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Mel Mahler enters his 17th year on the Falcon coaching staff and 10th as head coach. He was named full-time head coach in March 1995 after serving as interim coach following the death of long-time Falcon coach Gary Palmisano in December 1994. Mahler was named Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year for the second time in his career in 2003 after leading the Falcons to their third MAC Regular Season title and sixth MAC Championship game in eight years. During his tenure as the Falcon field leader, Mahler has led BG to three straight NCAA tournament appearances (1995-97), three consecutive Mid-American Conference (MAC) tournament titles (1995-97), and three MAC Regular Season titles. The 1995 and 1997 Ohio Collegiate Soccer Association Coach of the Year, Mahler has recorded double-digit win totals in five of his nine years as the BG mentor, including a school-record 18 in back-to-back seasons (1996-97). Mahler, who earned MAC Coach of the Year and Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year honors in 1996, first became a head coach at BG in 1993, serving on an interim basis when Palmisano took a leave of absence to work with the World Cup in Detroit. Mahler upheld BG's long-standing tradition of success, guiding the Falcons to a 10-7 overall mark, including a 4-1 record in MAC play. The Brown and Orange were in the running for the MAC crown until the last day of the season. BG finished third and ninth, respectively, in the final OCSA and Great Lakes region rankings that year. Mahler, 47, has definitely been an integral part in the development of the BG program over the years. Since 1987 when he came to Bowling Green as an assistant, he has helped the Falcons to a 187-107-17 record (.629 pct.), four NCAA appearances, six league championships, five OCSA crowns, and 22 invitational tournament titles. As head coach of the Falcons, Mahler has accumulated a record of 103-67-8 overall and 35-16-3 versus MAC opponents. Overall, his head coaching record stands at 121-99-10. He came to BGSU after serving as head soccer and lacrosse (1984-86) coach at Pfeiffer College in Misenheimer, N.C. Mahler was a graduate assistant coach at the University of Akron (1981-83), earning his master's degree in Physical Education in 1984. He began his collegiate coaching career as an assistant coach at his alma mater, High Point College. In all seven of his years associated with the HPC program, they participated in the NAIA District XXVI Tournament reaching the championship match on three occasions. As a senior for the Purple Panthers, he served as team captain and received both all-conference and all-district accolades. Mahler was a four-year starter in the backfield for coach Ken Chartier and helped the Panthers to two Carolina Conference titles. HPC compiled a 38-16-3 overall record during his playing career, including a 16-1-0 ledger in conference play during his final three campaigns. After earning his bachelor of science degree in physical education in 1978, the Smithtown, New York native, began his coaching career at HPC, helping them to the 1980 Carolina Conference title. Mahler, serving in a director's capacity at the Ohio Soccer Academy since 1990, has been the site administrator for the regional USYSA Olympic Development Program and the USSA National Coaching School. He has also served as a staff member with the Ohio-North Olympic Development Program. He serves as the chairman of the Mideast NSCAA/adidas Division I All-American Committee and was as a member of the 2002 NCAA Great Lakes Regional Advisory Committee. He is a member of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) and is a licensed USSF coach. A former chief administrator with BGSU's Summer Sports Schools, Mahler was the assistant director of the Ohio Youth Soccer Association Coaching School for three years (1987-89). Mahler and his wife, Karin (Turain), a four-year Falcon volleyball letterwinner from 1986-89, are the parents of a daughter, eight-year-old Zoe Marguerite, and a son, five-year-old Nash Robert. The Mahler's reside in Bowling Green. He is the son of Melville and Marguerite Mahler of Smithtown, N.Y.
Mahler's Head Coaching Record
Bowling Green
Year GP W L T Pct.
2002 19 6 13 0 .316
2001 17 8 8 1 .500
2000 18 9 8 1 .528
1999 19 8 10 1 .447
1998 20 10 8 2 .550
1997 24 18 6 0 .750
1996 23 18 4 1 .804
1995 21 16 3 2 .810
1993 17 10 7 0 .588
Totals 178 103 67 8 .601
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