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If Terry Bowden finishes 2017 in Akron, it will be his longest-running gig ever This article, IMHO, has the best Zips analysis, to date.

Playing basketball usually means he has good footwork too....

Offers from Eastern Michigan, Robert Morris, Delaware, Ball State, Navy, Army, and Notre Dame College (Ohio). HS Coach's remarks, "“Logan is a very high-character kid and very intelligent,” Penn-Trafford coach John Ruane said. “He is a great athlete for a big guy. He is very explosive off the ball and can really move laterally.” " 1st Team All Conference

We are good. You were having fun with my typo and I probably would have done the same thing had I read a post like mine. The good news is we can see better days ahead for UA and it's fall!That means football. Hope springs eternal for all Zips, even though I do not have confidence in this team. I want to be proven wrong and enjoy admitting I was wrong. C'mom TB, gives us something to cheer about. C'mom TW, get your arm back! I wish!

So awesome that the only two former Zips on 2017 Gold Cup squads have both made it to the finals. Zips' and Timbers' teammates, incredible. USA all the way, of course!!!

I was able to speak to Warren Ball for a short bit. Another super representative of UA! During my interview with Zack, a very loud, incredibly talkative Munch Bishop was interviewing Coach Bowden immediately to my right. The audio recording was a complete wreck with those two in the background, so I had to transcribe it. Things settled down when I spoke to Warren, so here's the audio. I realize I have a long way to go as an interviewer. But Warren is awesome. I think you'll like what he had to say...it's way better to hear his voice that it would be to read it in print. Note - The Wagon Wheel did make an appearance at the Hall of Fame. Audio Interview with Warren Ball

I went to the event. Here's what I learned. This was the second year UA held an alumni event like this in Columbus. By all accounts the alumni association seemed to be pleased with the turnout. About 80 people came during the two hours it was held. The location, Standard Hall, was nice. We had our own room and bar. The food was first class and the drinks were ample. In addition to the strong alumni association showing there were many faculty and staff from the Bliss Institute for Applied Politics. That stands to reason with Columbus being the center of state government. The highlight of the evening was a talk from Matt Wilson. He noted the following: freshmen attendance is up 10% over last year transfers are up 15% over last year the goal of covering a $30 M deficit has been achieved and an additional $5 has been placed in a surplus fund next year a budget deficit of $29 must be covered and the U of A will be out of the deficits for good the dorms are at full occupancy the law school will host an international on-line symposium that will be attended by people from the five major continents the university wants to get more active in state politics. To that end Willy Kollman has been named executive director of Gov't and Alumni Relations he made no mention of sports I tried to talk with Matt but he needed to spend time with the state elected officials that were there. He did comment that we had to have a stronger presence in Columbus and it appeared he was working on it. It was a surprise to me how many of the alumni who attended wanted to talk about Zip sports. I thought they would be indifferent but the opposite was true. They all wanted to talk about Zip teams winning the MAC. Most were not as informed as the average ZNO member but they were hungry for a winner. They took pride in their school. The event ended at 8:00 pm. I'm looking forward to another next year.

Short Interview with Zach Guiser Upon introducing myself, Zach said he was a big fan of ZipsNation.org. He said the guys on the team like the site, especially the game day photos posted by Dr. Z. Zach’s an awesome kid. You couldn’t ask for a better representative of The University of Akron and Zips Football. Question: “What does the Wuerffel Award nomination mean to you?” Zach: “I’m really excited about it, considering what the award represents. Beyond that, I’m really proud of what our team has been able do in regards to service to the community. I’m a member of the Student Advisory Committee (S.A.C) and we do an award every year for the Program with the most community service hours. I haven’t tallied up the numbers yet, but the football team is over 400 hours this summer alone. We’ve really made it a point to volunteer our time to the community as much as possible on a regular basis. I wasn’t always as heavily into community service growing up, but being part of the football program has opened up the door to do so. Coach Gildersleeve has a points system for the guys on the team regarding community service, and I think that brought out the competitive side in me to join in and try and do well. I found I have a real passion for it." Question: “With the rigors of Division 1 football, and school, and your personal life, how do you find the time to volunteer. And not just showing up…but volunteering at a level where you’re under consideration for a national award?” Zach: “Well…I have an amazing girlfriend that takes real good care of me…cooks me meals and things like that. I have an amazing support staff at UA, and…if you are really passionate about something, you make the time for it. Same with anything else in life, I guess.” Question: “How’s your health?” Zach: “I feel really good right now. I hurt my elbow in the Western Michigan game last year, and had to sit 4 games. But I was able to finish-out the season against OU. I’m in good shape…definitely the most athletic I’ve been in my career.” Question: “How is it different now being a senior/role model, as opposed to being a star-struck freshman of a few years ago?” Zach: “It’s a lot different. When I was a freshman, I got a sports-hernia surgery on my third day of camp. It took me a long time to recover. When I came back, I was probably one of the most non-athletic kids on the team. Not that I came in unathletic, but it was hard to recover. The seniors treated me pretty rough…I was the ‘low man on the totem pole’ for sure. But I try to remember that and be a role model for those lower-level guys, like I once was. The walk-ons that don’t know quite what to do yet…I try to be there for them. I remember one time, on your board, someone called me “Rudy”…that was a big inspiration for me. Someone was really upset that I was #1 on the depth chart…it was quite the insult…I don’t know who it was, but I didn’t forget reading it. You know…I can’t blame anyone for thinking that though…coming back from that injury, I just wasn’t near 100% and was playing pretty bad. It was a big motivation for me…but now I’m all healthy and ready to go.” Question: “What do you like about this year’s secondary the most? Coach Bowden says it’s the best it’s been since he’s been here. Zach: “We have a lot of experience. I’m the only senior back there, but we have Alvin Davis who started last year and is a really good football player, Jordan George has started a lot of games, and he’ll be at corner, Darian Dailey doesn’t have much experience yet, but he’s one of the fastest kids on our team. And Kyron Brown has a lot of experience, and some interceptions too. But what I really like the most is the personality of all the guys. We don’t have that guy that’s selfish…who gets upset with the coach’s calls. I’m just really excited about this group of guys and can’t wait to get started.” Question: “Although camp hasn’t even broken yet, is there anyone in the secondary that’s caught your eye as a “wow” sort of player? Zach: “Jordan Riley is a really good athlete…but it’s tough to say much right now because we haven’t played much football. You know Alvin (Davis) didn’t come it until the first day of camp last year, so we didn’t even know who he was, and he ended up playing a lot for us as a true freshman. You never know how things play out.” Question: “So what’s it like trying to tackle Warren Ball?” Zach: “We haven’t actually gone up against each other very often. We both didn’t play much in spring ball. But…man…it’s one of those tasks where you’re gonna go low…absolutely…just like tackling Sequon Barkley… Samaje Perine …I’ve played against some really good backs…Joe Mixon…” “You know that’s one of my biggest nightmares…the A-gap opens up and you’re playing deep-middle…and one of those guys is just coming at you full steam…it’s tough, but it’s fun. It’s a challenge. Sometimes you get run over, but as long as you make the tackle it’s all good.” CK 7-27-17