By The Bemidji Pioneer
Published 11:10 p.m. on July 27, 2019
In honor of Bemidji State’s centennial celebration, longtime Beaver men’s hockey coach and athletic director Bob Peters explained what BSU Athletics mean to him.
I think Bemidji State Athletics, most of all, offers an opportunity to participate.
We have facilities, as a matter of fact excellent facilities, when you consider the size of the university. The availability of the facilities extends not just to the BSU student-athletes, but to Bemidji High School. It means that the regional high schools have an opportunity to play in the regional playoffs in football, basketball and a variety of sports. BSU Athletics provides marvelous facilities for the region where schools can gather for competition. They are BSU's facilities but we share them. The facilities grew and grew, and I'm grateful for that.
BSU Athletics has come a long way since its earliest days when the men’s basketball team became the first sports program to begin play in 1921.
Now nearly a century after the university began sponsoring athletics, BSU is up to nine women's programs and five men's programs. The Beavers have risen from NAIA and have now established themselves as NCAA Division II members, as well as competing in Division I for men's and women's hockey.
The faculty members that are assigned as head coaches and assistant coaches, as well as the support staff for coaches and athletes, have proven so valuable to Bemidji State Athletics. It takes a lot of people – and many irregular hours – to maintain an athletic department.
The amazing success of the athletes over the years – both the individuals and the various team programs – shows it doesn't really matter how small a school is. It's the opportunity provided to the athletes, and the rest will take care of itself. Look at Arnie Johnson, for example, an NBA champion with the Rochester Royals. Or Joel Otto, a Stanley Cup champion with the Calgary Flames.
There are also many BSU athletes that go on to become high school and college coaches, some of whom have aided the success of the Beavers' individual athletes and teams. But most importantly, it's about the success of those male and female athletes, not the coaching staff.
It's amazing the success we've had with BSU Athletics in the toughest of climates. It proves it doesn't matter where you come from. It's about where you're going. The indoor practice facilities that have been made available to athletes have improved the ability for athletes to train in all weather conditions. To be an athlete in northern Minnesota takes a great deal of intestinal fortitude.
When I add everything up – the coaches, the athletes, the success – impressive is the word. That's how I sum up BSU Athletics over all these years.
Bob Peters coached the Beaver men's hockey program for 34 seasons between 1966 and 2001. His 744 career wins rank sixth among college hockey’s all-time winningest coaches.
Written by Bob Peters / Special to the Bemidji Pioneer
