BostonZip

Great crowd. A new stadium is long overdue for what has consistently been the premier UA sports program for the better part of the last four decades.

Another one of his sons, Billy, was a three-year letterwinner (wide receiver) at Ball State and currently is the Indiana wide receivers coach.

Item from the Plain Dealer:Larry Zimmerman will end a 40-year relationship with Good Park at the end of the month when he retires as general manager.Zimmerman, who played golf at Archbishop Hoban and the University of Akron, began at Good Park as a part-time member of the greens crew in 1969. He eventually became a starter and assistant manager before being named manager in 1976. He also has conducted the Good Park Junior golf tournament, one of the oldest in the country, and has run the Summit County Amateur, one of the top amateur events in Northeast Ohio.Zimmerman, 58, is expected to be replaced by Dave Barnes, currently the general manager at Akron's Mud Run Golf Course, which also is owned by the city. (Barnes also is a former UA golfer.)Happy retirement, Larry.

Michael Dennis Fenwick, 47, died unexpectedly on September 14, 2009 as the result of an aortic aneurysm.Mike was born in Akron on November 23, 1961. He attended St. Sebastian Grade School where he made many lifelong friends. Mike went to St. Vincent St. Mary High School where he was a member of student council and was a standout athlete, lettering in basketball, cross country and golf. After high school, Mike accepted a basketball scholarship to Slippery Rock State University where he starred for one year before transferring to the University of Akron. Mike made the Akron basketball team as a walk-on, was given a scholarship, and played for three years including one season under Coach Bob Huggins. Mike graduated from Akron with a degree in Political Science but chose to pursue a career as a painting contractor so that he could always be his own boss. Mike enjoyed golfing, fishing and being with his friends and family. He will be dearly missed by the many people that loved him.Read the death notice.Sympathies to the family.

InfoCision Management Corp. founder and philanthropist Gary Taylor is in stable but critical condition at Akron General Medical Center after becoming ill, a company spokesman said today.He might have suffered a heart attack, but that has not been confirmed, said Steve Brubaker, InfoCision vice president of corporate affairs. The company does not have further details, he said.Read the ohio.com article.

Live from Summa Field at InfoCision Stadium: Intramural flag football!

Did you know this was:+ The Zips’ first shutout since the 1992 season (W, 13-0 at Ohio University, 10/3/92)+ Akron’s first shutout victory at home since 1989 (W, 31-0 vs. Cincinnati, 10/28/89)+ Its first shutout victory on a home opener since 1986 (W, 35-0 vs. Salem College, 9/6/86 [Coach Gerry Faust's debut, if I recall]).This and much more here.

The consensus was unanimous among University of Akron students.Being on campus to watch a football game on a beautiful, balmy September afternoon at InfoCision Stadium was absolutely amazing.''This stadium has brought life to the campus and everyone is fired up,'' Megan McDonald, a senior from Akron, said as she watched the Zips defeat Morgan State 41-0.Article and photos here.

Sure was hoping they would come back on as soon as the final gun sounded....Still unavailable 3 hours after the game ended.

I bought the package for a full year ($49.95, $4.16 per month). The video stream was of disappointing quality, freezing frequently, especially on live action. For some reason the replays played better. The picture looked OK in a small window, but terrible full screen (not uncommon in streaming video...should be better). I also was surprised there was no audio; I was expecting a broadcast team.Also, while it's true you can't play both the audio and video simultaneously, I watched the video on my desktop and had the audio playing on my laptop. They weren't in sync, but it worked out as most times the audio was describing the play as the video showed the replay.

Looks like blue jerseys and gold pants today.

Early arrivals are snapping up the primo general admission seats on the east side.Isn't it odd that there doesn't seem to be any benches for players on the sidelines?

Great link...thanks!Now all we need is Tailgate Cams!

Can someone please turn up the volume?http://www.fightmusic.com/mp3/mac/Akron__A...d_Gold__old.mp3

With the band currently practicing on the field, we need some audio:Go Zips!

The Fan Plan for InfoCision Stadium Opener AKRON - Saturday will be a new experience for every Zips football fan, old and new, as Akron hosts Morgan State in the inaugural game at InfoCision Stadium-Summa Field with kickoff set for 2:00 pm.With 30,000 people coming for the Zips' football home opener, fans are encouraged to arrive on campus as early as possible with parking lots opening at 10:00 am. All gates will open at Noon this Saturday, two hours prior to kickoff for the Morgan State game.There are four working entrances to InfoCision Stadium, located on each corner of the facility. Gates 1 and 4 are on the South end, closest to Exchange and the same end as the scoreboard. Gates 1 and 4 are the ONLY gates UA students can enter (with a valid UA student ID and the wristband picked up prior to the game). The general public may enter Gates 1 and 4, as well as Gates 2 and 3, which are on the North end, closest to Stile Field House along Vine Street.To improve the traffic flow closest to the stadium, the Carroll (from the South) and Butchtel (from the North) exits off Route 8 will be closed from Noon-2 pm (or two hours prior to kickoff until kickoff on subsequent weeks). Fans will need to take the Perkins Street exit off Route 8 between those hours and proceed to campus from that point. The Wolf Ledges/Grant Street exits off Interstate 77 will remain open at all times.Once parked and on campus, there will be a host of activities to supplement the fan experience. Each week: - The Zips will arrive on campus approximately two hours prior to kickoff (expected time of arrival this Saturday is between 11:45 and Noon) and walk from the Carroll Street traffic circle, through the fans at Zips Fest, to Stile Field House. Fans are encouraged to welcome the team and show their excitement. - A new tradition, the UA Marching Band and Cheerleaders will walk through campus, playing music, starting at Guzetta Hall and finishing at InfoCision Stadium. The march will take the group by the Student Union, through Zips Fest, along the Stile Field House and down Vine Street to the east side of InfoCision Stadium. Each week, the band and cheerleaders will stop at Zips Fest to perform at approximately one hour prior to kickoff. (This week, that performance will be at approximately 1:00 pm).- While waiting for the Zips football team, band and cheerleaders, fans can enjoy Zips Fest, which will take place from 11 am-1:30 pm and is located at the Carroll Street traffic circle, behind the softball field and in front of the student recreation center. Zips Fest will feature inflatables, live music from The Breakfast Club, face painting, balloon artists, games, prizes and other fun activities for the whole family.Being that this is the inaugural game at InfoCision Stadium-Summa Field, the pregame ceremony will be filled with pomp and circumstance and start earlier than most pregame activities. After the teams' warm up, the field will be cleared for numerous ceremonies and festivities, starting at 1:32 pm.The University of Akron Department of Athletics hopes you have a great time at this momentous occasion and asks for your patience and understanding as new traditions and expectations are set starting Sept. 12. The University and City of Akron will continue to monitor traffic flow patterns and other procedures in the coming weeks to best meet the needs of fans in the future.This page and more information here.

I thought for sure the surprise was going to be that the fireworks would shoot out of the bomb shelters!And the flags are flying in the end zone...16 hours to kickoff!

And they got the flag poles erected late this afternoon too!

Too bad the game is not going to be on local TV. I guess UA didn't want to jeopardize the chance of a sellout.But since streaming video is going to be available live on the Internet (for a price), it would be cool if UA would set up a couple of big screens and show the game outside the stadium -- maybe on the Lee Jackson Field track. Charge 5 bucks a head to get in. Too late now, but it would add just one more element to the campus atmosphere, which is going to be electric!

UA also awarded a contract to Tenable Event Services.

Wouldn't it be ironic if someone shanks a field goal and the ball crashes right through the roof of one of those things.Ha! More likely, it would bounce off the roof, all the way to the Rubber Bowl!

Ouch!

GameDay Central has a stadium parking map, updated Monday. Only problem is, the lot numbers are completely illegible.

UA press release on Monday said there were 3,000 tickets left:Inaugural Game at InfoCision Stadium Approaching SelloutCourtesy: Akron Media RelationsRelease: 09/07/2009AKRON - The University of Akron Department of Athletics announced today [Monday] that less than 3,000 tickets remain for the Zips home opener versus Morgan State. Kick off for the inaugural game at InfoCision Stadium-Summa Field this Saturday (Sept. 12) is set for 2 pm.In order to better serve the public with impending sellouts for the Morgan State football game (Sept. 12), the Indiana men's soccer game (Sept. 18) and the Indiana football game (Sept. 19), the Akron Athletics Ticket office will have extended hours this week and next week (through Thursday - Sept. 17), being open from 8 am-6 pm in James A. Rhodes Arena.In addition, a limited number of wrist bands are available for current UA students to gain admittance. (Note: UA students MUST be wearing their wrist band AND a have their valid University of Akron student ID to enter InfoCision Stadium.) Students can pick up the remaining wrist bands while available at:JAR Ticket OfficeSept. 8-11 8:00 am - 6:00 pmStudent Rec CenterSeptember 8 4:00 - 6:00 pmSeptember 9 4:00 - 6:00 pmPolsky BuildingSeptember 8 11:00 am - 1:00 pmStudent UnionSeptember 9 11:00 am - 1:00 pmSeptember 10 11:00 am - 1:00 pmWhen all the student allotment has run out, the students will be notified via email.In order to better serve your parking and traffic concerns, please visit GoZips.com and the "Game Day Central" page () for the most up-to-date traffic flow (as part of "Directions" link) and available parking lots (under the "Parking" link). If you would like to purchase a season parking pass ($25), please contact the UA ticket office. Single-game parking passes are $5.Also, in order to better serve the public with the impending sellout, gates will open at Noon for the Morgan State game, instead of the usual one-and-half hours prior to kickoff.

Anybody know where the TV camera locations are? The excellent graphic from the Beacon Journal only shows one booth for TV cameras, on the press box level and not at midfield. Normally new stadiums have built-in platforms for TV cameras, but I don't see any. And what about the end zone camera? Will they put up scaffolding near the scoreboard?