The Passing of a Bobcat Legend

Feb. 21, 2006

ATHENS, Ohio - A memorial celebration of Kermit Blosser's life will be held Monday, Feb. 27, at 5 p.m. in the Convocation Center. The Ohio University legend passed away on Saturday, Feb. 18, at the age of 95.

The event will begin with a special video tribute to Kermit featuring photos from throughout his storied Bobcat career, followed by numerous speakers who will commemorate his life and how he influenced countless others.

Inducted into 11 different halls of fame - including the Ohio Athletics Hall of Fame in 1966, the NCAA Golf Coaches Hall of Fame in 1980 and the Mid-American Conference Hall of Fame in 1988 - Kermit was in a class by himself.

A standout end on the football field, he started in the very first game played at Peden Stadium in 1929. His Ohio varsity football squads went 24-1-1 over three years and outscored their opponents 705-59 during that time.

At the conclusion of his football career, Kermit jumped onto the wrestling mat and won the state collegiate wrestling title and NCAA title at 191 pounds, becoming the first national champion for Ohio University in any sport.

After two successful stints as a high school basketball coach and three years of service in the U.S. Navy during World War II, Kermit returned to Athens as an assistant coach for the football, basketball and wrestling squads. He also was placed in charge of creating Ohio's first golf team and won a conference-record 18 MAC titles during his 42 years as head coach. The MAC's Golf-Coach-of-the-Year award is now named in Kermit's honor, as is the Golf Coaches Association of America's annual tournament.

At the request of numerous coaches and student-athletes whose lives were touched by Kermit, the event has been planned for Monday to avoid conflicts with weekend competitions. The Convo was chosen because it is the location where Coach Blosser spent so much of his life and where he contributed so much of his passion, knowledge and care to Ohio University.

Parking for Monday's memorial celebration will be available underneath the Convocation Center at its Richland Avenue entrance. For those needing special assistance, ushers will be on hand at the West entrance to The Convo (facing the softball and baseball fields).

For more information on this event, please contact Carrie Lockhart at 740-593-1190.