akzipper

Yay, I'm sure all season I'll be hearing the dumb Steeler fans talk about Archer like he's a future hall of famer. Love living in Western PA...

Did they get completely new uniforms? or just reusing the old blue and whites from last few seasons? 2 or 3 helmets?

Yup I noticed that too. Same blue jerseys and pants from last year, white helmet and Z decals from last season. My guess is the team hasn't gotten the metallic gold helmets yet.

Looks like the party was awesome. Great to have two big events at the stadium this past week. Really gives us a chance to show it off to the region. Hopefully UA recognizes the potential and actually starts using it for concerts and other events in the future. ...Kinda sad that a welcome home party and Browns scrimmage can draw more fans than a Zips game.

Coca-Cola sponsors a minor league ballpark in Buffalo I believe. So I wouldn't say it's entirely impossible.

Yeah most call it 'old' or 'vegas' gold. I think it was replaced with the metallic gold. They won't go back to yellow, but I do fear they may try a black helmet down the road.

Just white and metallic gold for this year. Hopefully they add in a matte blue next season, or if we get a nice surprise visit to a bowl this season. Having 2 helmets is common for most schools, but 3 might be pushing it for a small school like us.

First look at the Zips in white helmets. Might take some time to get used to, but I like them. Looks like they also got new practice jerseys this year. Hopefully this means new home and aways to match the black alternates? Also saw this concept helmet posted on @ZipsEquipment Wouldn't mind seeing that worked into the rotation along with the white and metallic gold.

30,000 seat stadium 5,000 seat stadiums outdoor practice field full indoor field weight rooms dorms great urban location ...seems like a pretty good resume. Make it happen UA! Great opportunity to show off our beautiful campus and generate revenue for surrounding businesses.

4000 seat arena? Is the University of Akron a high school now? That would be an embarrassingly small arena.

The USC Trojan, Iowa Hawkeye and Michigan State Spartan also come to mind.

From a branding standpoint, most teams/schools use a initial taken from the location and not nickname. Oregon (O), Nebraska (N), Green Bay (G), etc, etc. Honestly I think if any school were to break the rule it could be us. The Z is so unique that it really can't be confused with any other school. The ARoo is fine but I've also had people call it a horse or donkey. The problem is consistency. Keep the same logo so it becomes iconic. Way too many schools have fallen into the trap of switching helmets every season. Having a different logo on it every season doesn't help build a brand.

I'd go with Metallic gold, matte blue and white. All 3 with a big metallic Z logos on the sides.

Agreed. Bowden mentioned in the tweet we'll only have white and gold. I think those are two decent options, but blue might have been a better route.

He could end up being the Blake Bortles for Akron. I doubt he sticks around, but many QB's have proven that the path to the NFL doesn't have to go through a big school.

I feel like if he was really that great of a QB his numbers at Ashland would have been through the roof. Instead he seemed like a pretty mediocre D2 QB. Maybe it had to do with the talent around him, but still. Good QB's stand out at any level.

Well I think the problem was that the uniforms were designed by the football staff. Bigger schools have designers or pay manufacturers to design uniforms for them. UA doesn't have the money or people in place to do that type of work. In the end, the football minds used another school as inspiration.

If Bowden can get to a bowl game this season or next, UA better be ready to open it's checkbook big time. He will never get a National Championship or BCS chance at Akron. But money might be one factor that would keep him around.

This is why I have a problem with the uniforms. Funny thing is that a simple font swap could have made a HUGE difference.

Well I'm just making assumptions based on what we've seen and Zips football being cheap in the past. In 2009 the Zips got new navy jerseys, in 2010 white to match, and this past season white pants. Have to believe that the new gold helmets and black uniforms would be all they can afford. Honestly though I hate the use of generic fonts more than the use of black. It just doesn't look like the Zips. So yes, it's probably overreacting before we have all the facts. But what we've seen hasn't been very good...

The two teams that gain the most national exposure for UA don't wear the correct school colors. Basketball team has been silver/gray, black and blue. Football is now black and gold. It's important to have cohesiveness across all sports in order to build your brand.

Well according to them, Ohio State is the only real college in the state

I told everyone that the Zips would win more games than the Browns last season. It happened, and I expect the same in 2014.

Awesome! I see it as a win-win for both sides. The Browns can hold the popular event at an awesome stadium, and UA get's to show it off to thousands who may not have ever visited it otherwise. Hopefully this will encourage the Browns to hold training camp at UA in the future. I know they are entertaining the idea of moving it away from Berea and UA is easily the best option in NE Ohio. Unfortunately there just isn't enough room to hold it at Browns HQ anymore. No other college campus would be able to provide a brand new stadium and indoor practice field. Both with plenty of seating and parking for fans. Only downside is that the Browns will draw more fans than the Zips, regardless if it's a scrimmage or training camp.

If they really are used for only 1-2 games I can deal with it. Sometimes gold can end up looking pretty ugly if used as a jersey. So maybe black is the next best option. Just need to fit with our branding better and not look so generic. I'm holding out hope that we get to see new navy and white uniforms this year too.