Homecoming: More Than a Football Game

If you graduated from the University of Cincinnati, you likely know Homecoming is more than a football

Ryan Minges, University Cincinnati
Alumni - Charlotte Network

game or weekend of events.  Homecoming provides UC alumni with a chance to reconnect with former classmates and our alma mater.  It’s an opportunity for us to show our UC pride, wave our Bearcat flags, and reflect upon (and relive) some of the most memorable moments of our lives.  Homecoming gives us the opportunity to show our appreciation for UC and everything our UC experience has given us — degrees, careers, lifelong friends, spouses, and more.

Fifteen years ago, I attended the University of Cincinnati as a student-athlete on the baseball team.  I immediately formed a bond with my teammates and the university.  I was proud to jog out onto the field wearing a jersey stitched with “Bearcats” across my chest.  As my final baseball game ended in a loss to Tulane, tears poured down my face as I thought, “It’s all over.”

I didn’t realize it then, but my last baseball game was not the end of my relationship with my teammates or the university. I’ve stayed in touch with a number of my teammates, and some of them have become my closest friends. During Homecoming weekend, I get together with former teammates, and even participate in the annual Alumni Home Run Derby.

Outside of my friendships with former teammates, UC is intertwined through many other aspects of my life. I

Ryan, his wife Stacy, and daughter Elle 

met my wife Stacy at the university, and our daughter, Elle, loves cheering on the Bearcats. I’ve also had the opportunity to meet dozens of alumni in Charlotte, N.C., as the network leader for the University of Cincinnati Alumni Association’s Charlotte Network.

As I return to campus on Oct. 18-20, I will reminisce about some of my favorite college memories, and also show my appreciation for a university that’s given me so much.

I hope to see you at Homecoming 2013! Go Bearcats!

Ryan Minges, BUS ’01

P.S:  If you live in the Charlotte area and want to get more involved with UC, contact me at r.minges25@gmail.com.