By Bryan B. Blair, Vice President and Director of Athletics
Sept. 28, 2023
 

Team Toledo, 

Welcome to Homecoming Week, one of my favorite times of the year! Homecoming is our opportunity to unite all members of #TeamToledo, including current students, University alumni, faculty and staff, and the community to celebrate the pride in our great university. This year's celebration is even more special as it marks the 100th anniversary of the very first time we gathered for the fun-filled week to pay tribute to the history, traditions, and impact of this campus, with the tens of thousands of people who have found a "home" in Toledo. I'm excited to connect with more Rockets and to share with you all the great things that are happening in our Athletic Department.

First and foremost, thank you to all the Rocket Fans who joined us for the "Biggest Party in Toledo". The day included the debut of a host of new game-day enhancements to the fan experience, like new tailgating experiences for our students and fans; a revamped Rocket Walk; "Touchdown Town," a family-friendly kids zone; upgrades to our concessions; the "Touchdown Tank; and added fireworks and pyrotechnics, and ended with the highest season-opener attendance in five years. 

• Briggs:  Biggest party in Toledo gives way to historic Rockets Beatdown
• Editorial: Mission beyond football

Whether you are an alumnus or a Rockets fan, I invite you to participate in the pageantry and tradition of Homecoming this Saturday. Start the day with the Homecoming Parade through the neighborhood of Old Orchard beginning at 10:00 a.m. "Toledo" Tom Amstutz, a former player, assistant coach and head coach of the Rockets, will serve as Grand Marshal! The Rockets host Northern Illinois in their annual Homecoming game at 3:30 p.m. Enjoy your Rocket pre-game tailgate party and take advantage of our many pre-game activities, including: 

• Homecoming Parade through Old Orchard with Grand Marshall "Toledo" Tom Amstutz at 10:00 a.m.
• All Toledo alumni, students, faculty, staff and Rocket Fans are welcome to visit the William and Carol Koester Alumni Pavilion at 12:00 p.m. for a pregame party.
• Rocket Walk: High-five our Rockets as they make their traditional walk from Lot 10 to the Larimer Building at 1:00 p.m.! 
• Touchdown Town: Jump into the fun at the family-friendly kid zone located at the Paul Hotmer soccer field beginning at 1:30! 
• Live Music: Enjoy the sounds of the band "Pop's Garage" on stage in Lot 10 beginning at 1:15!  
• Rocket Marching Band: Join in and sing the "U of Toledo" fight song as the Alumni band performs in Lot 10 at 2:05 p.m., followed by the Rocket Marching Band performs in Lot 10 at 2:20, then the Alumni Pavilion at 2:30 p.m., pregame performance on the field at 3:15 p.m. and to wrap up the day a post-game performance on the field!
• Make sure you are in your seats by 3:10 for a special game ball delivery.
• Kickoff! The Rockets will take the field amid an eruption of fireworks and battle MAC rival Northern Illinois in this key West Division matchup! 

It's been an exciting football season thus far as Head Coach Jason Candle has his team poised to make a run at another MAC Championship title! Let's fill the Glass Bowl with #TeamToledo spirit this Saturday, as well for our final two home games in the stretch run of the season on Oct. 31 and Nov. 8! All three of our final home games will showcase the Rockets to a national TV audience, so it is paramount that we show the world all that Toledo has to offer. This has the potential to be a very special season and we need you to create the incredible home-field advantage our team deserves!

Order your tickets today by clicking HERE
 

BEHIND THE HELMET
A great team or organization is only as good as the people and leaders within it. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our players and coaches with the latest chapter of the "Behind the Helmet" documentary! 



ROCKETS IN THE NFL
Through Week 3 of the NFL season 13 former football players were on an NFL roster, tied for the most of any school in the MAC! We are proud of our Rockets who play on Sundays! 




BASKETBALL SEASON IS ALMOST HERE! 
We are just weeks away from the start of basketball and anticipation is at an all-time high! Both our men's and women's teams are defending Mid-American Conference Champions and are looking to continue their incredible runs in 2023-24. 

Head Coach Tricia Cullop's team is going for its third consecutive league title following last season's post-season run that saw them win the MAC Championship Tournament crown and capture an NCAA Tournament first-round victory over Big 12 Champion Iowa State. The Rockets make their debut at Savage Arena on Sunday, Oct. 29 in an exhibition game vs. Ohio Dominican before their regular season home opener vs. Cincinnati on Nov. 19. Also, mark your calendars for Wednesday, Dec. 6 when No. 23 Michigan comes to Savage Arena. We need you here as we attempt to set a new regular-season attendance record!

Tod Kowalczyk's men's squad is looking for its fourth consecutive MAC title, an incredible feat that no other current league school has ever accomplished. Your first chance to see the Rockets play is on Saturday, Oct. 21 in an exhibition game vs. Ferris State at 2:00 p.m. The regular season begins on Monday, Nov. 6 when we host Detroit. 

Please order your basketball season tickets today if you haven't done so already! The energy and passion of our crowds last season was a game-changer, as we led the MAC in home attendance for both programs and our raucous fans truly impacted the outcome of the games. This season looks to be even more exciting, but we'll need your help to make Savage Arena one of the LOUDEST arenas in the country! 

 

TOM IZZO, STEPHANIE WHITE TIP OFF THE BASKETBALL SEASON!
A pair of coaching icons will be coming to our campus to help us tip off the 2023-24 basketball season! Michigan State Coach Tom Izzo, a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, will be the keynote speaker at our annual Men's Basketball Roundball Social at Savage Arena on Wednesday, Oct. 18. Former Toledo assistant coach and current head coach of the WNBA's Connecticut Sun Stephanie White will be the featured speaker at our Women's Basketball Tip-Off Dinner at the UT Student Union Auditorium on Wednesday, Nov. 1. Don't miss out on the chance to engage with our programs while hearing from these basketball legends, supporting the Rockets and having a great time talking hoops with your fellow Toledo Basketball fans! 
 

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

	Mark Batman:Congratulations to Women's Soccer Head Coach Mark Batman for winning his first game as a Rocket, a 3-0 victory over Detroit Mercy on Sept. 3!
	Dequan Finn: DQ became the 11th Rocket quarterback to throw for more than 5,000 career yards! He crossed that milestone during the Rockets' 49-31 victory over Western Michigan on Sept. 23!
	Women's Cross Country: The Rockets won the Mel Brodt Invitational in Bowling Green on Sept. 15! They were powered by three runners who finished in the top six: sophomore Lianna Surtz (2nd), senior Madeline Vining (4th) and junior Morgan Hicks (6th).
	Women's Volleyball: The Rockets swept Eastern Michigan in their conference opening series on Sept. 21-22. Senior outside hitter Taylor Alt turned in a magnificent performance with 40 total kills and recorded six straight kills to will Toledo to a 25-23 third-set victory to clinch the match in Friday's 3-0 victory!
	Women's Tennis: Senior Cassie Alcala and freshman Gaby Rondon both went undefeated in singles and doubles play at Bowling Green's Dynamic Dual Fall Invitational on Sept. 15-17.
	2023 Varsity T Hall of Fame Class: Congratulations to the seven former student-athletes who were inducted into the Varsity T Hall of Fame on Sept. 22 and introduced at the football game the next day! Welcome to the Hall of Fame, Henry Burch, Andola Dortch, Justin Drummond, Claire Leichty, Rick Isaiah, David Menefee and Chris Selfridge!

Finally, a big thank-you for everything you do to support our Rockets. We recently unveiled "Rise Together: A Strategic Plan for Toledo Athletics," a bold new vision for what our athletics program can become. The plan outlines the goals, strategies and resources that will help elevate our Athletics program to unprecedented heights for the benefit of the entire university and community. 

A portion of our strategic goals flywheel outlines how we "grow resources," to "invest in infrastructure" to "recruit, retain, develop the best teammates" to "generate student-athlete success." As an example of this, I would like to call attention to the success of our 1923 Society , the leadership giving society for Toledo Athletics. Since its launch less than a year ago, the 1923 Society has had an immediate impact on Toledo Athletics, surpassing 50 new members. Through gifts from these generous members, we were able to fund our new Director of Student-Athlete Development position that will have a transformational impact on our student-athletes.

Traci Korte was hired in August and oversees the development of our student-athletes through career and personal development, community service, internship programming, and serves as the advisor for the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). As outlined in our strategic plan, our purpose is to "graduate champions who will change the world." Traci is critical to this purpose, as she prepares our student-athletes for life after sport, while leveraging our incredible business community and alumni network. 

I invite you to join us on this journey and take an active role in helping our vision become a reality. There are endless ways to play your part on #TeamToledo, whether it is buying season tickets, attending our athletic events, investing in the success of our student-athletes or simply by sharing your Rocket pride with the world! 

I'm sure you agree with me when I say the future of Toledo Athletics has never looked brighter! Working as one, we will Rise Together! 

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

Go Rockets!