A year removed from the canceled March Madness tournament and a shortened college football schedule, college sports began to return to normal for most of 2021 .
Here are The Blade’s top 10 college sports storylines of the year.
10. O’Brien announces retirement
After two decades as the University of Toledo athletic director, Mike O’Brien announced his retirement effective April 22, 2022.
O’Brien joined the Rockets’ athletic department in January, 2002. He previously served as an administrator for 15 years at Kansas State, Lamar, Pittsburgh, and Ball State.
Under his near 20-year tenure, O’Brien oversaw an athletics department that won or shared 36 conference championships in nine sports. Since O’Brien’s hiring, the men’s basketball team has made four NIT appearances, the women’s basketball team won the WNIT in 2011 and advanced to the 2017 NCAA tournament, and the football team won two Mid-American Conference titles with 11 bowl appearances.
Toledo is expected to name its next athletic director in February.
9. UT’s Meyers drafted by Tigers
University of Toledo baseball standout Chris Meyers capped his All-American and MAC player of the year-worthy campaign with a selection in the 2021 major league baseball draft. Meyers was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 13th round 375th overall. Myers played first base for the Rockets, but was selected by Detroit as a third baseman.
In his last season with the Rockets, Meyers won the MAC’s triple crown, a first since 1998. He compiled a .378 batting average, hit a school-record 15 home runs, and drove in 55 runs for Toledo.
Meyers became the 47th Toledo player drafted and the first since 2018. Meyers spent his first pro season in both rookie ball and Single-A, hitting a combined .200 with two home runs and 15 RBIs in 34 games.
8. MAC tried to expand — and then didn’t
As NCAA Division I institutions began to announce plans to switch conferences, the MAC looked to join in on the expansion. The MAC reached out to Middle Tennessee State University and Western Kentucky University as nine schools in Conference USA left for other conferences.
Western Kentucky was poised to depart for the MAC, but financial reasons kept MTSU in Conference USA. Shortly after MTSU announced it would stay put, the MAC decided it would not expand.
7. UT men’s basketball gains hardware
Toledo men’s basketball won the MAC regular-season title after finishing the season 21-9, 15-4 in conference play.
Toledo’s regular-season success led to a sweep of the MAC awards. Marreon Jackson was named MAC player of the year, Tod Kowalczyk was chosen as the coach of the year, and Ryan Rollins earned freshman of the year.
The Rockets later competed in the NIT for the second time in three seasons.
6. BGSU women’s basketball wins surprising MAC title
Bowling Green was predicted to finish in second-to-last place in the MAC women’s basketball preseason coaches poll. BGSU went on to win the MAC regular-season title and finish the year 21-8, 14-4 in conference action. Bowling Green had more wins last season than the past two seasons combined (19).
BGSU coach Robyn Fralick was named MAC coach of the year, and guard Lexi Fleming was selected as the conference’s freshman of the year.
The Falcons reached the MAC tournament championship game and went 1-2 in the WNIT.
5. Ohio State football plays in national title game
Ohio State made its second College Football Playoff national championship game appearance in January. The Buckeyes advanced to the national title game after a 49-28 stomping of Clemson. Third-seeded Ohio State faced first-seeded Alabama at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Fla., for the title. Alabama led Ohio State 35-17 at halftime, and eventually went on to win 52-24.
4. UT football nearly upsets Notre Dame
Toledo traveled to South Bend, Ind., to face then No. 8-ranked Notre Dame and took a surprising 16-14 lead at halftime.
Notre Dame led 24-16 with 10:57 left in the fourth quarter. The Rockets cut it to two with 7:48 left, and Dequan Finn's 26-yard touchdown run with 1:35 left put Toledo up 29-24 and in position to pick up one of the biggest wins in program history.
But the Irish marched 75 yards in three plays to take the lead for good.
3. Cooke stars in NCAA tournament
Toledo native Zia Cooke and the University of South Carolina women’s basketball team advanced to the NCAA final four, and for her efforts, Cooke was named the most outstanding performer in South Carolina’s region.
In South Carolina’s Final Four loss to top-seeded Stanford, Cooke scored 25 points on 10-for-23 from the field, including five of eight from behind the 3-point line.
Cooke averaged 16.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game in the NCAA tournament and was named to the all-tournament team.
2. Michigan football breaks through
The Game returned, and so did Michigan’s ability to beat Ohio State. The Wolverines delivered an upset, beating their biggest rival, 42-27. It was the first time since 2011 that Michigan defeated Ohio State and first under Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh.
The win sent Michigan to its first Big Ten championship game, in which it rolled past Iowa for its first Big Ten title under Harbaugh.
The second-ranked Wolverines are headed to the College Football Playoff to face No. 3 Georgia on New Year’s Eve in the Orange Bowl.
1. BGSU football upsets Minnesota
The Bowling Green football team stunned college football on a September Saturday, beating Minnesota after entering the game as a 31½-point underdog. BGSU, which went winless last season, delivered a shocking 14-10 victory on Minnesota’s home field.
Falcons quarterback Matt McDonald rushed for both of BGSU’s touchdowns.
But it was the defense that sealed the deal. The Gophers had the ball with a chance to take the lead late in the fourth quarter after Bowling Green failed to fall on a muffed punt. One play after recovering the fumble, Minnesota quarterback Tanner Morgan lofted a deep interception into the hands of Devin Taylor with 2:13 remaining. Morgan threw another pick with 17 seconds remaining, this one into the hands of Jordan Anderson, to kick-start the BGSU celebration.
The Falcons held Minnesota to 59 passing yards.
First Published December 25, 2021, 2:00 p.m.
