GP1

What kind of comment is that? So outside of Florida you can put talent above character?No, you just have to look much more closely at character when it comes to a Florida kid, and if there are any red flags at all, you pass. It's just a different culture many of the kids from down there are raised in, and it often doesn't mesh well at all with Ohio and Pennsylvania kids. Anyone who has ever been involved with college football knows what I'm talking about.I don't think it is so much the culture they are brought up in as much as the style of football they play. Midwest football is more physical (slow) and southeast football is more speed oriented. A midwest kid is more likely to be able to run the ball up the middle and a southeast kid is more likely to take the ball and run straight to the outside and shy away from contact (Dennis Kennedy).

Thanks for the compliment.

It's because they are running an offense that he and his OC are not used to running. After last year was the year to bring in a new OC. JD had a good offense at Pitt with an average QB and some really good WRs.

I really don't think the talent on the team is all that bad so I'm not down about recruiting. There is certainly enough talent on that team to win the division. A lot of what happens this year will come down to whether or not the team can score. The ability to score depends on play calling and QB play. If the play calling last year was any indication of this year, they will be lucky to win five games. If the QB play is the same, they will be lucky to win four games. The real or imagined lack of talent should be the least of our worries.

Good point and I've been saying this all along. Instead of farting around with this guy, they should have just built the stadium around his property. In time, the property value would have bankrupted the guy in taxes, or the steady devaluation of the property would have decreased to below the "fair market value" UofA offered at around $1 million. This guy is looking to retire. The only real use for that building after the stadium is built is what it is now, which never could support the property taxes, or a bar. The city could zone that property so a liquor license would never be issued for the property. Nobody in their right mind would buy that piece of crap for $1 million. In time, UofA could have gotten this building at a real bargain. Not enough patience. I really don't think that anyone going to a game would every say, "I'm never going to another UofA football game because they have that head shop on the corner." UofA could have waited a couple of years and then taken the property.The Odd corner was in the way of the stadium and had to go. The Nemers property sits where the dorms are going up and not on the stadium footprint. UofA could have built the stadium and not needed the Nemers property. But, since the sell of this to get bond dollars was multi-purpose project. They included the dorms. But, you're right. If, UofA could wait a little longer on the dorms. Those businesses are dying a slow death. Despite some knucklehead comments to me in Rasor blog. I was just there and over the Memorial Day holiday and only bums and assorted derelicts are going to those bars. They we're not even open most of Memorial Day weekend.Good points.Don't worry too much about Rasors comments. Aside from the undertones of the man crush he had on Mike Waddell and trying to impress everyone with the fact that he is in law school (If law school is so hard, why are there so many lawyers?), he is nothing more than a fan of the program with a blog on a newspaper web page. I wouldn't take it too seriously. At least he cares enough to blog.Also, thanks for the correction. I thought this Nemers group owned the head shop on the corner.

Good point and I've been saying this all along. Instead of farting around with this guy, they should have just built the stadium around his property. In time, the property value would have bankrupted the guy in taxes, or the steady devaluation of the property would have decreased to below the "fair market value" UofA offered at around $1 million. This guy is looking to retire. The only real use for that building after the stadium is built is what it is now, which never could support the property taxes, or a bar. The city could zone that property so a liquor license would never be issued for the property. Nobody in their right mind would buy that piece of crap for $1 million. In time, UofA could have gotten this building at a real bargain. Not enough patience. I really don't think that anyone going to a game would every say, "I'm never going to another UofA football game because they have that head shop on the corner." UofA could have waited a couple of years and then taken the property.

For those of you not old enough to remember, the Rubber Bowl used to have dugouts on both sides that went below field level. You can see the top of them in this picture. Years ago, the demolished the dugouts and somehow filled them in.

The Good: The Alcorn fieldgoal to beat Toledo. Great moment for the team and the fans as they rushed the field.The Good Honorable Mention: I forget the year and the score, but Derr kicked a game winning FG in a track meet of a game vs. EMU (I think). I love high scoring games and I could have watched that game all night.The Bad: The scoreboard with multiple lights out on it in game one of the season.The Really Bad: The refs field microphones that never seem to work. Couldn't they send an intern out there every Friday to test it before the game?The Ugly: Delaware St. 52-UofA 27 (not sure that was the exact score). Delaware State had three interceptions for touchdowns and they blocked a punt in the end zone for a TD. We had a much better team that was "debacled" (word invented by Emmitt Smith) by Delaware State. That game must have lasted four hours.Worst Prediction Ending In A Humorous Manner: The guy who is GP1 telling a teammate on the team bus going to the RB before the Delaware State game, "These guys aren't very good. If we get a lead, they will fold like a house of cards. We will win big" In the fourth quarter, teammate responds, "So much for that house of cards Einstein."

New Northern Iowa AD Troy Dannen Some of you were following this story.I like to make fun of people working in college athletics, because I think it is such a silly profession to work in on many levels. One level of siliness is the process by which ADs are selected and the disasters that selection committees can be. This school had the choice of five different candidates. UAM was one of them. If you take time to google the candidates, you will see that the resume of Troy Dannen is the least impressive and the one candidate least qualified for the job. I guess if you want an AD on the cheap, he is the guy ($155,000 per year).The most qualified candidate by far was a woman named Barbara Walker from Wake Forest. In her interview, she talked a lot about winning and having successful programs. She also works for a guy named Ron Wellman (Ohio native) who just won the Street & Smith AD of the year award. I want an AD committed to winning and not making everyone feel good. UNI probably couldn't afford someone of her quality. She can do better than $155,000 per year if she waits a little while longer. UAM focused on student athletes enjoying playing sports or something like that...the answers published in the paper were not impressive, but UAM is still 100 times more qualified than the guy who got the job. My advice to UAM on his next interview would be to focus on what he is going to do to make each program a winner and stay away from the nonsense that you want to be at that job for the rest of your career as no sane person believes nonsense like that. If you sound desperate, people will think you are desperate. NOBODY at UAM's age wants to live in Iowa for the rest of their life. Anyone who has ever been to Iowa knows what I am talking about. With the exception of some on this board, I don't know many people who would be fooled by that answer.Dannen is going to focus on gender equity. Say goodbye to any hope of winning programs UNI. The focus should be on building winning programs. College athletics just got more silly. I have no idea why I enjoy it so much, but I do.

It would be EXTREMELY unlikely for a coach to leave a school this time of year. I can't believe this is true unless something really, really, really, really, really odd happened.

I've been saying it for years on this board. As it relates to college athletics, the answers to your questions are yes to question #1 and no to question #2. In fact, college athletics marketing is so void of any original thinking or creativity that many schools have move to ISP to market for them so they can have some level of professionalism in their marketing and sales.The only thing people in athletics marketing are really good at is promoting themselves. We had a marketing director for a while at UofA who produced a steady decline in ticket sales annually and because he was nice to everyone, everyone thought he was some sort of marketing genius. In the world I work in, a steady decline in sales gets one fired and not loved. It's amazing what people will fall for.

Great post.UofA can beat SU as they are one of the worst teams in college football. Cincy is another issue. I'm going to be interested to see how they do without Mauk next year. I don't think the NCAA cleared him for another year. If they did clear him, we can't win.... If they did not, it depends on the next QB.The problem with the MAC is most team range from "bad" to "really bad" compared to the rest of college football. The good news is most teams are just bad. Akron falls into the bad category at this point meaning 5-3 is possible. 4-4 is also possible. 3-5 is also possible.If Mr. Gump was alive today, he would say in him dimwitted voice, "The MAC is like a box of crap, hard or squishy, it all just smells really bad."

Given our history, it would be a bathroom stall without a door on it and a Cambodian guy sitting on the toilet.that's got to make the hall.......well played sir!I can not accept unless it is under Best Duet. I lifted the Cambodian reference from a Capt. Kangaroo post last football season.

privatize schools?reduce taxes??give people choices???take bureaucrats out of the education system????TO the GULAG with you! Comrade ZippyRulz, you are an enemy of the people's republic of the U.S.Nice!I saw someone talking about this on TV one day. What we really need to do is get smart kids out of secondary school and into college much sooner than age 18. Adolescence has been a complete failure in the United States and it needs to change. A lot of kids just sit around unchallenged by the current school systems. We have a huge obesity problem with teenagers and I think the easy life they live contributes to it. We should pay kids who graduate and go to college early. Ben Franklin worked for his uncle at the age of 13. John Q. Adams served as a secretary to the US Ambassador to Russia at about the same age when his father, the first President Adams sent him away. If a child can graduate at age 16, we should reward that child for achievement with a partial scholarship to college. If Americans were made free to make these choices, I'm sure a lot of people would take advantage of it. Instead, the average American voluntarily allows the government to put more and more restrictions on him every day. The average American is way smarter than the average politician. Look at the three idiots remaining in the Presidential election for the Republicrat Party. It's embarrassing. We need more freedom, and not more restrictions.Live free or die!

High School RankingsAbove is a link for some sort of a ratings system for the best high school athletic programs by state. I don't know much about the rankings or how they came about them, but I found it interesting. The majority appear to be public schools. Give it as much importance as you feel necessary.Before moving away, I lived in the city of Akron. I also went to private elementary school and public middle and high school. Both schools were really good but I was also from a small Ohio town. If I had children, there is no way I would send one to Akron Public Schools at this point. The educational opportunities at Hoban, St. V-M, Walsh and Our Lady of The Elms are much better than offerings at APS. Ultimately, a kid growing up in Akron with a chance to play college sport stands a better chance of being prepared for college (athletics and academics) if that kid goes to one of the private schools above. There are some fantistic kids playing at places like Firestone and Buchtel, but the average run of the mill kid from Akron with college talent is better served at a private school.I find this topic interesting because it makes me realize how much I could really care less about high school sports. I could care less if all public schools win state championships and I could care less if all private schools win state championships. One public school division and one private school division is really a silly proposal because it is only high school sports and it is not really that important to anyone other than the kids and parents participating. Articles like this elevate high school sports to a level it really does not belong. In recent years, we have had good Zips from all types of schools. Dru, Romeo and Dom Hix were all private school products. Wood, Pinky, Biggs, Blackburn et al are public school products. I can't believe the ABJ wasted ink and paper on this subject.

Barbara Walker seems to be the class of the bunch with a pretty impressive resume. With the way universities obsess over "diversity", she may get the first offer.Do you guys think anyone on the hiring committee bought any of the nonsense from UAM that he wanted UNI to be his last stop? Everyone in athletics is the same....as soon as they get one job, they are looking for the next.

Given our history, it would be a bathroom stall without a door on it and a Cambodian guy sitting on the toilet.

I think we need to see how the upcoming season plays out without our special teams ace.

I agree. As long as we disregard the fact they are Connecticut's flagship school and the underlying institutional differences, they are a good example. However, if we include the fact they are Connecticut's flagship school and the underlying institutioinal differences, they are a poor example.

Great question. We don't own it, because it takes more than new facilities to field a wide range of successful sports programs, let alone one or two. Success through facilities is a myth told to sports fans to get them to believe that a wide range of problems can be solved by building a structure(s) of some type.I just bought Wake Forest tickets for next year. They have a horrible stadium away from campus that only seats 31,000 + 5,000 on a little hill and no indoor practice facility; yet somehow they went to a BCS game two years ago and another bowl game last year. For at least two more years, they will go to bowl games. I've actually learned a lot about how a historically below average/really bad football team can become really good in a short period. I see what Akron could be in them, but on a smaller scale. In order to see it though, you have to look past the myth. It takes more than a new stadium and unfortunately, it will take more than a new coach going into the new stadium.

Akron is exactly where it should be right now. With the exception of soccer, the Zips would struggle in every other sport in the BE. We would do OK in basketball in C-USA, but we are really on the cusp of doing some great things in basketball now and going to just OK doesn't cut it for me.When I read that the Zips should get out of the MAC because it stinks, I always think to myself, "Ya, and we are one of the teams causing the stink along with the rest of the league." This argument is like people complaining about the government and forgetting we are the people who put those idiots in office.How has the "upgrade" to C-USA worked for Marshall? Last I checked, they were struggling mightily in C-USA. Moving to C-USA is not a stepping stone to anything. This line of thinking is the same line of thinking that results in MAC schools continually "building" for the future. With the exception of a nationally recognized soccer program, UofA is not on the radar with any other sport. Before we discuss a move "up", we need to do something in the horrible conference we are currently situated in. After we do something meaningful, then we can look to move.What the MAC should really be looking to do is move down to 1-AA for football if the NCAA is not willing to create a super conference with about four or five conferences. Would it hurt national recognition? I don't think so. Is App State more nationally recognized than UofA or any other MAC school? I would think so.The conference jumping debate is always a fun one to have and I go around and around about it in my head. In reality, we are where we should be until we accomplish something meaningful in a sport other than soccer.Have a good weekend everyone.

I think you are right on the money. In recent years, a team that goes 6-6 in the MAC is an elite MAC team and has a shot at the conference championship and a bowl (Miami did it last year). QB play makes an elite MAC school (Pennington, Limpwich, Roethlisberger, Gradkowski, can't think of the guy at CMU right now, etc.). With all the talent on the team, we will still not have an elite QB. They will go 5-7, JD will be let go, another Coach Smith will be brought in and the building can continue for another five years. Let the good times roll on that long bridge to China........ It could be done by now.

I don't think we will suck forever. In fact, I think there is enough talent on the team to win 6-7 games next year. For a MAC school to win 6-7 games almost guarantees a bowl game. Looking beyond Akron, the landscape of college football has changed to the point that a MAC school winning 6-7 games is a good season. I don't know all the records from last season, but I think only four MAC schools finished with 50% or better records. That's only around 30% of the teams. Last season, 6-6 put Miami in the MACC. As low aiming as it is, we need to shoot for 6 wins and see where that gets us.Some of you worry about the GPA and various other things that are secondary to winning. The truth is there is a lot of talent on the Zips. If they can get some good QB play and better play calling, they can win 6-7 and go to a bowl. I think JD kept the wrong people around after last year that will kill the good play calling part and he will pay for it this upcoming season. I don't wish the guy ill, but I do think changes were in order after last season and they were not made. I've said before that some really good coaches would rather be right than win and we are going to see that in action next season.Oh well, at least I don't have to watch it anymore. Reading about it will be bad enough.

I don't know what attendance will be, but I can predict with 100% certainty that the Athletic Department will continue the fine tradition of over reporting crowd size.

I wonder if so many of you would be as hard on JK if she was a he. In business, hard charging men are often called "tough leaders" and "no nonsense". If a woman is hard charging in business, she is often called a bitch.Another analogy. In the movie Hoosiers, Gene Hackman plays a tough coach who kicks kids off the team for not doing exactly what he wants. During their first game, he plays only four players to make a point to a malcontent and the rest of the team. At the end of the game, he tells the team they need to do exactly what he wants them to do or basically leave the team. In the end, his type of leadership attracts the best player in the school to go out for the team because he believes in how the coach is handling the team and the school wins the state championship. At this point in the WBB program, they need a coach like that character because everything is so broken there is little room for compromise. When you guys who say bad things about Coach K watch the movie Hoosiers, do you relate to what the coach in Hoosiers does or do you say he is being too hard on the players and should have just put the malcontent back in the game because they needed five? Or do you think he should listen to the town's people who want to tell him how to run his program? I bet not.Lastly, I would like to take a minute to praise the young ladies who have stayed on the team and I would like to encourage them to have an even stronger committment to the team next season. Keep a positive attitude. The malcontents would have only destroyed your spirit. Those of us on this board know it can't be easy winning only 7-8 games a year. In lieu of worrying about players leaving, we should be praising those staying.Keep the hard line JK.