Since Chris Kingston was hired on June 9 of last year, he has made two major hires.

In Kingston’s first year as director of Athletics at the University, he hired Dino Babers as the new football head coach and Chris Jans as men’s basketball head coach.

“Both of those hires have created a lot of buzz and have created a lot of interest in BGSU,” said Assitant Athletic Director of Athletic Communications Jason Knavel.

Kingston came in right away with a lot of ideas for the direction of the athletic department. Not only did Kingston bring those ideas, but he also found ways to implement a lot of those ideas regardless of the University’s financial bottom line, Knavel said.

“Chris is somebody who has the ideas but also has ways to get those accomplished as well,” Knavel said.

Craig Sandlin, assistant athletic director for Marketing and Promotions, mentioned times when Kingston dressed up for Halloween, took shots on goal against the University head coaches or jumped into the stands with the Falcon Fanatics.

“That attitude is going to rub off on people,” Sandlin said.

Knavel said he anticipates a lot of interest in Babers and Jans in their first years as head coaches.

He said the hire of Babers as the new head football coach paired with the team coming off of a Mid-American Conference championship has created a potential for another great year.

Babers was named head coach Dec. 18 of last year and since then he has coined the term “Falcon Fast” for his team.

“That [‘Falcon Fast’] energy and that enthusiasm is who he is and what he is,” Knavel said.

Jans was announced as the men’s head basketball coach on March 25 of this year.

The addition of Jans as the head coach for the men’s basketball team has “breathed new life” into the program, Knavel said.

Anytime there is a major head coaching change like the University has had this year, marketing seeks out to highlights those.

“When you have an excited fan base, you have to use that,” Sandlin said. “We’ll absolutely be utilizing those changes as a tool to get people engaged.”

Sandlin said the nature of the new coaches will also help engage fans. He said Babers’ high energy offense will bring fans in and Jans is focusing on getting involved in the community to drum up support.

“There’s nothing more you can ask for than a coach who wants to be involved, and both of these guys seem to want to do that,” Sandlin said.

Knavel said the hype may be substantial around these two new head coaches, but it’s the result that matters in the end.

“If you don’t win games, that’s a tough obstacle to overcome if you [want to] get people into the stands,” he said. “Our job is to find ways to get people in the seats regardless of how the teams are doing, but it certainly makes it easier when they are winning games.”

Senior Jordan Dotson believes the addition of these new coaches will have an impact on student turnout because big names attract more people. He said Babers and Jans will also have an impact on the players.

“I feel like this new coaching staff will definitely provide an extra push for young students in athletics. They have a lot to accomplish and a lot to learn,” he said.

Kingston has hired two coaches who have are bringing a lot of excitement to each team.

“It’s an exciting time to a BGSU fan,” Kingston said. “I think it’s a great time to jump on board and be a BGSU fan.”