Leaderboard

The natatorium was not part of the plan for the arena that became the JAR. The fault for the debacle that became the JAR lies strictly with Guzetta, the president and his chief advisors and board of trustees. They were not patient. They hired an incompetent architect, who had never deigned an arena. They did not work the legislature or strong arm the local representatives and senators to gain support. They panicked and took what the state offered rather than play the game and possibly wait for the next biennium if they did not get what they wanted (State capital budgeting, which includes state educational institutions had payment for capital projects budgeted over a two year period of time) Guzetta had a low opinion of the role of athletics in a state institution and he had no vision to see how this arena design would hurt the progrum. Forget the fallacy that Gov Rhodes helped us or was honored by naming it after him. Neither was true. His name on the building was a political payoff to keep him from campaigning against it in the legislature. I was sports editor of the Buchtelite at the time and we ran a four installment series written by Mark Maloney outlining the present need, the future needs and what solutions could be available. Mark did a fabulous job. He got a meeting with Guzetta. When Mark saw the plans he told Guzetta not to build it. Mark laid out all the reasons we now cite for not commencing construction. He was regarded as an ignorant student who could not see the big picture. History shows otherwise. Poor leadership can cripple an institution for a long time. The JAR and Ianello are perfect examples of that fact.

Although it is more complicated to compare the MAC Zips and the NFL Browns, specifically because you're only one of 32 teams that can win a title vs. being in a pool of teams with nearly no chance of winning a title.... ....it does baffle the mind that the same NE Ohio sports fans who claim that they would support the Zips if they won more games were certainly part of the group that flocked to a preseason game of a 1-15 football team as if it was the go-to event of the summer in our area.

How about a nice cross-sectional rivalry game indoors, say in December?

"What could be better than watching a good ol' bitter rivalry ON A TUESDAY NIGHT?" How about watching it on a warm Saturday afternoon in September say at 3 p.m.

Yeah it was...is. And really it was unheard of back then to have corporate names and naming rights...most of the moolah was state and federal, with company's giving gifts but to the institution to use as seen fit, andnot as blatantly advertisement-oriented as today.

My Facebook feed was blowing up this morning with pics of friends at the first Browns preseason game. So many people just absolutely giddy about being able to watch another season of bad football! On the other hand, who's excited about Zips football? Me and 9099 other people. (Or less) It's so hard for me to understand.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I think Joe Akron would react to a 13-0 season with a collective yawn. As long as the Buckeyes are riding high, no one in NE Ohio is going to spend one minute or one dime on the Zips. Now, if the Buckeyes fell off the radar and lost to Michigan 10 years in a row at the same time Akron put together a 13 win season, then maybe around 9100 Joes might take note.