Captain Kangaroo

Looking at the roster on GoZips.com the unknown name that popped out most was a transfer QB from Sacramento State. KC Patterson was on Sac State's roster as late as their spring game on May 7th, 2007.Click for a little info

Just wanted to bring this to the top. It is fast-approaching.

The Zips recently nabbed their first commitment ever from the Youngstown-area's Inter County League (at least that's what the league was called back in my day) when Springfield Local LB Nate Schuler verballed to the program. He runs a 4.6 and impressed the staff at summer camp. "Hits like a freight train."Still awaiting the first recruit from McDonald HS. ;)BTW -- Larry Dawson is looking very promising, as is a safety from Warren JFK named Jared Province! Stay tuned...BTW Part 2: Curtis Brown, who was in that horrible auto accident last year, is in camp. Paul Simkovich, who had the hunting-related gunshot wound, is also on campus.BTW Part 3: Forget Jarvis Givens ever coming to Akron. It ain't happenin'.I doubt this info makes up for my Vince Hill gaffe, but I'll keep trying....

It was fun to watch him at the game last night. And to see all the other guys that had played at the Rubber Bowl against the Zips over the years (R-berger, Young, Batch, etc).Click for Column

I was thinking the same thing!

Hurt, but Practicing

Goin' Back to Cali...

Click - Now if we could only recruit a guy named "Tippacanoe" Jones, THEN we'd have a WR combo!

Click for CampbellIf you have any questions like that, use ZipsNation's "search" function. Enter "Campbell" in the box and you'll get all previous posts that contained the name. Or could it be this guy:Tyler Campbell Preferred Walk on

That's why I continue to feel we'll be arond 8-4 this year. Not because we're a juggernaut, but because we're decent and the competition is terrible. If we went 4-8 this year as some have predicted, I would be aghast. 4-8 with a 2007 MAC East schedule is like 0-12 in any other conference.

Ooops! I wonder if it is too late to cancel my "Hill #2" jersey order from athlete-tech.com? Me and David Lee Morgan...two peas in a pod...

I don't know about Harvey, but I did find a photo of Lindsay:

$1,000.00 per stadium brick.WOW

Click for CampbellIf you have any questions like that, use ZipsNation's "search" function. Enter "Campbell" in the box and you'll get all previous posts that contained the name.

Word on the street is the Zips Stadium Press Conference will be broadcast around 11:30am Wednesday on 1350AM.

Both these guys (Irwin and McClanahan - below) have been offered by the Zips. A COUPLE of levels down from the aforementioned, the summer basketball circuit is confirming what the scouts and recruiters sort of figured when the high school season ended in March.Poca rising sophomore guard Noah Cottrill is the state's best college prospect long term, but among those in the Class of 2008, Bridgeport's Bryant Irwin is getting the most attention. The 6-foot-8, 205-pound Irwin, Nitro 6-5 wing forward Brett McClanahan and Capital's 6-2 Malik Witten are considered the best rising senior hoops prospects in the state -- although the versatile and talented Witten might go with football.Right now, Irwin is considered the state's top prospect, and he has about 15-16 schools that have expressed significant interest, said his AAU coach, Phil Miron of the East Coast Scholar Athletes.Miron's team has been rooted in Roanoke, Va., but is moving its base to Charleston. Prior to Irwin, state players who have summered for East Coast include Division I players or signees Patrick Patterson, Adam Williams, Josh Daniel, Chris Long, Adam Fletcher, T.J. Douglas, Josh Sowards and Josh Yeager.Miron said Irwin has offers from at least 10 mid- to low-major programs, and the Bridgeport star at this point is most interested in Marshall, Akron and James Madison. Others who have offered include Duquesne, Richmond, Appalachian State and UNC Greensboro. Davidson, American and Lehigh have also stepped up contact, Miron said.

I disagree that the GMAC bowl...or any other bowl gives the University negligible recognition. I travel very frequently, and when the Zips Motor City Bowl game approached I got a ton of props in airports from LA to Charlotte. When the Zips beat NC State in football last season, a guy in Myrtle Beach told my vacationing buddy "I never even HEARD of Akron until last week." Look how Boise State has become a prominent name on the national scene. It can happen in Akron too.It can also happen in hoops. Bryce Drew's three point shot put Valpariso on the national hoops map. You'd never have heard of Winthrop if their hoops program weren't so good.I hope we get to find out what exposure an NCAA bid would give to the Zips. To do so, we'll have to quit blowing games versus inferior teams at The Q at some point.

They must use a ton of billboards to do that.BTW - The whole "Browns sell out and they suck" thing is a phony as the Zips saying they averaged 16k last year. I saw the Browns games on TV last year. The stadium was 60% full at best. And much worse in the 2nd halves. Hardly sellouts.If the Zips had a marketing machine like the Browns...multiple TV and radio stations pimping them across the state constantly...if they had a history like the Browns...etc then it would be an even comparison. The Zips were bad for 20 years, had no TV exposure, no championships, one AM radio station, no coaches show, a crap stadium...yes, it was the billboards that didn't generate ticket sales. Had to be those billboards.

Apparently he will attend a prep school in 2008 instead of going to FAU. He re-committed to the Zips.

Was it because the billboards weren't effective...or was it because the team's performance over the past 20 years varied between horrible and mediocre?It must have been that the billboards were ineffective, because who in their right mind would turn down the opportunity to watch a 4-8 Lee Owens team...a 1-10 Gerry Faust team...a defense that both bended AND broke for 20 consecutive years...and on and on...

If they did write more...would you really want to read it? DJ Morgan finally writes something Zips-related, and in it he lists Jabari as 6' 4", 255 lbs. If he's 255 lbs that's a story in itself.The letters to the editor have been written in the past. And to be fair, since Larry Pantages got the big fat boot in his ass things have improved. But overall, Zips print coverage remains very shoddy.

Click for Bowl Recollections of the Opponent

I understand your skepticism regarding the Beacon's coverage...the top Zips recruit of the past decade leaves the team and it goes unnoticed in their publication for months (could you imaging if Ted Ginn had quit OSU and the Columbus Dispatch didn't cover it at all?)...Whoa...got off track there...A story the magnitude of the stadium announcement will certainly be covered by the Beacon in great detail. The only question will be: Does Terry Pluto call it "The House that Lee Owens Built?"

Makes sense. If he predicted 9-3 after the team crapped down their leg, I'd have given him some grief.BTW BZ - You had previously recommended a tailgate spot by Browns Stadium for The Patriot Bowl. It is about time to start organizing things. Where was your spot?

Not to me.