72 Roo

Who leaked our strategy to you?

Couldn't agree with the Meister more. Lots of criticism has fallen at the feet of our presidents and AD's. Sure they deserve some of it, but who hired them? Our turnaround will start when we get a board of trustees that is totally invested and committed to UA and not in their professional careers. They are flat out incompetent. Not because they are not smart people, but rather because they are people who don't care and do not invest their time, hearts and futures in UA. When I look at our board versus those appointed to OSU, UC, Miami and OU I get sick to my stomach.

Just thinking out of the box. Could Akron be the next member of the Big ten in soccer? not all Big Ten members field a team and we regularly beat most Big Ten teams on our schedule. It fits with quality of play, while we are better, travel and rivalries. The Big Ten allows teams outside the conference when the participation in that sport is far from universal. Just a thought.

The academic achievements of our team this semester is impressive. It is my deepest hope that we can now use all these A's & B's to gain a lot more W's. We have too much experience with the L's.

The Captain is right on. When the product on the field or on the court is competitive and plays well the team(s) will be supported in the stands. The problem is that we have had presidents and boards of trustees who know nothing of athletics and could care less. They have hired AD's who lack vision and creativity. These AD's have been left alone because the prez's and BOT's didn't care and felt their jobs ended when the hire was made. The result was shitty products on the field and no one demanding improvement. When was the last time an AD was fired? We can, and should, be another Toledo, even better. It's not the budget, it's the leadership. I hope Williams is up to the task. Time will tell. I've seem some good and some bad.

Great idea. We could each bring one or two of our sex dolls to the game and double or triple the attendance. Who said marketing was dead at our university!

Didn't UAB cut football for a year and then bring it back?

FWIW, my feeling is that men's track and field, men's cross country and men's golf get cut. Joining them will be women's volleyball. Just a guess that has been made after reading between the lines of Miller's address last Thursday to some alumni supporters.

I hate the idea of cutting T & F. It makes me sick. We have a top 25 program with a great coaching staff and a great indoor facility. Their indoor meets do generate revenue and with a repaired outdoor facility we could also generate some income. Before I touch Track I would cut baseball, softball, W Lacrosse and Golf. If title IX allows I'd cut volley ball or tennis too. Granted that's a big "if". That may put us at the bare minimum of sponsored sports, but I fear it won't save enough money. There will be no help or sympathy from the P5 schools or the NCAA. I would love to see the G5 schools break away, but it will only work if they all go. So it won't happen. We are looking at a fundamental and irreversible change in Akron athletics. One that I fear will destroy any across the board following Akron now enjoys.

I also could be wrong, but I thought Infocision paid $10 M for the stadium naming rights. Summa paid $5 M for the field naming rights and the former First Merit paid $1-2 for the naming rights to the club level. The annual loan service was $4 M charged directly to athletics. I don't know for how many years the debt service was.

I believe this is exactly why the G5 conferences petitioned the NCAA to give them greater flexibility in the number of sports required. I'm sure they have an eye to cut some sports.

President Miller's message is scary and necessary. Akron can't survive doing things in athletics like we have. Change is coming and it will hurt. It is clear that we cannot compete with P5 conferences and all their money. They can continue to have games w/o fans because they do not need ticket revenue to survive. Case in point, the Big Ten last year sent each member $45.7 million from the Big Ten TV channel alone. If a UA sport cannot be self sustaining I see it as being in jeopardy. Football is at the top of the list. It is desperate for ticket revenue to increase but has yet to show signs of life. I can see Akron joining many other G5 schools in forming a division below D1 that is less expensive to operate. This division would be above the D1A that YSU and the rest compete in to try to save face and earn some semblance of a TV contract. I can see sports being cut. If football doesn't go I can see men's golf, cross country and track being eliminated. On the women's side I can see tennis, lacrosse and volleyball being cut. No new sports would start. Facilities will be modest and emphasized. As Miller said things will never be the same. Our better coaches will be poached and we will not have any hope of competing nationally in most sports. We were running financial deficits before COVID-19 hit. Now enrollment, and consequently deficits, will be worse than planned and we will have to pay a dear price to emerge as a survivor. We can do it, but it will hurt in many areas. For us on this board athletics may hurt the worse.

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!

I think this is a mistake. Harvey Glover, Len Paul's teammate, was from South orange, NJ. Len was definitely from Cleveland.

We'll take a raincheck.?

Thanks so much Zip_ME87. I needed that today. It is a reminder that there is much in our Zip culture to celebrate and also a reminder to look ahead to better times. We will return to normalcy and our soccer Zips will dominate again.

Ya gotta be impressed with what coach Brian is doing with our ladies swimming and diving program. This signing is another step up the ladder of competitiveness, if that is a word. When it comes to olympic sports non Power 5 schools will be able to compete as long as the P5 schools don't see much prestige or revenue in these sports. The minute they find a way to make money they will create a spending war that we can't win. I hate P5 programs.

I can't help myself in joining in on this discussion. I hope the Zips can win 4 games, but I feel to start the process in getting the fanbase back they must win 3. The bar has not been set too high IMHO.

First I'm crying after the video. Now it's after your letter to coach Groce. I wish we could have a public celebration to let these guys know how much we love them. Until then keep those cards and letters coming. Nice job LetsGoZips94! ?

Zipmeister, you must live to think of ways you can attack the football program. Arth is our coach, get used to it. Direct all other communication to Larry Williams and leave us out of it. ?

Count me to bring the wings and Alaska Amber Ale if we ever decide whose home we are invading. Go Zips! Win it all in the most unusual tournament we will ever see (on TV).

Can't make it to the game but got everything ready to watch it on the big screen. My wife just walked in and said we have her family visiting for the weekend and the game better not be on dominating the whole evening. If so she was leaving. I'm going to miss her. Go Zips! Destroy Kent!

Game coming up fast. Haven't been this psyched for a game in ages. Do it tonight Zips. We are so proud of our team. On the other hand, it's 3:37 and ..................

Lots to love about last night, but can anyone help me figure out why the students and community don't give greater support to this team? Attendance was announced at 3800+. It was nowhere close to that. More like 2600. The lower bowl was 60% filled and the upper levels were all under 50%. Why? Last night's game was one for the ages. The students just don't show and make the place a madhouse. I'd focus on them first. If they show the community will follow because each game will become an event. People will enjoy watching them and being there in person. Please comment. I need to understand why our gym is not packed. Let me close by saying Tribble's dunk was electric and the timing of it was superb ... when the game hung in the balance. If he can learn to shoot and hit his FT's, both terrible, he will be first team All-MAC.

They design and wear nice dresses. Pinky looks great in a strapless gown.