Legendary Bobcat athlete and coach Kermit Blosser passed away this past Saturday in The Plains.
Blosser, a 1932 graduate of Ohio University, was a member of both the Ohio football and wrestling teams. At the end of his career he had won a national championship while wrestling in the 191-pound weight class and helped to bolster the football team's sparkling three-year record of 24-1-1.
It was not until 1947 that Blosser took the job that would give him the most fame, head coach of the Ohio men's golf team. Even though he had never played golf in his life, Blosser proved to be a quick learner and his team won its first conference title after just four years, in 1951.
Holding the post until 1988, Blosser won 18 conference championships while having the opportunity to coach players like PGA champion Dow Finsterwald. Blosser still holds the mark for most championships by a coach of any sport in Mid-American Conference history.
In 1966, Blosser was enshrined in the Ohio Athletics Hall of Fame, the NCAA Golf Coaches Hall of Fame in 1980, and the MAC Hall of Fame in 1988. Two years later, the MAC's golf coach of the year award was named after Blosser. In 2003 the Golf Coaching Association of America decided to make Kermit the namesake of their annual tournament held in Orlando, Fl.
Current golf coach Bob Cooley played for Blosser before succeeding him in 1998 and his respect for his old coach goes unrivaled.
He was a legend here at (Ohio)
said Cooley, one of our all-time great athletes and one of the sport's greatest coaches.
Following his retirement, Blosser remained heavily involved in Ohio athletics, even serving as an assistant under former Athletic Director Thomas Boeh. The importance of replacing a man of Blosser's stature has not been lost on the Bobcat mentor.
It's been a real honor. Kermit's known all over the United States. To meet the people he knew and learn the things he knew was amazing. This is a great loss for the school he said.
Kermit Blosser was 95. A celebration of his life will take place at 5 p.m. Feb. 27 in The Convo.
Bailey runs down awards
Junior sprinter Dan Bailey has been on a hot streak as of late. Bailey was named MAC Track athlete of the week for the week of Feb. 13, thanks, in part, to a strong performance at the All-Ohio Championships in Findlay.
Bailey was able to win the 400-meters and take home second in the 200-meters, posting times of 49.96 and 22.58 seconds, respectively. He was also on the 4 by 400 team that placed first at the event with a time of 3:21.93.
It's a big confidence booster. I've set a couple personal bests in indoor this year and I'm really proud of that said Bailey. Hopefully I can just carry that into the MAC Championships.
Bailey, a physical education major, was also named the MAC Scholar Athlete of the Week for the week of Feb. 6. Given to the week's most outstanding MAC competitor with at least a 3.0 GPA, the award shows that Bailey understands the rigors of being a true student-athlete.
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