Mike Cihon helps elevate sports programs at BGSU

24 years
and
counting

When the words hardworking, funny, dependable and dedicated are said, who comes to mind? Mike Cihon, assistant director for athletic communications at Bowling Green State University, is all of those and more. 

Cihon graduated from BGSU as a Telecommunications major, then went to graduate school at Kent State University. In his junior year at BGSU, he volunteered in sports information and realized this was more of the route he wanted to take. 

He loves all sports but is known primarily for his work with the men’s and women’s soccer teams. One of Cihon’s most noticeable traits is his dedication. Peers say he works tirelessly and will not stop until a job is done. According to Mallory Hiser, new media and design coordinator for BGSU Athletics, Cihon puts in the hours necessary to finish a job regardless of how long it takes him. 

“It is always kind of humorous to me when I shoot him an email when I am up at 1 a.m. finishing something up, and he actually responds,” Hiser said.

He enjoys his time and work at BGSU, which is one of the reasons he has stayed for 24 years. He is married and has a daughter. He says he knew they were going to be staying in northwest Ohio because he liked where they were as a family. 

“I really liked the job and I liked working with the students, coaches and administrators,” he said.

He has seen plenty of highs and lows over his tenure at BGSU. Most of the teams he works with have won at least one Mid-American Conference Championship at some point. He enjoyed working with one of the best BGSU women’s basketball teams to play under Curt Miller, who is now coaching in the Women’s National Basketball Association. 

“It was fun to watch him build the program from near the bottom of the MAC to a perennial MAC power and they went to the Sweet Sixteen,” said Cihon.

He also witnessed one of the improbable softball seasons in the university’s history. The 2004 team barely made the tournament as a six seed. They lost their opening game and starting pitcher. They ended up winning running the table the rest of the way in the tournament with a back-up pitcher to win the title. He says he has never witnessed that before and thought it was a very cool experience to be a part of. 

Unfortunately, it is not all highs though. Cihon remembers a women’s soccer game in 2002, where he witnessed one of BGSU’s players collapse on the field. 

“They stopped the game and later that afternoon, she passed away at the hospital,” he said.

His peers describe him as a character who is goofy, dependable, can make work fun, has a good sense of humor and an extremely hard worker.

Jason Knavel, assistant athletic director for athletic communications, says there is no one he would rather go to work with every day. In their profession, being likeable makes the job much easier. They work shoulder-to-shoulder all the time for hours on-end. He is very close to Cihon and has worked with him for 11 years. 

Cihon’s peers say he is one of the most committed workers they have seen. They say he still cares about his job as if it is his first day. 

“We do this kind of stuff day-in and day-out. Sometimes you have that lull, where you can kind of forget what we are doing this all for. Mike just does not have that forgetfulness,” Hiser said. 

It is not all work and no play for Cihon, as he says he enjoys doing anything to get a smile on someone else’s face. He will cut apart different posters and make his own, changing a few letters so the poster says something unique and funny.  Knavel described MAC Football Media Day, where he and Cihon go to Detroit with the head coach and two players. Their job is to act as a butler or runner for the coach and players for anything they need. 

 “Mike is famous for just stuffing food in his suit pockets. You’ll just be standing there talking to him and he will just start pulling food out of his pockets and start eating it or give it to the players,” Knavel said.

After 24 years at BGSU, Cihon says he is not going anywhere anytime soon.