Rocket Report with Bryan B. Blair - Sept. 2023

9/1/2023 6:21:00 AM

By Bryan B. Blair, Vice President and Director of Athletics
Sept. 1, 2023

Rocket Report with Bryan B. Blair

Team Toledo,

Earlier this week, we unveiled Rise Together: A Strategic Plan for Toledo Athletics, a bold new vision for what our athletics program can become. The plan is the culmination of a collaborative effort from our #TeamToledo campus and community stakeholders, athletics staff and student-athletes who came together with the goal of elevating our athletics program to unprecedented heights. As we enter the 2023-24 academic year coming off what was arguably the greatest year ever in Toledo Athletics history, the timing could not be better to strive for bold and audacious goals.

As we put together our strategic plan, we remained focused on the ultimate purpose of Toledo Athletics: to graduate champions who will change the world. Our mission of transforming lives while elevating the University and community through the power of sports is guided by our core values of RISE: Resiliency, Integrity, Servanthood and Excellence. We already have an outstanding athletics program, but now is the time for Toledo Athletics to position itself as the "Gold Standard" of college athletics by following these "flywheel" principles:

Recruit, retain, and develop the best teammates
Generate student-athlete success
Elevate our brand
Enhance "Team Toledo" engagement
Grow Resources
Invest in infrastructure

Over the coming weeks, months and years, you will be hearing a lot about our Rise Together strategic plan. I invite you to read more about this roadmap for Toledo Athletics and to take an active role in helping our vision become a reality. Whether it is buying season tickets, attending events on our campus, investing in our student-athletes, or simply by sharing the #TeamToledo excitement with others in our community, everyone can play their part in shaping the future of Toledo Athletics.

To LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR STRATEGIC PLAN visit RiseTogetherToledo.com

THE 2023-24 SEASON IS HERE!
Our fall sports season has arrived and the excitement and anticipation for all our TEAMS could not be greater! Our Rockets won a school-record six MAC Championships last year, but we are never satisfied. The 2023-24 athletic year promises to be a memorable one so you owe it to yourself to come out to campus and share in the energy and excitement that can only come when you cheer on your Rockets in person.

Our volleyball and soccer teams have already begun their seasons, and they both have high hopes to make runs for Mid-American Conference crowns. Our women's and men's cross country teams open their season at the Tommy Evans Invitational on Sept. 1. Our two-time defending MAC Champion women's squad opens the season ranked No. 28 in the country. Our football team opens its season with a big game at Illinois this Saturday, then takes over the month of September with four consecutive games in the Glass Bowl, beginning with "The Biggest Party in Toledo" in the home opener vs. Texas Southern on Sept. 9, and culminating with the Homecoming Game on Sept. 30.

2023 toledo women's soccer schedule release

Fan Enhancements in the Glass Bowl

Game days in the Glass Bowl are truly one-of-a-kind, featuring a championship program competing in an iconic college football venue. While we have great tradition and an incredible atmosphere, we constantly look for ways to enhance the fan experience. With that in mind, we are rolling out some major enhancements to the game-day experience at the Glass Bowl in 2023! Among the changes are a new tailgate area for UToledo students located closer to the stadium; a Kid Zone with inflatables and other family-friendly activities at Touchdown Town; improved and increased concessions offerings; new in-game elements, and much more. We also have a special new feature that will debut during the home opener that we think will make a big splash on game day!

It's not too late to secure great seats in the Glass Bowl as our Rockets attempt to win back-to-back MAC titles for the first time in more than 50 years! Head Coach Jason Candle has a veteran team with seven All-MAC players returning from last year's MAC Champion squad, including quarterback Dequan Finn and All-American cornerback Quinyon Mitchell. We want to see you in the Glass Bowl at every home game this season!

BRAGGING RIGHTS….
I'd like to recognize these fantastic accomplishments from the past month:

Cartwright Award: For the second consecutive year, Toledo won the Cartwright Award as the top athletics program in the Mid-American Conference! The award is presented annually to one MAC school for excellence in academics, athletics and citizenship during the 2022-23 school year. This is the third time overall that we have won the Cartwright Award, which ties the conference record. We are also only the second school ever to win the award in consecutive years. The highlights from what was an incredible year are too numerous to mention here, but we won six MAC titles, set a school record for grade point average, led the MAC in attendance in Football, Men's Basketball and Women's Basketball, and volunteered over 1,100 hours of community service. There is no doubt that 2022-23 was a historic year for the Rockets!

Varsity T Hall of Fame: Congratulations to our 2023 Varsity T Hall of Fame inductees! Members of the Class of 2023 include seven former student-athletes: Henry Burch, Football (1963-66), Andola Dortch, Women's Basketball (2009-14), Justin Drummond, Men's Basketball (2013-15), Claire Leichty, Women's Swimming & Diving (2008-12), Rick Isaiah, Football (1987-1990), David Menefee, Football (1978-81), and Chris Selfridge, Men's Golf (2011-15),

The 2023 Varsity T Hall of Fame induction banquet is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 22 at The Premier on 4480 Heatherdowns Blvd. in Toledo. The class will also be introduced at halftime of the Rockets' football game vs. Western Michigan on Sept. 23. Please help us honor them and their incredible accomplishments by joining in the celebration!

As you are well aware, college athletics is undergoing a sea change. From Congressional involvement to conference realignment, the ground is truly shifting underneath our feet. Because of this change, the timing has never been better to be a Toledo Rocket. I feel incredibly blessed to be a member of a community that sees student-athletes win championships and academic accolades at an unprecedented rate, with record-breaking community support. While I can't predict the future, controlling what we can control will continue to be the focus, and I assure you that being the best version of Toledo Athletics is and will always be good enough. Working collectively as #TeamToledo, I am confident that we will Rise Together and reach for the stars!

This Community. This University. This Athletics Department.
Together, we will accomplish the "impossible."

Go Rockets!

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