zipper

These are two different perspectives, both with validity, but the facts push in bobby's way. Winning consistently will change this. Some locals will become Zips fans, and some will be fans of both. The real rant should be directed towards the local media. They just can't decide if Akron is a suburb of Cleveland or Columbus. Let's face it, most of us are sheep. We'll root for whom we're told - this is why there's a big business world out there called ADVERTISING. Most of us would be very happy if they merely paid Akron equal respect, equal columns, equal interest.But again, winning should help. And for God's sake, we should be able to walk into some local pub and find the Akron game on tv instead of OSU. That should be just a matter of basic hometown pride.

Hoban's quarterback and safety/receivers are none other than our own Jim Fleming's (D-Coord) two sons Jimmy and Will. Jimmy was 9 for 15 against Garfield the other night, and Will Fleming is a stud - something like 6'5" and very muscular. One of the Akron team docs, Joe Congeni, also has a senior son, Anthony, for the Knights, I believe on defense, and I've heard he's a great player, as well.

Thanks, man. Great idea and I hope our new UAM considers it.

I think it's a great idea. Think about it, sgm - maybe they don't go to THAT game, but certainly some percentage would think about going to another one. Another idea I just spawned from yours: for evening games, start the tailgating in one location and end up out at the bowl for true tailgating (ala with beer) later on. Breakfast with the Zips in Tallmadge. Zips Brunch in Fairlawn. It would be funny, different, and would make people smile. One thing's for sure - your idea is to create a true bandwagon. There's a reason bandwagons work - people like to attend events that look like fun. In other words - since many never see the Rubber Bowl on a game day, you're talking about bringing a little Zips fun out to them before the games. I think it's excellent.

I know Kennedy has had pretty good success in basketball in just elevating assistants, but his folly is in thinking you can just do anywhere, all the time. Martin is a prime example.I love this quote: "We want and need the players, coaches, administrators, community and alumni to take part in the turnaround of Can't State football,” Martin says. Apparently he's blaming the small crowds for the team's lack of success. Sorry Coach. JD didn't put it on the fans or administrators to turn around Akron football. Don't make excuses or try to pass the buck - just git 'er done.

The new AD or the new UAM is probably just trying to put their own "mark" on things. I hope they sit back and watch for a year or so before shaking too much up. We need tradition around here, and just when it gets started (as in the last few years) we get a new administration that thinks they have to create tradition again. Please.

I heard we had 17 mil raised before Thomas left. So maybe we're making progress?

I love our adidas apparel. Why the eye rolls? I thought the point was to present a united image - our teams had all kinds of different stuff going on before Thomas made us an adidas school. To me we look professional finally.

You guys still don't get it.JD can sign his contract and walk a year later. No one tries to keep a coach around who has a better offer, because it would be a terrible situation. Paying them more is for two reasons: one, he EARNED IT. COY his first year, MAC champs his second. Pay the man.Second, when JD leaves, and I believe he eventually will, to get quality guys to want the job Akron had better have the reputation of paying people appropriately. Coaching is a very small fraternity, they all know each other, and they all talk. JD would certainly be asked his opinion of his compensation, working for Mack, facilities, administration, etc. It is essential to our future success that we compensate JD and get that contract resigned soon.And I wouldn't assume Dambrot is never leaving. Yes, this is his dream job, but if someone offered him a chunk more it would be extremely difficult to turn down. His situation, however, is one that if we did pay him appropriately, I believe we could keep him long term. Paying KD more is a no brainer, because it accomplishes everything, including keeping a successful coach in Akron.But just because JD might leave is no reason to not compensate him for his success and resign his contract. It helps recruiting, and it is fair and just.

To me, this raises serious questions. As I heard, she was recruiting extremely well and was thrilled with the new facilities. What would make her want to leave and go back to being an assistant??

Hey, tough guy, I contributed to those threads. It was new to this thread. My big bad. geesh.At any rate, this is a bigger problem than many think. If Akron is short-sighted, it will be a problem in the end, whether JD stays OR goes. This is just one of those things that you have to do to be able to compete for good coaches down the road.

Whatever. But I think this is a new point: it's important to treat the current coach very well in order to pave the road for future interest. Look, if JD is unhappy, that's a big problem. Maybe not this year or next, but after he leaves for the BCS. These guys talk.

I believe it's true that they, especially JD, would leave for a BCS job. But if we treat them poorly, pay-wise, it will hurt us when we go to get another coach. Coaching seems to be a small world, and you can bet if JD or Keith left, any candidates would be calling them to ask about the issues: pay, budget, what's the AD like to work for, the president. Sometimes I think the most important thing is getting along with the boss. I know money isn't as important to me as having a great relationship with my CEO (who is great, btw). So I guess I'm more concerned with whether or not JD or Keith like the new guy.

I know this is a dumb question, but why would you leave the same job title at Virginia to come to Akron, especially if he appears to be from the south? Or maybe UAM's old position has been restructured?

I thought the athletic department had to pay the band to be there at games. Yes, folks, this is true. So now you want to pay the individual students, and pay the band?As far as the fight song - does anybody except the band even know the words? What good does it do to play it a million times if nobody even knows it - heck the cheerleaders sing something in the middle that nobody even can understand. It's a joke. And I agree, ditch the eat em up stuff. Our band often looks like a bunch of geeks who are in denial that they are geeks. They look embarrassed to ham it up. Like they know they're supposed to be nutty college kids, but they're just so darn self-conscious that they can't let loose. The best bands know they are geeks and really ham it up. Or they're like the bands at HBCs (historically black colleges) who aren't geeks but know how to entertain and enliven crowds. My suggestion: Send one or two band members to several different schools within a five or six hour drive. Ask questions. Watch them do what they do best: have fun. Bring back a bunch of ideas and have a weekend band summit where everything is tossed out as a possibility. And work with the cheerleaders better. Talk about a disconnect. It's getting slightly better, but it's still really sloppy.I don't know the band director, but if he's wound too tight, which would be my assumption, then maybe we need some wild student assistance now and then. I just don't think our band gets athletic events, I really don't.

I thought all the qbs were impressive. Getsy is the man, for sure, but Jacquemain is not far behind at all, and Jackson is a stud.

Well, count me as one agreeing with ZipAnalyst. Look, some men just cry more than others. Some girls cry more easily than others. Crying is a human emotion, nothing more, nothing less. Some folks get angry easily, some laugh easily, etc. You get my point.Now, all that being said, the feminization of the American male IS real, but crying is not a valid example. How about the current male print models - all bare chested with NO hair. Think they're born that way? Think again - they're WAXING that sh** off. I'm sorry, but trying to look like you don't have chest hair IS feminizing. And for young men to think they have to go through that agony is nuts.

Oh yeah, and I'd bet Dambrot isn't going anywhere at least until Joyce and Travis are gone - and it wouldn't surprise me if the guy stayed here forever. He loves Akron and this university.

Akron basketball is on the upswing. I think the 22 wins will help - and if we get another marketing genius in here. Come on, Mack - get another winner!

Dambrot's not going anywhere. Thomas will hire a big coach for you guys. Except for his first coaching hire here (women's basketball) his hiring was great.As far as liking Thomas, I think the general consensus around here was the guy was a get it done kind of administrator. Akron athletics is a completely different enterprise than before he got here. He hired great coaches and great administrators, too - Waddel for one but also several others that had a clue about what Division 1 athletics was supposed to look like. Thomas and talking, I didn't think he said much publicly about his job, and during coaching searches he was pretty silent. I think the writer at the Plain Dealer was extremely ticked at him for not revealing names on the football search, but that's just how he did business here.In my opinion, his greatest feats here were five-fold:1) Hiring of Brookhart and Dambrot. I think he identifies very strong coaches. I heard both of these guys loved working for him and trusted him implicitly.2) Getting that damn fieldhouse started and completed. That thing was dead in the water before he got here. Now it's one of our biggest recruiting draws, and not just for football. If UC doesn't have one of those, you should get one. I can't believe the mileage we're getting out of it. What a great investment.3) Hiring and management of his staff. He had to get rid of several dead weighters in the first year he was here. HUGE improvement (again, including Waddel).4) Fundraising. Before he left I was told they'd raised a very large amount of the money needed to build the new stadium. 5) Raising the bar in every category. We jumped from last to almost the top in academics and we're winning conference championships in several sports, including football. Can't complain about that.That said, I think we have hired another winner in Mack Rhoades. But you're very very lucky to get Thomas. We always knew he'd leave one day for greener pastures. Maybe you guys are big time enough that he'll stay for longer than five years.

And the regular season COUNTS. Go Zips! I'm actually happy right now. This is a great thing for our program, and even though we stunk last week we live to see another day.

What Thomas did best, imo, was bring in people with big time roots. Waddel had been at Army, North Carolina, and Virginia, which was probably where Thomas knew him from.

I am not scared about JD or Keith leaving if the right AD is in place. I think it's a top down thing, and when you have the right leadership, Proenza and now Rhodes, in place, they just do things the right way.

Waddel is the greatest, no doubt about it. But really, let's be fair. MT, or as some of you call him, the BOSS, gets the credit for bringing UA up to the level it is. He also gets the credit for hiring UAM, a wise move that he obviously still believes because he's taking him with him. It all flows from the top....thus LP also gets credit here, as well. Imho, Thomas + Proenza did the deal for us - ultimately it was that "marriage" that made it happen. Not to take anything away from UAM, but our success has been more than just on the marketing side, although that was certainly the most visible. We hired great coaches and we also went up academically. And let's not forget that new facility sitting there and the bricks laid for the new stadium. There's a lot more to running an athletic department, and I know it's anathema to say this, but Mack seems to have ALL the pieces and the experience. If we really want our department to continue to excel, we can't be guilty of homerism.That said, UAM will be greatly missed. I only hope Mack has someone up his sleeve to replace him.

Wow. I just gotta say, we all cannot possibly know everything that goes on behind the scenes (games). Do we really think Dambrot would just sit a guy who could help him? Me thinks there is more to this story than any of us here could possibly know.