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I am so glad this game has been brought up in another thread. This 40-0 victory is one of the greatest Akron Football game ever played, if not the greatest, in my opinion. Some context is necessary here so pull up a coronavirus cocktail and read on. Akron played the University of Tampa in the 1969 Acme-Zip game which was the opener for both teams. Tampa was an excellent DII program and was accustomed to playing in the playoffs. Tampa openly talked about going D1. They floated the idea of getting Ohio State on their schedule to demonstrate their seriousness. Backers would guarantee OSU $250,000, a big amount in those days, to visit Tampa for a game in 70,000 seat Tampa Stadium. After all, Tampa beat Mississippi Sate and Tulane in 1968. They thought they were ready. To make room for OSU Tampa said it would drop Akron in a heartbeat. OSU just laughed it off. BTW, Tampa beat Akron 28-12 in 1968. Akron fullback John Vargo told me it was the hardest he has ever been hit in his life. We were coached by Gordon Larsen, the best coach I think we have ever had. Gordon was pissed and put everything into getting his team prepared. The crowd for the game was near 40,000. I had made the soccer team. As was Acme-Zip custom the soccer team played a game before the football game. We soccer players were given wooden, fold-up chairs on the field which were put all around the field to accommodate as many fans as possible. There must have been 1,000 of them temporarily set up. Ours were one row away from the field. From the very beginning the Zips played with a ferocious passion. The hitting was incredible. The foreign soccer players I sat with were stunned at the collisions they saw only a few feet away. Akron took it to Tampa from the opening kickoff and never stopped. They reflected their coach's indignation and were ready to make a statement. Tampa blinked first and then damn near quit. Akron didn't care. We played with determination until the final whistle. Make no mistake, though, Tampa was a talented team. They had All-Americans Jack Del Gaizo at QB and Leon McQuay at RB. Later Freddy Solomon and Jon Matusak, two NFL All-Pros would play for them, but they were not on this team. Tampa went on to win its next 8 straight games, but for this game their coach, Fran Curci, could only say that the team "was bleeding' and he hoped he could get them back some time soon. Tampa did go on to move up to D1 in 1971. Unfortunately the board of trustees at the school voted to drop football in 1974 when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were awarded an NFL franchise. The BOT thought they could not draw any crowds to support D1 football with an NFL team in town. I love Akron football. To this day I find it hard to recall a better game nor one in which I am more proud of the team and coach. They proved something that night. It was a joy to be there. Hope you enjoyed this first person story. Go Zips!

Zips add Jermaine Marshall.

On paper BGSU should be the favorite to win the MAC with Turner returning. Turner had a long list of offers. If he really wanted to be out of BG, he'd have transferred. I can't see anyone faulting him for weighing his options.

I could have sworn Solomon was the QB; oh well another brain cell shot to hell. They may have hit Vargo hard, but they (and everyone else) NEVER tackled him for a loss. I witnessed the game sitting just above the first "s" in "classics" in the opening photo of the attachment.

This program is in his hands.

great analysis on left centerback.... Bryan Gallego certainly should have been one of the 4 voting choices

@zipsmsoc LCB Moutinho, Valentin, Radjen, Milanese Joao Moutinho showed up in Akron in August 2017 looking like somebody’s little brother who snuck in to watch practice. He was very slight of build, possibly even scrawny. Still is. He was fairly unimpressive in drills and small sided games. Not until the full field scrimmage was his almost preternatural understanding of the game on display. Moutinho sees soccer on a deeper level than most coaches do, never mind most players. It’s like he has played for 100 years. He is seemingly always three passes in the future. Zarek Valentin played two stellar seasons for Zips from 2009-2010, but only 2010 season is pertinent to this discussion. But what a phenomenal season 2010 was, culminating in a championship. Valentin was a huge part of that success, partnering with Barson for the consensus best CB tandem in NCAA. Whereas Barson was solid and fundamental, Valentin was cheeky and impetuous, seemingly forgetting half the time that he was playing CB. The two fed off each other very successfully. Why is Bryan Gallego not in this discussion? In 2011, he started all 22 games he appeared in and was named College Soccer News Freshman All-American, All-MAC Second Team and All-Ohio team. In 2012, he started all 22 games and finished the year with a goal and an assist on his way to being named All-MAC Second Team for the second straight year. In 2013, he appeared in 20 games and helped the Zips record nine shutouts and hold opponents to one or fewer goals in 19 of 22 games. He went on to be named NSCAA All-America Second Team, All-Great Lakes Region First Team and All-MAC First team. It certainly seems Gallego deserves to be in the running here. The effervescent Valentin is the sentimental favorite, because he is a champion, and also because he has a show business personality. Zarek might be able to earn a living in stand-up comedy. Joao Moutinho is mostly reserved, if not enigmatic. FINAL ANALYSIS: Zarek Valentin is the best athlete on this list in every measurable category. He is as fast as or faster than any CB ever to play for Akron. But Joao Moutinho plays the game at a different level than most. He’s got the magic, and he’s got my vote.

The staff at TopDrawerSoccer decided to name our favorite Men’s College Soccer teams that we’ve covered - taking nothing more than enjoyment into account - below... Akron Zips (2010) - J.R. Eskilson ... It’s been a decade since this team graced the field, and you can still see that impact that the squad left on college soccer today - plus the handful of players still making their marks on the professional game around the world. The 2010 team was Caleb Porter’s fourth season in charge of the Zips program - it was the first time that the squad consisted of only players he had recruited to Akron. This team exemplified the famous moniker “Death by 1000 Passes”. Sure, the foundation for that identity was put in place years earlier, but the Zips became that mantra during the 2010 season while also crushing the competitive spirit of any team that got in their way. ...