BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — Bowling Green State University announced Wednesday it has hired Todd Simon to be its next men's basketball coach.
Simon, a Michigan native, took over Southern Utah in 2016. After a 6-27 first season, his teams went 112-79 in the last six.
He led the Thunderbirds to 20 or more wins in each of the last three seasons and a Big Sky regular season championship in 2020-21. Southern Utah averaged just 4.5 Division I wins a year from 2013-2017.
"The BGSU family is excited to welcome Coach Todd Simon, his wife, Kati and his family to our community," BGSU athletic director Derek van der Merwe said. "The Falcon community will soon see and experience what I have learned through this search process. He is a coach who wants to be here. He is highly respected by his peers around the country. He is a coach who is committed to the student-athlete, the student experience and truly values the educational process. He embraces the academic mission of the University. He knows how to build a successful program, and he loves to win."
Simon was a finalist for this year's Skip Prosser Man of the Year award, which is given to a head coach for success on the court and moral integrity off of it.
Simon was born in Fowler, Michigan, about two and a half hours northwest of Bowling Green. He graduated from Central Michigan University in 2003.
He spent six years as an assistant coach for Nevada high school power Findlay Prep before becoming the head coach for one year. During his time, the team was 192-9.
He then left to join the UNLV coaching staff, where he coached from 2013-2016.
"It is an honor and a privilege to be the next head coach at Bowling Green State University," Simon said. "I am grateful to President Rogers and Derek van der Merwe for the opportunity to lead this program and be a part of this special University.
"My family and I look forward to being servant leaders to our student-athletes, to our campus and to the Bowling Green community. We are dedicated to developing our young men in the program both on and off the court, and we are excited to get to Bowling Green to start building relationships. We are going to bring an intense and exciting brand of up-tempo basketball to the Stroh Center and have an expectation to build one of the best home court advantages in the nation."
Simon replaces Michael Huger, who was fired after the season.
Huger finished his coaching career at Bowling Green with a record of 126-125 (64-82 MAC). The Falcons finished this season at 11-20 (5-13).
BGSU has not appeared in the NCAA Tournament since 1968.
This is one of the first big hires for van der Merwe, who was hired in October 2022.
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