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Remembering Coach Jerry Welsh

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When The Bodacious Bears was released in November 2022, it was more than a documentary premiere. It was a celebration and a tribute to the man who made it all possible. That weekend brought together former players, coaches, fans, and friends to honor Coach Jerry Welsh and the extraordinary success of his Potsdam Bears. Most importantly, Coach Welsh was there, surrounded by his family, and sharing every moment of the celebration. Coach Welsh’s impact needs little explanation. Over 22 seasons at Potsdam State, he built one of the most dominant programs in NCAA history, defined by championships, consistency, and an unwavering standard of excellence. But  The Bodacious Bears   was never just about wins or banners. It was about culture. It was about discipline, preparation, and the belief that basketball could be a vehicle for teaching life lessons that lasted far beyond the court. The 2022 release weekend was designed to capture that spirit. Maxcy Hall once again became a gatheri...
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Official Premiere of The Bodacious Bears! [11/6/2022]

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We cannot thank everyone enough for their participation and for helping us to make the Premiere Weekend such a success! A Standing Ovation following the Premiere of the Bodacious Bears. You can watch the documentary HERE :  https://youtu.be/7PAVo1uVWTw Saturday and Sunday were packed with excitement as SUNY Potsdam alumni from all over the country returned to the campus. We had alumni representing every decade of the past 70 years!  Coach Bill Mitchell did a fantastic job of organizing the memorabilia from the archives into beautiful exhibits. The SUNY Potsdam men's basketball team played a well-attended exhibition game for everyone to check out and tip the weekend off.  The game was followed by a banquet and countless stories as players, coaches, classmates, and teachers throughout the school's history rekindled their friendships. via Imgflip On Sunday, folks started arriving at the Proscenium Theater shortly after noon. The congregation in the lobby area included news o...
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One Week Away - The Bodacious Bears Premiere: Latest Update

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We are now officially ONE WEEK AWAY from the premiere of The Bodacious Bears documentary. If you have not already reserved a seat and plan to attend in-person, please do so immediately. There is no charge, however seating is limited and we have very few seats remaining.  The film will premiere at 1:30p on November 6th , with the primary showing at Proscenium Theater on the campus of SUNY Potsdam. RESERVE YOUR SEAT HERE.   If you are unable to reserve a seat, there will be an additional in-person showing which has been made available for overflow.  This will also be at 1:30p on November 6th.  If you are unable to attend in-person, the film will also premiere at 1:30p on YouTube.  This YouTube Premiere link will be made public later this week, so you will be able to bookmark it ahead of Sunday, however it will not be available to watch until 1:30p on Sunday, November 6th.  Check out the trailer here and SUBSCRIBE on YouTube to get the latest updates and notif...
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Official Documentary Release Announcement: "The Bodacious Bears"

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Be prepared for a nostalgic trip back in time...   After two years of filming, editing, and production, the Official Release Date of " The Bodacious Bears" documentary is Coming Soon.  The weekend of November 5th & 6th will surely be one you will not want to miss! The Official Poster for The Bodacious Bears documentary [Coming Soon: November 2022] "The Bodacious Bears" is a documentary that came to fruition as a result of the ideas and support of Tim Dempsey. It details the stories behind the historic Potsdam State Bears basketball program, which saw monumental success in the 1970's, 80's, and 90's.  Beyond the basketball aspect of this story, "The Bodacious Bears" also connects the history of that era with the local region and many of the people who made it happen.  Over 30 interviews have been conducted to-date, most of which were done in-person.  As we all know, the difficulties caused by the pandemic did create some obstacles along t...
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June Update: Release and Premiere Planning

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Over the past several weeks we have made some great progress with The Bodacious Bears documentary.  At the beginning of June, Tim Dempsey made a trip up to Potsdam from New Hampshire for business purposes. We were able to coordinate a time with his busy schedule to record an introductory segment which will lead into the film.  Essentially, this section will explain the "why," or the purpose of this project. It details how the ideas were formed leading up into the actual production and filming. You can check out this discussion with Tim below: Coach Bill Mitchell was also in the room while we recorded, and once we wrapped on filming we were able to dive into some of the details of how we envisioned making the release of the documentary possible as a group. There are many logistical challenges that we are keeping in mind, but there are also some awesome ideas that we have in store which we can hopefully share soon.  One thing is for certain: We are aiming for a release dat...
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Trip of a Lifetime: Meeting Coach Welsh

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On Monday, Coach Bill Mitchell and I traveled from Potsdam/Canton, NY to Raleigh, NC to embark on an incredible journey. We didn't know the full extent of what our two days there would entail, but we knew it was going to be special.  For the past year and a half, we have been working closely together to round up as many people with connections to the Potsdam State basketball program as possible. The connections and roots of the program go in so many different directions... from current and former players, to fans, administrators, coaches, relatives, etc.  The Potsdam tradition runs deep. This project has taken me all over the place in order to capture the entire essence of what made their story so special.  All along, Coach Mitchell and I knew we needed to make this trip happen in order to properly tell the story of The Bodacious Bears .  Through COVID, and all of the other complicated logistics on many different fronts, it was not an easy task.  Monday, May 2, ...
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The Bodacious Bears: Spring 2022 Update

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The Bodacious Bears' storyline, narrative, and production are continuing to see progress being made.  We appreciate the patience of everyone involved.  It has been a tall task scheduling, organizing, and circling all the wagons in order to make this happen, but it will all be worth it once it comes together!  Over the next few weeks, we have a few more interviews to get to... a few VERY IMPORTANT interviews, may I add.  Yesterday, we interviewed Dr. Hal Cohen, son of the late Bears Hall of Fame coach Stan Cohen.   On December 11, 1976, in his senior year at Canton High School, Hal made 598 consecutive free throws after varsity practice in the High School gym.  I grew up in Canton, and had basketball practice every day in that gym.  To this day, there is a banner that hangs with a photo of Cohen with legendary Head Coach Jerry Hourihan on that momentous occasion in 1976. The banner details the significance of such an incredible feat, and it has in...
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