72 Roo

Mike... You will be missed. I have enjoyed every blog you have posted. I think you are part of the awakening of Zip Nation. Your enthusiasm and expectation of excellence for our alma mater has been a big part in opening the eyes of all the faithful as to what the Zips can become. Twice I've met you in the parking lots outside the Info and both times you treated me as a long time friend. Thanks. I'll look forward to your return to blogging soon. For those of us who hunger for insight into the Zips, you've made life a little richer.

George, you are right on the mark from what I've learned. I talked to a head coach who said that two years ago TW talked to the coaches in a meeting about positioning the entire athletic program to move to a higher level. Conference USA was specifically discussed as a benchmark for the budgeting each team must have to be successful at a higher level. Slowly TW has been building each team's budget to allow them to survive the leap when it is appropriate. Having a winning football team that generates revenue is the key. The university wants to position itself to have winning programs across the board that give it options for growth outside the MAC. C-USA may not be our destination but it serves as a good measuring stick in building budgets. If our aspirations lie beyond CUSA we will have to generate even more money.

Isn't Georgia State in Albany , GA? The Atlanta advantage may be a myth.

Crew, thanks for sharing that short film. It was pretty cool and a great feel good story. Like the soccer Zips!

George, hope the personal issues get sorted out. Stay positive and things will work out for the best. Hope you can get some sleep 'cause there are tons of us who look forward to and appreciate your work. It is first class and you are doing a great job. Wish you the best.

God I hope Miami gets him. They will take years to recover from the time he is there.

Nicely put DIG (no pun intended). PN7 you did all you could while you were here and we wish you all the best wherever you go. To me you will always be a Zip. You are part of a special band of brothers that survived the darkest coaching era ever in Zip football history.

The guys left it all out on the floor and I'm proud of them. We'll be back again. I also feel, though, that we cost ourselves the game with turnovers, many unforced, and repeated driving to the basket into the OU defense with nowhere to go. I didn't think OU beats us as much as we beat ourselves. Gotta give it up to Cooper. We had no one that could guard him.

My sense is that the best site will be next to the JAR where we already have the land, except for a couple Greek houses. The JAR could become the home of volleyball, women's BBall and our practice facility. We already have new player lounges and a weight room, so those could be left out of the new arena. Parking can be handled with existing decks and surface lots. I also believe that Luis wants it on campus and not downtown. The results of the Saaski (sp ?) and Associates study is already in the hands of our athletic administration. It will be interesting to see what they recommend.

Cool! Ya gotta love the excitement TB has brought us.

ZippyFan34... Your wife has got a great voice! That comes from someone who doesn't like country though one of my kids is turning to the dark side and in love with it. I like what you did. Send more. Tell the "boss' well done.

Keith is acutely aware of the performance of the Serb and said as much in his Miami post game comments. He was right on and perhaps he has chosen to motivate him rather than destroy his confidence. KD called for the Serb to play within himself and be like Dennis Rodman. When he does he is all league. When not ... well Keith will handle it. That's good enough for me. He knows how to push the players buttons and get the best out of them. We gotta support him because he's smarter than us and he knows what he's doing. Let's drop the second guessing.

In my opinion coach Pfau has yet to show that he can consistently win at a high level. For the talent we have had, our team has under-performed. Our recruiting reflects that. The local Ohio kids know about our men's program, our facilities and, unfortunately, our mediocre women's results. That why we don't get the better Ohio girls. This is the year for coach to turn it around. We can do better.

WVU electing to join the MAC for soccer would be a big gain for the MAC and us. It would give us another competitive game along with NIU and Buffalo. Altho' WMU can play OK at times. It then allows Caleb to use his out of conference schedule to book the highest profile opponents he can get. This move also makes sense for WVU too. If they do it we will instantly have a fierce rivalry on our hands that will help us get ready for the post season. WVU plays on the edge of being cheap and dirty, but that is exactly what teams must do to beat us. Get us out of our rhythm and possession game and expose our weaker side. Hope it happens.

Watcher, I think this is the only realistic outcome for Akron if we are going to join a better conference. We will not get into the Big East and C-USA as it now stands is not a good marriage. But take some of the schools as you have suggested and join them to a few MAC schools and you have a conference we could get excited about. Any conference realignment that will be advantageous to Akron will have to follow this path IMHO. Nice idea Watcher!

I think any thought of Akron joining the Big East is pipe dream. Having said that I would love to see us receive an invitation and I am super-impressed with your argument and research. I'd like to buy you a beer and dream on together. Well done! One day we will be in a better conference.

This is great news if the legislature approves Slaby's bill. I would like to see the university tear down the building and put up on that space exactly what it needs whether it is a new college of education building, an extension of Summit College, a teaching high school for our students, more health related buildings to be close to Summa or a new arena with tennis stadium. I know this may be too expensive, especially if the Central Hower building is sound and efficient to run. But I love the idea of us continuing to extend our architectural theme to all campus buildings, not renovating them only to tear them down in 10-15 years. That property could help become an impressive eastern entrance to the university off Market Street and help enhance the health sciences corrider that is forming over there. That would be a welcome addition to our already beautiful and growing campus. I hope this idea is practical. Dr. P is on a roll.

Nice thought, but Title IX ain't ever going to allow a men's team to appear.

I didn't see his commitment today. Did he get an offer that he considered better?

This is an early candidate for ignorant post of the new year. Brian did everything he could for us. He is a class act. He did not let Akron down, Akron let him down by putting him in a pathetic program for the last 3 years. I'm a lifetime member of the Varsity A and I would welcome him with open arms. Best of luck 34 in Arizona.

Dennis is doing the best that he can and your claim that the team's performance is all due to the passion and commitment of Newt undercuts the job Dennis is doing. Meister ... I don't get how my praise for Newt Engle and what he has done over decades with the rifle team undercuts my high praise for our track program's Dennis Mitchell. I said he is nationally respected, having been a U.S. head coach, and I want to keep him forever. If that is somehow misleading I'm sorry I have not been able to convey my praise and respect for both. I think both program's are headed in the right direction with their leadership.

Zip 13 I gotta agree with you. TW gets the credit here. I don't know why Keener took a jab at you. It wasn't deserved and he generally has good posts that don't go personal. I'd also like to add to our list of outstanding coaches and toss out the name of Dennis Mitchell and Newt Engle. Our rifle team does a hell of a lot with limited support. It is all because of the passion and commitment of Newt. Mitchell is a fantastic coach. He has been tabbed as the head U.S. national coach when we had a dual meet with the UK a while back. He is the real deal. When you talk of coaches you want to keep forever his name is up with the best. It's great to be able to say once again "It's good to be a Zip!" Happy New Year!

Dave ... Thanks for your post on coach Bowden. I can't believe how this hire has raised my spirits. We now have hope where there previously was none, nada, zip. We also have someone who wants to be here and that means a lot to me and I bet others too. He's someone who can look past the crap he is inheriting to see the potential that we present which is far greater than any team in the MAC save Toledo. What I hope is that after building a league leading program here he comes to value his legacy more than jumping to a bigger, better program. Coaches who continually jump to greener pastures make more money but leave nothing else. The coaches we truly remember are the ones who build programs and lasting legacies. Not those who make the most money. Am I getting the cart before the horse? Damn right. But I'm so high right now I claim the right to dream. Pardon me for waxing poetically, but I feel good. What do ya'll think?

ITZ, there is a lot of pain that is felt by ZipsNation now. We have been rejected for no obvious reason. Nothing makes sense now and we are all feeling low. But let's get over it. The right guy can turn this around. We could be on the cusp of moving this program to a higher level, one above the MAC. Remember to achieve it you first have to dream it. We will get better and rise above being a program Paul Winters would easily turn down. I'll never know why Paul turned us down, but we will be better soon. Hang in there, TW or LP will right the ship of football.

Can anyone tell me why Perry Kitchen is not in this camp? He has to be one of our best U23 defenders. I probably missed something and if you could help me out I'd appreciate it. Thanks.