72 Roo

This one has me scratching my head.Perhaps someone close to the program can get the truth on why he is leaving at a time when he could be a key player for four years. Doesn't make sense from the outside looking in.

Wow! Did someone not get enough sleep last night? 71, you starting to appear very cranky. Have a Snickers! You are not yourself.

Couldn't agree more with GJ. I left the Akron area in 1989 and love living in Columbus, but no one here has a clue about the Zips. They think we are lucky to be in the MAC and are like a YSU w/o the winning football tradition. They know nothing of Soccer, Basketball, W. Swimming or Track and Field. Most think we have a Cleveland State-type campus = no grass or trees. The news on Akron is mostly negative, that is, losing teams, financial crisis, rust belt economy, axed programs, poor leadership (Scarborough). We would do well to recruit this area. The population base will soon be the biggest in the state and the athletic programs are outstanding, like NE Ohio in the 70's and 80's. We will never, ever pass OSU, but we can build a better rep by getting athletes to go to Akron and have them play on winning teams like Will Trapp, Abdul Salaam, Christie Smith and many more, all from Columbus.

I heard that Utomi has had some interest, I don't know how strong, from Clemson and Nevada. We played both schools this year and they got a firsthand look at his abilities. Whether he is a good fit at either place is up to their coaches to decide.

I can second every positive things said about Josh on this thread. I do one day visits in the College of Business Administration to discuss some cases studies I had published that deal with sales management. Josh was in my class in the fall semester and I bumped into him this week when I returned for this semester. What a great guy. He is the kind of person who makes your day better because you saw him. In the classroom he was very talented He was a leader and and an insightful student who was very involved in our discussions. His critical thinking was what you want in a successful sales representative. Akron has an outstanding sales program that at one time was ranked #3 in the country. It has slipped as other big money schools poured resources into their programs to catch up, but with men and women like Josh we have reason to be very proud of how they represent UA.

Milwee has got to have incriminating photos of someone at Alabama in order to get this job. If he could analyze the game so well why were our teams never prepared? SMH.

I was right there with you in questioning the hiring of coach Jackson. It did not make sense on the surface. Obviously LW dug deeper and found someone who could reach the players, coach and instill discipline. I was wrong and I'm glad to admit it.

ZZZ and ZV, thanks for attending so many meets. Our swim ladies deserve a great following and I am sure you give them that. I cannot answer the questions ZZZ raises because I have little data on our budget. I do know that the difference in revenue, primarily from TV, between P5 and G5 schools is obscene. For example, a member of the Big 10 got 38M as its share of the Big 10 network in 2017-18. Akron by comparison got 2M from the MAC for TV. That allows for a healthy budget for all minor sports and lots of money leftover for facility upgrades. We are winning big w/o the resources of many of our competitors. Credit goes to the coaches and athletes and fans who refuse to give up. You two are part of that. Thanks.

I didn't finally notice. I've always supported them. But last year and this year were the first two years that they cracked into the top 30. This year they cracked into the top 25. I was trying to point out that w/o the budget of Power 5 schools they are achieving something no other G5 school has done and that is being in the top 25 with a number 23 rank. That is new and I stand by saluting their achievement. Sorry that it bothers you so much that a Zip fan posts on their accomplishments for our school. Have a beer on me and chill.

Nice Spring schedule. Jared will many opportunities to judge his talent. That equals a faster start come August. We are ready to make a run at the championship in the Fall no doubt.

I saw the ladies swimming and diving team is ranked 23rd in the country. That is an outstanding achievement to the coaches and athletes. What amazed me was when I scanned the list of the top 25 teams no one other than Akron was outside the P5 schools. For us to compete with those deep pocketed schools is quite a feather in the cap of our university and athletics dept. Well done everyone! Let's see the other sports joining the success of MSoc, M & W Track and now WSwim & Dive

Coach Jackson is teaching this team how to win. They are a work in progress with a high ceiling. I was not in favor of her hiring but she is proving that I don't know what I'm talking about. Best of luck to the ladies. Keep bringing it in every game.

This commitment does seem to be a great get. My only concern was his 4.8 speed in the 40. We have had a history of backs who had no breakaway speed. I hope that's not the case here. I also echo the others posting who feel we will be better because of the OC change, the OL coach change and the new signings. Our running game looks like it is rising from the ashes.

He's got the size for sure. Does anyone know if he can move his feet? Our roster last year had a lot of slow, big guys.

I have it on good authority that Mueller is set to interview Milwee. His impact went far beyond being an OC.

You really are a glass half full kind of guy.

And don't ever run with scissors in your hand Clark! This message a courtesy of your loving mom.

I enjoyed watching the meet on ESPN3. The production was quite good all in all. Two areas for improvement arose though. The announcers, Dave Bacon and Jesse ?, continually gave the wrong names of the competitors or did not know their name. They needed a team spotter from Akron and Kent who would know all the names for the announcers benefit. Second, the director and the announcers were not always in sync. Many times the broadcast was something other than what the announcers were commenting on. I blame this on the director in the control trailer. Okey, that aside the meet was a classic Akron-Kent dual. It was priceless to see Ludwig malled on the PV cushion by his teammates when he set the national mark for this year. The women's 4 x 400 relay team blew away Kent at the end of the meet. Outstanding! Each event was exciting and hard to predict the outcome. The crowd showed well and the event was first class. Akron puts on a hell of an indoor meet and our athletes respond to it. I hope the next meet, the Akron Invitational, is also streamed on ESPN.

Clark, thank you for reminding me. I remember the first time I saw these events. I thought my life was complete and the Good Lord could take me. I hope heaven has Hippity Hop Balls or is it hell that has 'em?

Akron fails miserably in making its games, no matter what the sport, as events that must be attended. The last great marketing effort Akron made was when Red Cochrane created the Acme Zip game decades ago. It became something everyone in Akron had to attend. I realize things are different now and that type of event can't be duplicated, but the creativity that went into it can be applied to our sports program now. I go to games for the quality of play, but I also appreciate when there is entertainment, pacing, unique experiences, exciting atmosphere, etc. Akron just doesn't have it and seems incompetent in doing anything about it.

This campaign is intended to insure that the Zip men's soccer program stays in the top 5 in the country, where it belongs. The top 5 programs are Akron, Indiana, Wake Forest, UCLA and Maryland. Stanford could be argued as one of the top 5 also. We are the only program that is not a Power 5 school. The stress on resources at Akron to keep up is extreme. And yet, as Zip_ME87 says, we are loaded like no other program for a great run next year. Players, that at other programs may leave early, stay at Akron because of the culture, the coaches, the style, the love the community has for soccer and a good chance to succeed in the pros if they stay as long as possible. The university has been under tremendous financial pressure due to the drop in enrollment. Until the enrollment is increased and stabilized athletic budgets will be affected. It will take 3-5 years to reach enrollment goals so until then this campaign is necessary to put soccer on a sound footing and keep the outstanding staff we have. Preliminary feedback from our pro soccer alums is very favorable. They are committed to keeping the program strong. But they can't do it alone that's why the university is reaching out to all fans, friends and alums to make this a success. Consider being part of this outstanding athletic tradition. Your support is needed.

I'm getting excited for signing day again. I pray we get some players capable of filling needs and not just taking scholies. There are so many of us on this board who are dying to be relevant in the MAC championship again.

My concern is that this team is fundamentally bad in many areas. They don't block out, they watch to see if the ball goes in or they fall back on D. After 15 minutes in the game they stop moving when on offense. They settle for the 3 too early in the shot clock and don't seem to want to work the ball for a better shot. They constantly shoot with no one under to rebound. Their decision making is poor. With all that being said I am wondering if Groce and staff are getting thru to them. I have always believed in the saying "You are either coaching it or allowing it" when it comes to flaws in your game. At some time the coaching staff needs to change the way this team plays. It's not too early to expect better play. The talent is there even if the centers are not.

The upswing is underway. The Crew will be one of the hottest tickets in central Ohio. I bought my season tickets today and I was surprised at how much of the stadium was sold out. Last season's attendance was a direct backlash against Precourt and MLS, which directed the relocation effort. No one wanted to give Precourt any more money. Plus the league only gave us two home games in July and August to try to fabricate the myth that Columbus isn't supported. That, like much of what Precourt and the league did, was a lie. Over 12,000 season ticket pledges were made if Precourt left and the team stayed. With the new owners, coach (Caleb), GM (Bez), downtown stadium and Mahfre repurposed into a soccer complex Columbus will be the envy of MLS.