mcperp

The jury's out on Brookhart regarding the right or wrong track, as Zip81 nicely noted, "we're going to learn a lot next year". I do know that a guy named Mack hopes that JD is on the right Rhoades, cuz those two are riding together.

Point taken ITZ, but in terms of whether Brookhart has accomplished more than Lee Owens or merely the same is open to healthy debate. Even though the Zips were 7-6 in 2005, they were 7-6 with a MAC title. Similarly the St Louis Cardinals were about 83-79 or so in the regular season this year, but came away with a world series title.I think Brookhart's approach to recruiting and coaching is most definitely complimented by the new on-campus facilities, but the facilities themselves are a means to an end. I would hope that recruits are choosing Akron not just because of the on-campus facility,but because they like and believe in the coaches and they just intangibly felt that U of A was the right place for them.

Let's look at Brookhart's career here at Akron and compare him to his predecessor.Lee Owens:Has the worst facilities in the nation, no....not just 1-A, the NATION, and pulls three winning seasons in nine years, getting fired for a year in which he went 7-5 and 5-3 in the MAC one interception away from beating a top 25 team. I know there's some hatred for the guy on this forum but I think it's completely unwarranted. For the crap he was handed from the administration in terms of support and facilities I think he worked miracles.JD Brookhart:Steps right into the best on campus practice and training facilities in the MidWest and inherits a 7-5 team with one of the best 5th year senior QB's in the nation. Starts his career out 1-4 with a loss to a Sun Belt school, and three HUMILIATING blowouts, one to another MAC school. Gets on a hot streak against some weak competition in the middle of the schedule (Buffalo, UCF, Ohio, Can't, Ball St, and needed a Charlie Frye miracle to beat a bad Marshall team) and then closes out the year to lose to a down Miami team that was just good enough to win a bad MAC East that season. 6-5 with a team that I honestly believe would've won the East that year if Lee O/Paul Winters had stayed in charge and kept the momentum from '03. Has the so-called #1 recruiting class in the MAC heading into '05, which should be expected with the best facilities in the MAC, but in reality just signed a bunch of guys who would never get here anyways. Half that class is no longer with the team. Comes back in '05 and is proclaimed God of Akron after going 6-5, 5-3 in the MAC..... the same record Lee Owens was fired for. Is the beneficiery not of what his team did, but of what other team DIDN'T do, and backs into the MAC championship, and beats an NIU team on a last second prayer, an NIU team that didn't have it's starting quarterback. Loses the Bowl game to a mediocre Memphis team. Has a solid recruiting class, again, with what could be expected with the facilities and coming off a championship, but again, many don't qualify. Nevertheless, Akron enters 2006 as arguably the most talented team in the MAC, full of, not to keep stroking the guy's dick but, guys Lee Owens recruited with the most god-awful facilities and campus in college football. With that talented team, he drops an egg, and goes 5-7 in a DOWN year in the MAC.So you be the judge.....is JD Brookhart really that great of a coach, or just a guy who had limited success because he stepped into the right situation at the right time?? You be the judge. I'm not for firing the guy this year, but heads on his staff should roll, and I'm not as excited about that contract extension as some of you are. [/COLOR]With that line of reasoning, it wouldn't matter if JD or a sack of potatoes coached the Zips last season. Almost as if the Zips were in some existential vortex where events randomly occured and the fruits of last season's moderate success were no more the result than pure whimsy. Lee Owens is certainly almost by all accounts, a good man and he certainly maximized the limited resources you noted. Brookhart shouldn't be dismissed as a carpetbagger or jackal simply because he was hired as Akron's coach at a propitious time regarding some facilities (the Rubber Bowl doesn't sway too many recruits I fear). He may not have even been interested in the position had the on-campus training facility not been around, we don't know for sure. The fact is that Akron did win the MAC title last year based on 12 games, 60 minutes a game, 60 seconds a minute. Is Jon Gruden's Super Bowl win with Tampa Bay really Tony Dungy's, absolutely not. I think the issue of the firing of Lee Owens and the hiring and coaching acumen of JD are separate issues. If over the next two years, the program is heading backward, then yeah we should revisit whether or not JD is the right fit.

Attendance was around 9,000-11,000 tonight. Most fans were funneled to the general seating section due to them getting a $5.00 discounted ticket (1 can of food promo with Giant Eagle). The reserved seating couldn't have been more than 2,500 or so. Zips were lethargic and once again had a number of crucial penalties. A real anti-climactic way to end the season. Game was so bad that many folks were demanding the return of their donated wax beans.

As the head coach, the buck ultimately stops with Brookhart, but lets not forget that he lost several assistants in the off-season which has a lot to do with comfort and continuity for the players. Brookhart has been very good for the program and is getting solid talent to come to a school that has had a lousy D-1 reputation. There's a lot of forward energy still emanating for this program that will be exponentially enhanced with a new stadium. If the Zips go backwards in the next year or two, then yeah, let's discuss the head coach's effectiveness, but any objective outsider would definitely look at U of A as a program that has gone from moribund to on the rise. Just ask Chuck Amato (oh wait, he'll just say that we're loaded with non-qualifiers.). Anyways to make a long story short, from the institution that fired John Heisman, a large degree of patience is warranted with this program.

It won't happen, Cleveland St., Akron and Can't State were looking to merge financial operations last year, and it never took off primarily due to fact that existing systems were not compatible with each other. There is already a fairly significant trend whereby students are taking classes "a la carte", that is, attending multiple colleges at the same time.Don't believe the hype that a super university would be better. In fact, students learn better and are retained in much higher numbers when they feel connected to a university. And students who live on campus are retained at a 15-20% higher rate than commuters. A super university is going in the exact opposite direction. The only ones who would benefit from such a system are the consulting firms who will rake in hundreds of thousands of dollars to "build" a white elephant.

Yeah, the home non-conference schedule lacks any sizzle at all. It's the same feeling one might get finding "Weekend at Bernie's 2" for $1.00 in the bottom of the VCR bin at Walmart. It sure would be nice to get corporate sponsorship for a Holiday Classic tournament at the JAR. Possibly get some 2nd tier Big Ten, Big East schools or top Mizzou Valley teams to visit.

All in good fun of our aging facility:10. Good place for quiet study cram session before finals the next day9. Opportunity for gratuitous use of the word "Rubber" in front of your up-tight in-laws Extra special when Ball State visits.8. An excellent chance that your $4 Coke and $3 hot dog is served by Gerry Faust7. Have vague pride in neighboring Soap Box Derby though you're not sure why6. Can feed a family of four by merely grazing on food stains on the seats5. Show school tradition and spirit by touching Joe Jakubick's mullet from 1984 before game.4. You get to pee in a trough, and admire the 19th century plumbing3. Chance to discuss Cover 2 and blitz package schemes with Elvis, Jimmy Hoffa, and the "I love ya man" dude from the Budweiser commercials2. Stake claim to your seat for the big Temple game in 20071. Cheap seats, see you at the game!

Nicely stated LA Zips Fan. One can only guess about the reasons behind the relative quietude from the Athletic Department. It's almost as if last season's success caught everyone off-guard, including the Athletic Department. The Zips' culture of second-class citizenship was momentarily replaced by a "how the hell did this happen" elation of a last-second championship. Factor in the transition of a new AD, and you have a department in flux. Certainly these people are aware of the need to stoke the fire, and one hopes they are able to do so. The new stadium is a doable proposition, but for good or bad, nothing will help more than a solid season, and an aggressive, creative scheduling plan that will build the fan base. For those of you who remember the great run Cleveland State hoops had back in the mid-80's, it culminated in the construction of the 17,000 seat Convocation Center on-campus.

To borrow a line from the moviemaking Coen Brothers, "The Future is Now". It would be difficult to find a UA football campaign that is as critical as the 2006 season. Let's face it, a 3-8, 4-7 season will significantly stymie any momentum, and make the building of a new stadium much more difficult if not impossible. Zips administrators won't admit it as such, but number one on their strategic plan is a new on-campus stadium. If you're going to tap into casual fans and build your fan base it's essential to have a family-friendly, amenity laden stadium. The Zips will always draw 6-7k at the Rubber Bowl thanks to a small, but loyal fan base. Momentum from an exciting 2006 season will exponentially increase donations and support for an on-campus stadium. You can bet that the university won't be getting much if any help from the state legislature for capital improvements, and especially an athletic facility. If Terry Pluto were to wag his ample pen and influence to help lobby for a 30-35k capacity stadium, his contribution would be invaluable.

There's really no mystery to the Zips' schedule and Terry Pluto should know this as well. Any mid-major program needs road dollars to keep its football program reasonably healthy financially (and healthy at Akron would still be running a deficit). The Zips' blueprint the last few years is similar to the 2006 schedule. A couple of tough road games along with a mid-major thrown in (Middle Tennessee, Army, and North Texas this season). Those road dollars enhance all aspects of football operations, and also provides an intangible recruiting tool whereby potential recruits see Akron playing nationally televised games against elite competition.To me a 42-31 loss at NC State is more valuable at this point in the program's renaissance than a 3 point win at Arkansas St, both in terms of prestige and financial benefits. Hopefully in the near future, teams like NC State and Purdue will realize that a cupcake game against U of A doesn't really exist anymore.Terry Pluto is a fine writer who many of us have enjoyed for years. His use of the word "disaster" is hyperbolic and representative of years of failure for Zips' football. The Zips' impressive roll at the end of last year was like an unexpected trip to the candy store, and understandably, Terry is worried that the tough schedule this year might mean no return trip to the candy store. Simply put, it was a poor word choice, certainly the lack of early home MAC games is troubling, but the Can't game is Sept 30th and only a few miles away, so hopefully Zips fans will turn out to turn it into a home field advantage.

Without admittedly having the data to support it, I think changing the name to the Zips Athletic Scholarship Fund is a poor idea to capture most potential donors. The decision to donate to an athletic program is primarily an emotional one. The donor has in his mind that his/her check will be going to pay for better recruiting, balls, bats, shoulder pads, field improvements, etc. It's a vicarious experience and enables the donor to have not only an emotional investment in Zips sports, but a tangible investment as well.The idea of buying Accounting books, or helping a recruit take 15 semester credits is far less appealing to most donors. Mack Rhoades is correct. by far the greatest expense to an athletic program is the cost of matriculation. I think a lot of folks believe that a scholarship is a "wash" for the university, that is, that the university doesn't want or need to charge tuition. In fact, the athletic department is billed for the cost of tuition, and usually room and board. So you can see that at $15,000 or more per year for 4 years of school, the price quickly adds up.People who donate to emotional causes like the Humane Society, do so to help save and protect pets because they love them. Part of their donation does directly go to programs to save pets, but it also goes to cages for dogs, utility bills, rent, etc. However, you won't see a Humane Society mailing that has an empty building with desks in it asking for rent money. They'll show a picture of a sad pet and/or a happy pet with their beaming owner. Is the Zip Athletic Office going to send a picture of books, and a student athlete earnestly pouring over his Psych 101 text to prospective donors, or maybe a game-winning catch by Domenik Hixon would be better?Seems like there are better marketing devices to increase scholarship donations rather than to make it the centerpiece of your fundraising effort. You don't buy a car to pay for the dealer's mortgage, you buy a car because oftentimes it's a reflection of you and your desires. The ZASF initiative wrongly misplaces the end as the means.

Obviously, it's purely about attempting to garner more tv ad revenue for ESPN since it's the sole college bowl on the 7th. It's hard to imagine much national interest in this contest with the exception of the gambling public...hmm, on second thought perhaps this is a stroke of genius.

Does anyone know if the Zips Athletic Department has taken a look at playing some home games at Canal Park. It's hard to imagine that they haven't explored adding 10-12 thousand temporary seats for a capacity of about 20,000. I don't know if this is even feasible logistically, but playing in downtown Akron at a beautiful and intimate facility certainly has a lot more cache than the aging, decrepit Rubber Bowl. Though the capacity will be much lower, the Zips could charge a premium price for a Canal Park Game.

I think the strategy of many mid-major programs, including Akron is to try to find the "under the radar" recruits early, offer a scholarship, and hope that the recruit will commit before bigger schools take notice. This is a smart strategy as it builds up loyalty ("Akron believed in me before anyone else"), and enables the Zips to lock up better athletes early rather than scrambling for leftovers.Check out a linebacker from Lisbon, Ohio named Vincent Browne. Just a few months ago he was relatively lightly recruited and the Zips offered and were being considered. He then had some phenomenal camp numbers and many major schools became interested. Akron quietly slipped into the recruiting black hole and Browne is likely going to Colorado.

hello ZIPS friends, I'm new to the site and wondered whatever happened to 2 recruits from last year: Antwon Hight and Terricko Marshall They were highly rated coming out of HS, especially Hight, but neither is listed on current roster.