Dr Z

I agree with everyone, this was well done, my hats off to the people that made it come together.FSN schedule sux. I'm a Zips fan and it took me two nights of work to find and watch this thing. Good thing it airs a bunch more times.

Your comparing the USC QB position to ours. Talk about apples and oranges. A USC QB has to just not lose the game, an Akron QB has to go out and win the game. A USC QB has multiple #1 nfl draft picks on his defense, we run the 3-3-5 because we can't recruit enough DLs to come to Akron. IMO we need experience on the field.

When I was a youngster before I enrolled in Akron I used to root for PSU, it took me till the age of 16 to realize that JoPa has the same quotes before EVERY season. It goes like this "our team stinks and if we played today we would get beat by fill in the blank little school" I guess if your on the team and you only hear it 4 times it might motivate you, but it has to be tiresome to read these quotes year after year for a PSU fan.

Son of a.... I programmed my DVR last night since I wasn't home and got the stupid HS game. I set the DVR to record it again tonight at 10 with a hour run over. I ain't missin' tonight. Glad to hear it was done well. I also noticed that it is showing on FSN Cincy. Looks like some people in that area that put some hard work into this thing will get to see it too.

I wonder how many bricks it would take to finish the job? What is the cost per brick? I bet ZN could come up with a brick buying fundraiser. That would be fun. I wonder if they have the funds, but just put some projects off for now due to time.

Interesting that would even mention the possibility of leaving the MAC. My guess is that it was discussed during the interview process.Mack used to say the same kind of stuff "we are looking beyond the MAC" I believe was a quote he used in a speech I heard. Take it for what it is.

I thought it said "BAR OPEN"?

Get a Mac! Awesome photos, thanks for posting. What camera and lens are you using?

Before YouTube, Mike Thomas used to do the same thing once a month through the university site by writing a letter. I read it every month. Communication is a wonderful thing. Makes the fan feel like he is part of what is going on and makes he or she get involved.

Wait a minute, what is that smell???...sniff sniff...I think it's, nooooo...it can't be?? Yes, yes it is...it smells a little like....marketing??? Mmmmm fressshhh...Welcome aboard Tom

Thank You Hollywood Nice example too.

I think we should evaluate the situation on September 13th, it will be a much more intellectual thread.I'm looking forward to tailgating ON campus, should be an awesome atmosphere.

If two candidates were the same level of salesman and one was familiar with the area, I agree. If I have a choice of a great salesman that isn't familiar with the area and an average guy that is, I'll take the great one, he'll be familiar soon enough, that's what makes him great. My two cents. Once again, hiring the best guy available. Either way, I don't think we'll ever know, we can only hope for the best.

Question for Wistrcill: You’ve been credited with doing a lot for the new stadium in Minneapolis, what was your role in building that stadium? Response: When you build a stadium, not unlike here, there are a lot of people that are part of the process. I was certainly a cog in the wheel there, trying to get things done. It is truly a campus facility at Minnesota, as I know it is here at Akron, and we had people from the Facilities staff at the University as well as the Athletics Department assisting there. My responsibility within the stadium was to assist with raising money, corporate sponsorships, and help the parts of the department that I oversee with programming those parts of the stadium, from media relations to marketing. A big component was making sure we balance the need for revenue in the stadium alongside making sure we had a real collegiate feel to it. That was our real goal, making sure the stadium blended in with the rest of campus and that when people came to a game there, they knew that this was a college athletic event. In Minneapolis, there are obviously a lot of pro sports teams, and we needed to differentiate ourselves in that regard. So it was all hands on deck for the stadium, and I certainly was involved in every bit of it and it was incredibly rewarding. Question for Wistrcill: What’s the ticket situation at Minnesota? Did they sell out for the season or just the first game? Response: They are sold out for the season. We had a nice process set up and we had incredible excitement regarding the stadium. We had 27 years of playing indoor football at the University of Minnesota, and if you know people from that part of the country, they’re hearty folk and they want to be outside. Getting them excited about outdoor football was not difficult! It was just a matter of putting a process in place to make sure we get them seated in the right way but they are definitely sold out for the season. Question for Wistrcill: How would you compare the challenge of selling tickets for a MAC school in Akron which is in the shadow of Cleveland where our pro teams are located, to selling tickets for Minnesota in Minneapolis where there are other pro teams located in the same city? Response: It’s obviously a different market and I’m new to this market so I’m going to learn a lot as we go along. I’m certainly going to need great support from the people around me here. What I do know is that sales require tremendous effort, every single day. If you don’t put focus on it everyday then you don’t reach your goals. I’ve sold different things in different parts of the country in different conferences, including professional volleyball and university athletics at different levels, and I can tell you, you need that constant focus. I’ve met great people here in my time spent in Northeast Ohio thus far and I know I’ll be able to connect with them and build some relationships. I’m anxious to start doing that and I think from there, you start to build bridges and in the end, you make sure both parties reach their goal. Ours might be a sales piece, tickets or sponsorship or something along those lines but on the other side, they want something too. They want great value for their investment; they want to make sure they’re getting something they’re paying for. I think if you work on both sides creating a win-win, then usually you can be successful. Question for Wistrcill: You mentioned Joel Maturi, what did he tell you about the Mid-American Conference? Response: He’s obviously a huge fan of the MAC. I’ve known Joel along time and from my years of knowing him, he has always been so incredibly complimentary about the MAC, about what it stands for and about the coaches, administrators and student athletes in the conference. I know he loved his time at Miami. He talked many times with me about how much he enjoyed being there. I know he loves Minnesota but I know he loved Miami as well and he certainly told me nothing but great things. And from all the research I’ve done, it seems like a fantastic place to be and was real attractive for me as I looked at this position. Question for Wistrcill: You’ve moved around quite a bit in your career, Akron’s had some athletic directors come and go, is this a long term position for you?Response: I’ve never taken a job looking for another job. You don’t do that. It’s not the way I live my life and it’s not the way I work either. What I know is that I think I’m a good fit for what Akron was looking for. As Dr. Proenza, Candace (Campbell Jackson) and I spoke more and more about the position, I think my skills and background and my vision for where we want to go, is a good fit here. I’m excited to get started and to meet all of our support staff, our coaches and get rolling.

Don't forget about announcing Zips football and basketball games on the radio. That's the most important thing they do.

Why is it so important that an AD stay around for the long term?

I never bought into the he is an "Akron man" or he isn't an "Akron man", just hire the best guy. When the Steelers were looking for there new coach, I remember many in Pittsburgh saying that Russ Grimm should be hired because he was a "Pittsburgh man," instead, they hired the best guy for the job. If the best guy happens to be an Akron man, so be it.

OU grad Peter King is saying Julian is among the Ten Rookies who have impressed so far.

Those tailgating at PSU, no bottles.

The in-house favorite for the job was interim AD Hunter Yurachek, who some believe was sabotaged by an Internet rumor of Yurachek's pending hire last week.One of the dumbest things Ellen has ever wrote. So he figures it went down like this?Dr P "did you guys read Rasor's blog today, he says we are going to hire Hunter?" Board "OMG, if he says that, then we can't really hire him can we? We better take the second best guy instead of the best guy for the job" Dr P "I think your right, go ahead hire Tom, that is our best move"Idiot. Where is that photo of Ellen in his Halloween costume?Edit: Found it

Nice! Guys back on the roof of our favorite buildings too. I think they are waxing it.

I think that is a great point. He may be bringing "the next step" with him. I'm sure he laid that plan out in his interview.''My background is in sales and marketing,'' Wistrcill said Since Marshall & Akron used the same company to search for an AD, I was interested if the list was going to be the same. Tom was NOT on Marshall's list.

From Rasor:I received word from an upper-level administrator that my previous report is premature, at best.The university is now looking at an early September timeline for announcing the athletic director. Hunter Yurachek remains in "serious consideration."

Wow, most extensive basketball post in August ever! Looking forward to watching Zeke develop to see if we have a shot at the big dance. Can't wait until December......wait a minute, yes I can.

The Dolphins are getting busy today, making a number of roster moves as the preseason shakeup continues in the wake of the team's second game Saturday night.The latest decision includes a trade to the Chiefs. Offensive linemen Ikechuku Ndukwe and Andy Alleman have been sent to Kansas City, two sources said this morning. The compensation was not immediately known.Both Ndukwe and Alleman played key roles last season in filling holes left by injured linemen at both guard positions. Ndukwe started 15 games for the Dolphins last season after Donald Thomas went down with a foot injury in the first week of the season.Alleman, an interior lineman who can play both guard and center, started five games last season for the Dolphins while Justin Smiley was sidelined with a broken leg.The departure of Ndukwe and Alleman comes on the same day the Dolphins announced that they'd waived running back Anthony Kimble, linebacker Orion Martin, linebacker Tearrius George and nose tackle Joe Cohen.The Dolphins also terminated the contract of Ernest Wilford, while also getting rid of return specialist Chris Williams under the category waived/injured. Williams was injured on the play when the football bounced off his face mask on a punt Saturday night.