Johnny Utah

Reporting in from St. Petersburg, Florida. Flying up for a Zips extravaganza this weekend - win against Buffalo on Thursday night - MAC soccer semis on Friday night and hoops opener on Saturday night.

In the days leading up to the clash between rivals D.C. United and the Red Bulls, Juan Pablo Angel called the match massive, a must-win for a New York team trying to climb out of the Eastern Conference basement.And the Colombian delivered in a big way, scoring a double as the Red Bulls erased an early deficit to score four unanswered goals in a 4-1 victory against D.C. Sunday at Giants Stadium. It was New York's most lopsided victory in the history of the heated rivalry, and it avenged a 4-1 loss at RKF on June 14.It is the first time the Red Bulls scored three goals in a game since the 5-4 thriller against Los Angeles Aug. 18, 2007, and New York's first win against D.C. United since John Wolyniec struck the winner in a 1-0 match on July 22, 2007 at the Meadowlands. The Red Bulls erased a five-match winless streak, taking three points for the first time since June 21, when New York defeated FC Dallas, 1-0, at Giants Stadium. New York now moves into a four-way tie with D.C., Toronto and Kansas City for fourth place in the Eastern Conference. D.C. United took the lead in the 16th minute on Jaime Moreno's 23rd career goal against New York in 37 appearances. Fred whipped in a cross from the right and, after Jeff Parke turned the wrong way and fell, Moreno headed the ball past Jon Conway from the six-yard box. It was Moreno's 120th career MLS goal. But the Red Bulls equalized 11 minutes later when Angel fired in a free kick after Fred fouled Dave van den Bergh. Angel tucked his kick over the United wall and inside the near post for his fifth goal of the year from 24 yards out. Two minutes later Angel's 40-yard chip from a long Gabriel Cichero clearance sailed over the net. In the 34th minute, Angel, who was freed on goal by Jorge Rojas, attempted to round Zach Wells, but the D.C. goalkeeper lunged and got his right hand on the ball. One minute after Emilio fired a low shot just wide to Conway's right from 35 yards out, Mike Magee put the Red Bulls ahead just before the stroke of halftime. Magee collected van den Bergh's cross that deflected off Marc Burch's head and scored his second goal of the year from seven yards out. Five minutes into the second half Angel scored his second of the game, taking the ball off a Burch flick and chipping it over Wells as Pat Carroll raced back and was unable to head the ball back into play. Two minutes after stepping on the field, Sinisa Ubiparipovic capped the scoring in the 87th minute, slotting in a pass from Jorge Rojas inside the far post for his first goal of the year. Juan Carlos Osorio made three changes from the team that played San Jose to a 1-1 draw at Buck Shaw Stadium on July 27. Cichero, a Venezuelan international, made his MLS debut, playing between Jeff Parke and Kevin Goldthwaite in a three-man backline. Luke Sassano replaced Carlos Mendes in the midfield and Magee played up front with Angel. Tom Soehn used the same stating XI he utilized in a 2-0 win against Kansas City last weekend at RFK Stadium. With a U.S. Open Cup semifinal on tap Tuesday at RFK, Soehn took Moreno off at the half, bringing on Santino Quaranta. Gonzalo Martinez replaced Carroll in the 56th minute for Soehn's second change. For Soehn's last change, Rod Dyachenko replaced Joe Vide in the 67th minute. Osorio made his first substitution on the hour mark, with Carlos Mendes replacing Juan Pietravallo, who was booked in the 14th minute. In the 72nd minute, Chris Leitch came on for Luke Sassano. Ubiparipovic came on for Magee in the 85th minute for Osorio's final change. After taking on the New England Revolution in the U.S. Open Cup Tuesday, D.C. plays at Chicago Saturday. The Red Bulls host Toronto FC next Sunday at 5 p.m.

Watched the Browns show on WKYC last night and Sam Rutigliano said that Charlie should be playing for a team that runs the west coast offense. A bit of foreshadowing?!

The MAC is well represented in the ESPN preseason bottom 10! In at #3 Temple, #4 Buffalo, #6 Eastern Michigan and on the waiting list is Miami. Nice!!

Speaking of CJ, I was at Summit Mall last night and Champ's has Adidas Zips jerseys in stock with #7. Think they were $50.

ZW,I'm the "Bird" you met in Detroit with Zip Watcher. Operate under the pseudonym of Johnny Utah on here.

On what was already one of the most stressful days of his young life, former Massillon Tiger standout Andy Alleman received a phone call from a family member saying that Andy’s mother, June Alleman, was rushed to Akron City Hospital after suffering a stroke.Alleman, who was a All-Mid American Conference guard at Akron, was in Indianapolis at the NFL’s Scouting Combine last weekend when he received the call. The combine, which has taken on a life of its own in recent years, is where potential NFL draftees can make or break their draft status. Perform well, and a player could vault up a team’s draft board, earning extra millions of dollars in the process. Perform poorly, and it’s the opposite.With all that at stake, and his mother’s condition being in the back of his mind, Alleman still went out and made a claim as being one of the top three guards in the draft. He was the No. 1-rated guard in the broad jump (8 feet, 10 inches), the No. 3 guard in the vertical leap (30 inches) and the No. 3 guard in the 40-yard dash (5.07 seconds).For Alleman, it still wasn’t quite good enough. His goal is to be one of the top five overall linemen – not just guards.“(My mother’s stroke) affected me a little bit,” said Alleman, who starred as an outside linebacker in high school and didn’t begin playing on the offensive line until his junior year at Akron. “I’m going to re-do some things (at Akron’s Pro Day) because I wasn’t happy with a couple of things. I didn’t want to tell people (about the stroke) because I didn’t want to make excuses, but it sucks that it happened. It’s been a real stressful week with everything at the combine and everything else that’s happened.”A second chanceAkron’s Pro Day on March 9 will give Alleman another shot at improving in the three areas he believed he didn’t perform to the best of his capabilities – the bench press, 3-cone drill and pro agility. Being back at home, and not having the stress that comes with the combine – where every little thing a player does is under a microscope – Alleman is confident he’ll ‘clean those areas up.’Akron head coach J.D. Brookhart, however, has already had some positive feedback from scouts he has talked to.Brookhart began his coaching career in the NFL with the Denver Broncos.“The comments that were given to me was that they loved what he did at the combine,” said Brookhart, who led Akron to its first ever MAC Championship and bowl appearance in 2005. “They all believe Andy is a coachable product with a lot of upside.”The upside report has to do with Alleman being new to his position. A linebacker in high school, he was recruited by the University of Pittsburgh as a defensive end. Alleman played that position for two years at Pitt before having a conversation with then head Massillon coach Rick Shepas on making the change to the offensive side of the ball. Alleman’s teammate Charles Spencer, who was drafted in the third round of the 2006 NFL draft by the Houston Texans, also made the change and the two hoped to line up next to each other on offense. Before that could happen, Alleman decided to transfer to Akron when Brookhart, a former Pitt offensive coordinator, replaced Lee Owens as the Zips’ head coach.“Coach Shepas talked to me after my true sophomore year and encouraged me to make the change (to offense),” Alleman said. “I approached the head coach in the spring of 2004 about making the change. I thought Charles would play tackle and I could play guard and potentially Pitt had some pretty good guys up front. But things didn’t work out and I transferred to Akron. I’m happy with everything that’s happened.”Even though Alleman is still in the process of mastering his position, he is still his own toughest critic. He’s the first to admit that he didn’t go out and blow NFL scouts away, but he also doesn’t believe he did anything to hurt his stock. Alleman considers his 27 reps of 225 pounds in the bench press as being the biggest disappointment. His goal is to do at least 30 and as many as 35 at next Friday’s Pro Day.“I just have to clean some things up,” Alleman said. “Was I happy with my broad jump? Yes. I know that’s about the best I could’ve done. Was I happy with my 40 time? Yes. Was I happy with my vertical leap? Yes. I know I did about the best that I could do in those. But I wanted to be among the top five or six players in everything. Hopefully, I can improve upon some of those things.”Currently, Alleman is projected to be drafted anywhere between round two through the end of round four. If he improves on his marks from the combine, however, he could solidify his position as a second rounder.Hectic weekendJust how hectic is the combine?Alleman describes his four days in Indianapolis as ‘non-stop running around’. One minute, a player is meeting with coaches and general managers, the next minute they are rushed to the drill area and asked to perform.“Not to make excuses, but I was the first player in group one,” he said. “That means I was the first to do everything. I don’t think people realize how hectic it really is. For example, when we were doing the bench press, our group got there at 1:52 p.m. They told us at 2 p.m., we’re starting. That gave me eight minutes to warm up and they didn’t have enough weights, but that’s another story. People watching on TV think that (the combine) is the most technical thing ever, but it really isn’t. It’s more like you are running all over the place.” And yes, there is a method for that madness. It’s a devised scheme that the NFL general managers and owners put together to see how a player performs in a less than ideal atmosphere.“No question, they know what they are doing,” Alleman said. “You don’t do the lifting until the third day and the running until the fourth day. By then, you’ve already built up a hell of a lot of stress. By the time you’re done with everything, you’ve already been on your feet for three days and then you have to go out and run your best time. It’s just nerve racking and that was without everything that was going on with my mom. It was a very stressful weekend, but a very good experience and I was happy I was there.”

Good news for Chase...The Giants are close to signing linebacker Chase Blackburn to a four-year, $3 million contract extension, through the 2010 season, according to a person familiar with the negotiations. The person said the final year of the deal would be voidable.-- Newark Star-Ledger

I read today that UConn backed out of a 4-year series with Navy last week. Navy replaced Uconn on their 07 & 08 schedule with Bowling Green.

Both guys were placed on injured reserve by their respective teams yesterday and are now out for the year.

Running back Erik Haw has decided to transfer from Ohio State, apparently disappointed over his spot on the depth chart.Haw, a third-year sophomore, asked for his release from the Buckeyes and the request was granted, athletic department spokesman Steve Snapp told The Columbus Dispatch for a story Thursday.Haw figured to be the fourth-string tailback in the fall behind starter Antonio Pittman, Maurice Wells and freshman Chris Wells. Haw played in four games last season, rushing for 61 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries and catching two passes for six yards.There are three or four schools Haw is considering, said Alan Jones, his former high school football coach at Columbus Independence."He doesn't see the possibility of playing at OSU," Jones said. "He feels he's paid his dues and now it's time to move on."Haw was cited in May 2005 after a university police officer saw him smoking a marijuana cigarette while standing outside a dormitory. He pleaded guilty to an amended charge of disorderly conduct and entered a drug education program.Snapp also said cornerback Mike Roberts has transferred to Indiana.

The University of Akron athletic marketing and sales department was recognized this past week receiving three awards for outstanding achievement in marketing and promotion at the National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators (NACMA) annual convention. UA received a gold award for its men's basketball promotional schedule poster and for best new revenue-generating idea with its `Fear The Roo' campaign. In addition, the department earned a Best of Show award as the top new revenue generating idea of the year in all of collegiate athletics. This prestigious honor is awarded to the top five overall marketing campaigns of the year. Akron was the only non-BCS school to be presented with a Best of Show honor joining University of Minnesota, Marshall University, University of Maryland and Purdue University as a top award recipient. Awards are presented in 16 individual categories. Each category is awarded a bronze, silver and gold winner. The top five overall gold winners are then selected as the Best of Show. NACMA is administered by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), the professional and education association of more than 6,100 college athletics administrators at more than 1,600 institutions.

Toledo -- It was a Friday, colder and grayer than it ought to be for April. It felt more like late October, which was fine for Ray Williams. It is a time of year he is battling to get back to. The All-Ohio tailback from Benedictine High was the state's Mr. Football in 2003 and accepted a football scholarship to West Virginia. Now he is a walk-on for the University of Toledo Rockets, as he attempts to put a troubled past behind him. Williams is trying to meet the sympathetic ruling of a judge, Shirley Strickland Saffold, with his own ambitions to play football again. Instead of sitting in prison for involuntary manslaughter and attempted robbery, Williams remains free on five years' probation, as long as he attends college and maintains a C average. On April 16, 2004, Williams and Benedictine teammate Jon Huddleston survived the night they and a third teammate, Lorenzo Hunter, attempted to rob a known drug dealer with a fake gun. The dealer had a real gun and killed Hunter, while Williams and Huddleston ran from the crime. Huddleston received the same sentence as Williams and is on the football team at North Carolina Central. Toledo isn't prison, but that's what hangs over Williams without an overall 2.0 grade-point average. Making the football team could make time fly by. If he fails academically, he could be sentenced to three years in prison. After Saffold read her sentence, Williams told the court: "If I don't play another down, I won't be mad." That was over a year ago. Now, Williams says, playing football again is what truly drives him. "I don't know where that came from," Williams said of his statement in court. The situation in Toledo is delicate for all involved as Williams starts his journey back. "I've been accepted," he said. "A lot of people know my personal history. Being up here is almost like being at home, just away from all the crazy stuff." Yet a cloud still hangs over him, as does the coach who wants to help him get on with life while wearing a scarlet letter. Toledo's Tom Amstutz has taken it as a personal challenge to get Williams back on the right path. "When people hear Ray is on our team, they're going to ask questions," Amstutz said. "But I said to Ray, I'm here to help young men, including young men who have made mistakes.' "If they can come in my program, my family, and do things the right way, and I can help them develop as young men, that's my No. 1 priority. I want my guys to become better citizens than when they first got here; I want them to grow in all areas of their lives." crime resulting in death has a finality about it that seems to demand tougher justice and less forgiveness, so Amstutz has heard his share of critics for letting Williams on the team. "I expected some, but maybe not quite this much," Amstutz said. "That doesn't bother me. I'm willing to step up and help the young man. That's why I coach. "And it's just not because Ray is a good football player. I have my hands in all areas of his life. I have people even going with him to church. I'm with Ray. I want to help his life. But he's not going to be, all of a sudden, on the team." While the team practiced four days a week this spring, Williams went only to two -- Friday and Saturday -- for academic reasons. Some weeks there were no Saturday practices, so Williams was down to just a day. Williams is not on the team roster. He has no jersey number. Williams is just completing his first calendar year at UT and is cleared by the NCAA to practice. But to play this fall, he can't fall back academically. "I'm gradually working him into our program, as long as he continues to do the right things," Amstutz said. "He could play this fall, based on how he's doing in the classroom, off the field, and with our football family. And right now, he's doing very well." Amstutz said this after that chilly Friday practice where the 5-11, 192-pound back looked fine catching the ball but pedestrian running it. Plays where Williams struggled to get 3 and 4 yards a crack became a three-play touchdown drive anchored by a 35-yard TD run when Williams' bigger, stronger walk-on replacement gave him a breather. Yet with Ray Williams, history has shown a lot can change in an instant. On April 14, Williams was the highlight of Toledo's spring scrimmage with a performance anchored by a jitterbug 20-yard run. So he forges on. Williams said his parents are paying for his school and off-campus apartment. He and Shaw product Scooter McDougle, an All-Mid-American Conference running back who has become his mentor, might share an apartment this summer. It all seems like a 12-step program, one day at a time. "I go to school, go to class, go home," he said. "You're tired by that time, you don't want to come back on campus. I'm probably 5 to 10 minutes away, but it's not walking distance." He doesn't want it to be close. Where others may see the traditional college picture of dorm life, nearby frat houses, pizza pubs and the like, Williams sees what he wants no part of. "You stay out of trouble staying off campus," Williams said. "Too much stuff to get into staying on-campus, a lot of drama going on around campus. Stuff happens, stuff comes up missing . . . you're in the wrong place at the wrong time, now you've got a problem." Those around him are trying to chart a course for a happy ending. "He's doing pretty good, holding up pretty well," said the 6-1, 235-pound McDougle, who is getting himself back in shape after injuring a knee in the 2004 MAC Championship and missing all of last season. "Everybody comes up to me and asks about him," McDougle said. "I told them I knew him from way back. We were supposed to play together at Shaw, but I got my transfer [from Villa Angela-St. Joseph High], and he didn't [from Benedictine]. Because I knew him before, I was always going to look out for him." Short of a medical setback, McDougle is destined to be on the field for UT when the leaves start changing. Williams? Only time will tell. "I see myself playing this fall," Williams said. "Doing something, special teams, something." Even then, it will be a start, not the end.

My favorite reading of the article was this...It's hard to describe just how bad the Can't State running game was last year, but we'll give it a shot. For the entire season, the Golden flushes totaled a whopping 505 yards on the ground. To put that in perspective, Can't State could've increased its total by 60 percent (300 yards) and still been the worst rushing team in the country. So yes, when you average 45.9 yards per game and 1.8 yards per carry, just about anything that walks in a forward motion is considered a spring answer.

Jackson grad hopes to join Akron alums in NFLMonday, April 17, 2006 By Steve Doerschuk REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITERSome NFL dreams are practical. Some are pure fantasy. University of Akron players tend to dream big. That happens when a guy like Charlie Frye stays so close to the program that it’s like he never left. The dream of the hour has Frye, the Browns’ likely starting quarterback, reuniting with Zips receiver Domenik Hixon. It’s a natural. Frye and Hixon were good together in 2004, when Hixon was a junior. Now, every insider from Akron to Berea knows Frye would be tickled if the Browns draft Hixon. It’s not as if Cleveland would be doing some big favor. The 6-foot-2½ Hixon has a rare mix of size and speed. He ran the 40 in the 4.3s and vertical jumped 38½ inches at Akron’s Pro Day, which, of course, Frye attended. Akron linebacker Jay Rohr’s NFL dream is different. He’s a player, no doubt, but not a physical specimen. He never missed a game in four years after an outstanding run at Jackson High School. He was arguably the best defensive player on the Mid-American Conference’s best team in 2005. Rohr led the Zips in tackles. Some called him the A.J. Hawk of the MAC. He’s a mini-Hawk, though — two inches shorter, 15 pounds lighter, and not as fast as the Ohio State star. Hawk might be a No. 5 overall pick on April 29. Hixon is a likely pick on the second day of the draft. SPIELMAN AND THOMAS Rohr probably won’t be drafted. He will be ready to accept the best offer, or any offer, to join a team as an undrafted rookie. “The NFL has been a dream of mine,†Rohr said over Easter weekend. “I’d pursue pro football in the CFL, in NFL Europe, or whatever, but the NFL is my first choice.†He figures to be in a group scrutinized by NFL scouts on May 20 in Columbus. He has been invited to an NFL combine June 16-17 in New Orleans. Ideally, he’d be invited to a team in time for May minicamps. At worst, he wants to hook on with an NFL team before training camps start in July. At 5-foot-11, 230 pounds and without sprinter speed, he must hope someone likes something else about him. “I looked up to Chris Spielman when I was growing up,†Rohr said. “I was glad the Browns signed him when they came back. I’ve followed Zach Thomas. People put him down because of his height and weight, but he proved he can play.†Rohr is almost exactly the same size as Thomas, who has had a 10-year NFL career. Rohr is prepared for a struggle. He said he’ll give his pro football dream at least two years. “I tried to be one of the best linebackers in the MAC,†he said. “I’ve done all I could to prepare, and I’ll continue to do all I can do. “I’ve already done things I wasn’t expected to do.†At Jackson, Rohr was first-team All-Ohio twice and was the 2001 Stark County coaches’ Player of the Year. College recruiters worried about his size and speed. Then-Akron Head Coach Lee Owens said in 2002, “There weren’t a lot of people beating his door down, but just look at the film and believe what you see. The guy can flat-out play.†THE MARSHALL MEMORY Rohr was a two-way guy in high school. He rushed for 163 yards the day Jackson clinched an outright Federal League title by beating North Canton Hoover, 20-10. He proved himself a tough, versatile linebacker for Akron. He hunted a wide array of running backs, finishing his career against Memphis whiz DeAngelo Williams. Williams is sure to be drafted in the first round, listed 15th on Mel Kiper Jr.’s “big board.†Rohr is sure only that he’ll lift and run and try to stay in great shape. “That funnel keeps getting narrower as players progress through the levels,†said Phil Mauro, who was Rohr’s head coach at Jackson. “But I’d never bet against Jay. I know that. “He has that iron will, that heart.†Frye has encouraged Rohr. They shared a memorable night against Marshall in 2004, when Rohr had a game-high 12 tackles, and Frye led a comeback to a 31-28 win as Hixon caught 13 passes for 192 yards. “Some people don’t like Akron,†Rohr said. “Charlie did, and he does. He hung out with us this past season. He talked to the team. He came to our bowl game. He’s been at spring practices this year. “He’s a great person and a tremendous athlete. He gets along with everyone. He’s gonna do well in Cleveland.†Rohr hopes to do well ... somewhere. “I really just want someone to give me a chance,†Rohr said. “I’ll take it from there.†Reach Repository sports writer Steve Doerschuk at (330) 580-8347 or e-mail: steve.doerschuk@cantonrep.com The Jay Rohr file Born June 9, 1983. High school Starred on both sides of the ball at Jackson (left) with 441 career tackles and 3,226 rushing yards; named Stark County coaches’ player of the year his senior season of 2001. COLLEGE University of Akron. 2002 Tried at linebacker and running back as freshman; recovered a fumble in a win at Marshall. 2003 Again played in all 12 games, in an expanded role at linebacker, making 48 tackles. 2004 Emerged as starting strong-side linebacker; made 12 tackles in win over Marshall. 2005 Moved to middle linebacker, ranked 21st in NCAA Division I with 6.0 solo tackles per game; won Fred Sefton Award as Akron’s top defensive player; wore No. 32, just as he did during his Jackson days.

Can't took out a full page ad in the Beacon Urinal yesterday about the game on Saturday...They plan on selling "Fear This" tshirts for $5 each.

Another article from the Independent:When former Massillon Tiger Andy Alleman was being recruited five years ago, he never considered the University of Akron. Alleman grew up 15 minutes south of the city, but never had the urge to play for the “hometown school”.But why would he?Akron had a local reputation as a program of last resort. The university couldn’t boast state-of-the-art facilities. It couldn’t even boast an on-campus football stadium.“I had 22 offers,” Alleman said. “I had offers from all the MAC schools and from schools in the Big Ten, ACC and SEC. I visited Akron out of high school just as a favor. When I visited, I thought to myself, ‘There is no way I’m coming here.’”Alleman instead opted to attend the University of Pittsburgh, where he played in all 12 games as a freshman on the Panthers’ defensive line.But things didn’t work out at Pitt and Alleman decided to transfer following the 2003 campaign. The school he eventually transferred to was the same school he said “no way” to just two years earlier – the University of Akron.What a difference a couple of years makes.When Alleman originally visited Akron, the school still lacked its major selling point. But when he re-visited the school in 2004, all he had to look at was the newly built indoor fieldhouse and he was sold.The $40 million facility features a 100-yard indoor football practice field, a six-lane track, a weight room and a rock-climbing wall, among other amenities.“I went back and looked at Akron and it was totally different,” Alleman said. “The first thing I noticed was the change in facilities. There was the new indoor field house and new buildings all over campus. When (new Zips coach) J.D. (Brookhart) came here, I said, ‘Things might be all right here.’”Things were more than all right.Brookhart coached the Zips to a 6-5 record in 2004. It was the school’s fourth winning season in the past six years. It was this past season, however, when the football program reached new heights. After getting off to a 3-4 start, the Zips won three of their last four regular season games to reach the Mid American Conference championship game for the first time. The Zips won that game 31-30 on a last-second touchdown and was invited to the Motor City Bowl – the school’s first.Brookhart wants to build on that success by cementing the Zips as a recruiting power in Ohio. For him, the greater Akron-Canton area will be ground zero for the Zips’ recruiting efforts.“We want to recruit everywhere, but Northeast Ohio should be our bread and butter,” Brookhart said. “The area has great football tradition, there is great coaching and there is great community support. We want this area to be our No. 1 recruiting ground. But we are only going to choose from those who can play on a high level.”Despite the MAC Championship, the Motor City Bowl bid and the national exposure that came with it, Akron’s allure to players in this area hasn’t been as great as it has been in other parts of the state. Brookhart believes many people in this area still view Akron as they did in the past.“We’ve won some battles last year and we want to continue it this year,” he said. “We’ve made great improvements in outside areas. We’ve had a lot of success in Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Western Pennsylvania and Florida. But we’re still having a harder time here. I think the perception of the University of Akron has been so deeply rooted in this area, it’s going to be tough to change.”Massillon head coach Tom Stacy, who was Akron’s offensive coordinator for nine years under former head coach Lee Owens, would like to see his Tiger players take an interest in Akron. But he adds that Brookhart’s staff is going to have to put in a lot of time to be successful in this area.“With the indoor training facility, I think it will attract local talent,” said Stacy. “But J.D. and his staff are going to have to work at it. That’s something that coach Owens did, and he got local kids like (former Jackson Polar Bear) Jay Rohr, Bobby Hendry and Dan Basch. I have great respect for J.D. and his staff, but they are going to have to make a commitment to this area in order to draw local kids.”Jackson head football coach Phil Mauro believes some of the old perceptions about the school are beginning to change. Two of Mauro’s former players – linebackers Rohr and Brian Rice – played for the Zips this past season. Like Stacy, Mauro says he would like more of his players to take interest in Akron’s program.“The (Akron football team) had a week off before going up there and Jay (Rohr) stopped by,” Mauro said. “There was a buzz around the school. We’re all excited. We think its a great situation and I’ve always felt that the MAC was a great league.”Alleman has seen the situation from both sides. He originally believed that Akron was a dead-end program. Now, he says it won’t take long before other local kids realize that the home-town school has a lot to offer.“There is no question about whether or not Akron can get local talent,” Alleman said. “I played for Pitt in the Big East and I’ve played in the MAC. At this point, the MAC is just as strong as the Big East from top to bottom.”Nobody is doubting whether or not Akron is heading in the right direction. But the Zips still play their games seven miles away from campus at the dilapidated Rubber Bowl. University officials say a plan is in place to have an on-campus stadium built within the next four years.Until a new on-campus stadium is built, Stacy says the football program will never be able to reach its maximum potential.“The biggest thing they have to fight against other schools is not having a stadium on campus,” he said. “That’s the biggest downfall. I really believe the Akron program is a gold mine. It could be one of the best, if not the best in the MAC. But it will never be the job it could be until they build a stadium on campus, in my opinion.”

An article in todays Massillon Independent:With the success the Akron football program had this past season, it’s easy to forget that it was former head coach Lee Owens who helped set the stage for the school’s dramatic Mid American Conference championship against Northern Illinois or its first-ever bowl bid.It was Owens who recruited most of the Zip players that started this season. More importantly, it was also Owens who is largely responsible for the school’s biggest recruiting gem – the $40 million, on-campus fieldhouse.“No question, coach Owens played a big part in that being built,” said current Massillon head coach Tom Stacy, who was the Zips’ offensive coordinator from 1995-2004. “The people (at Akron) may not want to admit it, but the guys who worked behind the scenes know the real story. It was something he planned and he worked hard to get done. It became a reality because of Lee Owens.”Owens, also a former Massillon head coach, fought for an indoor fieldhouse when he was hired as Akron’s football coach in 1995 after a stint on John Cooper’s staff at Ohio State. At the time, the university was in the process of more than $200 million dollars worth of renovations, but none of the money was going towards upgrading the athletic facilities.“When I was hired, Peggy Elliott – who was the president at the time – pointed out the window and said that’s where the indoor facility is going to be built,” Owens said. “It was in the same spot it is now. But it took nine or 10 years before it was built. The school was going through some things with the administration where there was three presidents and three athletic directors during that time. I had to fight just to keep it on the agenda.”The indoor facility was finally a reality in 2004, but Owens was fired before he could reap the benefits. The Zips replaced Owens, who compiled a 40-61 record in nine seasons, with Pittsburgh offensive coordinator J.D. Brookhart.Owens doesn’t hold any animosity over the firing and is rooting for Brookhart to continue to build on what he started.“When you put as much time in a program, it’s hard to remove yourself from it,” Owens said. “The last two years, I’ve really been proud of what they did. At the same time, I feel alienated.“The best way to say it is that I can’t tell you how proud I was when Domenik Hixon caught the winning touchdown in the MAC championship game. We have a relationship. At the same time, seeing the team do so well is almost like looking at my family through a window celebrating Christmas without me. I look at (the Akron team) as if that’s my family.”

Found this article in the Canton Repository this morning... COLLEGE SOCCER: Zips’ Lolla heading to Louisville Thursday, December 15, 2005 Ken Lolla’s most successful season as University of Akron men’s soccer coach will be his last. A source confirmed late Wednesday that Lolla is leaving the Zips to become the head coach at Louisville. The surprising move comes less than two weeks after Akron lost to eventual national champion Maryland on peanlty kicks in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division I tournament. Lolla led the 18-1-4 Zips to their most successful season in 19 years this fall. They became the first Akron and Mid-American Conference team in any sport to be ranked No. 1 in the nation, won the Mid-American Conference tournament for the second year in a row and qualified for the NCAA tournament for the fifth straight time. The Zips reached the quarterfinals for the first time since 1986 when they made it to the national championship match. Last month, Akron gave Lolla a five-year contract extension that was to go into effect when his current agreement expired in March. In 13 seasons, he compiled a 160-68-25 record, won eight MAC regular season championships, won four MAC tournament titles and lead his teams to the NCAA tournament six times. Lolla faces a rebuilding task at Louisville. The Cardinals finished 5-11-2 this year. This sucks!!!