacrosse Association title and a Top Ten ranking by the Baltimore Sun newspaper. The Falcons also won MLA titles in 1974 and 1975.
A 1952 graduate of Oberlin College, Cochrane was a member of the first NCAA Tournament selection committee that shaped the sport’s inaugural tourney in 1959. He received an NSCAA Letter of Commendation in 1964, served as the association’s president in 1969, was given the NSCAA’s prestigious Honor Award in 1978 (the association’s highest prize signifying lifetime service to the sport), and received the Intercollegiate Soccer Association of America’s Jeffrey Award in 1984 for his work in the preservation of soccer history, records and memorabilia.
Cochrane’s award list is seemingly endless. He received BGSU’s Honorary Alumnus Award in 1987, was inducted into the BGSU Athletics Hall of Fame half a decade later, and also is a member of the NSCAA and Oberlin Halls of Fame. Additionally, Cochrane was inducted into the Ohio Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1995.
Decades after ‘retiring,’ Cochrane continued to serve as curator of the Athletic Archives at BGSU. The University soccer field was dedicated in his honor in 1980.
DAVE DYMINSKI – 1994
Dave Dyminski was a mainstay on BGSU soccer teams in the early 1970s, helping the Falcons compile a 25-13-2 record. In addition, he helped the Orange and Brown to the first-ever NCAA appearance in program history in 1972, and led the Falcons back to the NCAAs in ‘73.
Dyminski was a three-time First-Team All-Ohio choice and an All-Midwest selection. He earned multiple All-American honors as a Falcon, having collected honorable-mention accolades in 1972 and second-team laurels in 1973.
Dyminski ranked no lower than fourth on the team in scoring in any of his four seasons, and concluded his Falcon career with 17 goals and nine assists. The Webster, N.Y., native was a second-round selection of the Rochester Lancers of the North American Soccer League.
GARY PALMISANO – 1998
Gary Palmisano earned two letters (1972-73) as a member of the Falcon soccer program posting a 15-3-2 record as a goalkeeper and helping the Falcons to NCAA Tournament berths in each season, the first two appearances in the history of the program.
He began his coaching career in 1975 as a graduate assistant coach under fellow BGSU Hall-of-Famer Mickey Cochrane and after two additional seasons as a part-time assistant coach, Palmisano was named head coach in 1978 after Cochrane’s retirement.
In 10 of his 16 seasons at the helm, the Falcons won 10 or more matches as the Commack, N.Y. native posted a sparkling 172-97-25 (62.8%) record. His 1992 squad posted a 15-2-1 mark and earned the highest national ranking in the history of the program. That group of Falcons was ranked as high as third in the nation before finishing the season ranked ninth in the country.
‘Palmo’ was named the Mideast Coach of the Year twice (1992 and 1983) and was the Ohio Collegiate Soccer Association Coach of the Year three times (1992, 1987, 1983). He was also one of the driving forces behind soccer being recognized as a MAC sport in 1993. He coached five All-Americans and a like number of Academic All-Americans during his career.
He spent more than a year working at the Detroit venue for the 1994 World Cup as the director of operations and deputy venue executive director. He did not coach at BGSU in 1993 due to his duties with the World Cup, but returned to Northwest Ohio and coached the Falcons in the ‘94 season before his sudden and unexpected death on Dec. 8, 1994.
BUD LEWIS – 2000
Leon “Bud” Lewis was a four-year letterwinner and was selected an NCAA All-American in 1974. He helped the Falcons earn the first two NCAA berths in program history in 1972 and ‘73. A native of Penfield, N.Y., Lewis was drafted by the Cincinnati Comets of the ASL (1975) and played one season with the Comets before joining the Buffalo Blazers of the Canadian Soccer League.
After enjoying tremendous success as a player at BGSU, Lewis has reached incredible heights on the coaching side of the game. He became the head coach at Wilmington College in 1975 and embarked upon an epic 43year career with the Quakers. Lewis had a record of 506-279-58, for an impressive .635 winning percentage. His teams captured 11 conference championships and made 10 national tournament appearances, including a berth in the NAIA Final Four in 1986.
Entering the fall of 2021, Lewis was ranked ninth in NCAA Division III history in total wins.
ROB MARTELLA –2002
Rob Martella was a four-year letterwinner and a scoring machine for the Falcons. He helped the Falcons to a 50-18-8 (.711) record during his four years, including a 31-4-3 (.855) over his final two seasons of 1991 and 1992.
A Cincinnati, Ohio native, Martella was named an NSCAA First-Team All-American following his senior year, and was selected to participate in the 1992 ISAA Senior Bowl. He totaled 45 goals and 115 points for his career.
Martella was the first player in school history to earn NSCAA All-Region status in all four years, and remains the only player in BGSU soccer history to lead the team in scoring in four consecutive seasons.
He was named the team’s top rookie in his initial season of 1989, earned co-MVP honors in 1990 and was the team MVP in 1992. A four-time All-MASC (Mid-American Soccer Conference) and All-Ohio First Team pick, he remained with the Falcons as a volunteer student assistant coach in 1993, before graduating in 1994 with a bachelor’s degree in sport management.
Martella returned to BGSU as the assistant men’s soccer coach in 1998, and spent three seasons on the staff under head coach Mel Mahler. In 2001, Martella became Director of Soccer Operations for US Youth Soccer, beginning a successful 15-year career with that organization. In 2016, he was named Director of Operations for North Texas Soccer.
STEVE KLEIN – 2006
Steve Klein, a native of Nashville, Tenn., ended his standout career in the Brown and Orange by being named the MAC Player of the Year and an NSCAA First-Team All American as a senior. A three-time All-Mideast Region honoree, he led the MAC and the region in scoring in that senior season of 1996, with 50 points on 18 goals and 14 assists. Klein tied the school single-season record for assists with 17 as a sophomore, earning allleague and All-Ohio first-team accolades that fall, and was on the all-region second team.
Klein scored 26 points as a junior, en route to first-team all-league, all-state and all-region recognition. He helped the Falcons to a four-year record of 57-20-4, including an 18-4-1 ledger as a senior, when BG won the MAC’s regular-season and tournament crowns. BG advanced to the ‘Sweet 16’ of the NCAA Championships in both his junior and senior seasons. Klein finished his career as the Falcons’ all-time leader in both assists (45) and points (119).
Klein was drafted by the New England Revolution in the third round of the 1997 MLS College Draft. He played professionally for over a decade, including three seasons each with the Charleston Battery of the A-League and Vancouver Whitecaps of the USL. He was named to the USA First Division All-League First Team while with the latter club, and also was named to the USL First Division Top-25 players of the decade.
Klein founded the PA Classics club program in 2004, and serves as the director of coaching and the US Soccer Development Academy Team Head Coach. He was US Soccer’s U17-18 Academy Coach of the Year in 2009-10.
SCOTT VALLOW – 2009
Scott Vallow, a native of Naperville, Ill., was a four-year starter and two-time All-American for head coach Mel Mahler’s Falcons, and still holds several Mid-American Conference goalkeeping records. He had at least 10 shutouts in each of his four seasons, and a career goals-against average of just 0.74. Most importantly, Vallow led the Falcons to three consecutive NCAA Championships appearances (1995-97), with trips to the Sweet 16 in the latter two years.
Vallow burst onto the scene as a freshman in 1995, with a 15-3-2 record and a GAA of 0.52. His GAA not only led the MAC, but ranked second in the nation (tops among all freshmen). He had a scoreless-minutes streak of nearly 550 minutes, spanning parts of six matches, and led the Falcons to the MAC regular-season and tournament titles for the first of three consecutive years.
As a sophomore in 1996, Vallow saw action in all but 44:40 of the team’s total minutes, finishing the regular season ranked second in the region and ninth in the nation in GAA. He ended the year with a school-record 18 wins, and had 10 complete-game shutouts, playing in the bulk of two other shutout wins. In ‘97, Vallow tied the school record with 12 shutouts en route to 16 overall wins. He was selected as the Ohio Collegiate Soccer Association Player of the Year, and also earned NSCAA All-America Third-Team honors for the first of two consecutive seasons. Vallow had 16 wins, a GAA of 0.85 and 100 saves, and also earned Soccer News All-America honorable mention. He was a first-team All-Mideast Region, All-Ohio and All-MAC selection, and again was named to the MAC’s All-Tournament Team as the Falcons won a third consecutive title. In the NCAA Tournament, Vallow recorded shutouts in both the Falcons’ play-in game vs. Colgate and BGSU’s first-round win at Marquette.
As a senior, Vallow was an All-MAC First-Team choice, and was the runner up in the coaches voting the MAC Player of the Year. He recorded 10 shutouts for his fourth-straight double-digit season in that category, and had a GAA of 0.87. For the second year in a row, Vallow was selected to the All-Mideast Region and All-Ohio first teams and was an NSCAA All-America Third-Team choice.
Vallow went on to a lengthy professional career, playing with the Rochester Rhinos of the United Soccer League, Division 1 (formerly the A-League) and becoming that club’s all-time leader in wins, shutouts and saves. He also played with the Dallas Burn (‘99, ‘02) and Colorado Rapids (‘03, ‘04) of MLS. In addition to his playing career, Vallow has coached at multiple levels. Currently, he is an assistant coach with the North Carolina Courage of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), where he helped the team to league titles in both 2018 and ‘19.
