The National Football Foundation (NFF) and Bowling Green State University will mutually honor Hall of Fame electee and former BGSU football head coach Urban Meyer with an NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute.

This salute will take place on Bowling Green’s season opener against Lafayette on Thursday, Aug. 28, which is also the first game of head coach Eddie George.

“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,” said Meyer. “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 staff 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.”

Meyer coached the Falcons during the 2001 and 2002 seasons. He led the Orange and Brown to a 17-6 record in his two years, earning the 2001 Mid-American Conference (MAC) coach of the year while spearheading one of the greatest turnarounds in NCAA football history. He even climbed to No. 20 in the final AP poll.

The NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute program started with the inaugural College Football Hall of Fame Class in 1951.
“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,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “We are thrilled to honor him at Doyt Perry Stadium as a member of the 2025 College Football Hall of Fame Class.”

Meyer becomes the third coach in program history to get into the College Football Hall of Fame. Joining former head coaches Doyt Perry (1988) and Don Nehlen (2005).

After his time at Bowling Green, Meyer went on to coach at Utah, Florida and Ohio State. Winning three national titles, two with the Gators (2006, 2008) and one with the Buckeyes in 2014.

During the NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes, each electee returns to their respective school to accept a Hall of Fame plaque that will stay on permanent display at each institution.