Akron when they were 1AA did they get respect?

[Ryno aka Menace]

Akron became 1A in the 80's if I am correct, did they get respect back then? I am just curious, I just get irritated when people say the only good college football team in Ohio is Ohio State. Don't people realize that Mount Union, Youngstown State, and Ohio State all have national titles. Don't people also realize that Ohio has more division 1 colleges that 90% of the other 50 states. hell if we combined Miami and OU, Akron and Can't, BGSU and Toledo. Then when would be like Florida State, Miami, and Florida. We still have Cincy that I left out too. And Youngstown is borderline 1A status. I just wanna know why is it that it's cool to go to Ohio State but not to any other Ohio MAC school? Sorry for the rant guys I am just proud of the hard work the Zips put out but recieve respect only when board members b!t(h to get it!!

[Kangaroo Craig]

I have been asking that same question for years. Why is it ok to attend a D1A school in Ohio, but still be a Suckeye fan. I think the media in northeast Ohio has helped fuel that cause. Lets look at it this way: How many Michigan grads root for Michigan State because they live in Michigan. What about Florida and Miami grads. Do they support FSU? I wonder if Purdue and Notre Dame grads root for Indiana. Do you think anyone form USC, UCLA, or Stanford roots for Cal. In my opinion, suckeye fans are front runners. They choose the Suckeyes only because the MAC school that they went to is not in the BCS. Tottally ridiculous!

[Ryno aka Menace]

Good point I never though of it that way! Now I have another valid point when I argue....I mean debate with Buckeye fans....it's funny because half of the buckeye fans I know didn't attend ohio state or college for that matter.

[Captain Kangaroo]

Good point I never though of it that way! Now I have another valid point when I argue....I mean debate with Buckeye fans....it's funny because half of the buckeye fans I know didn't attend ohio state or college for that matter.

There are a lot of reasons why Akron area people are OSU fans first, and MAC fans somewhere thereafter.

To most people, Ohio State isn't a school, it is a football team. Ditto Miami Fla, USC or Notre Dame. Akron, Can't, BG, etc are thought of as schools first.

For fans like me in their late 30's or beyond, Akron was in a lower division than OSU during their college years. There really was no comparison of the teams. Just like there's no reason you couldn't like Oberlin and OSU. Old habits die hard. Few people my age are willing to dismiss their favorite childhood team just because their school jumped to 1-A (like Akron in '86).

For those in their 20's and low 30's...the Zips football teams have zero championships and very limited success during their formative years. Attitudes born from twenty years of losing or being mediocre don't change with an overtime win vs. Northern Illinois. It takes time.

OSU and the BCS schools in general are a media monster. Radio...TV...newspaper...the Zips are battling this with what? GoZips.com and some ads in the BJ? OSU gets more coverage on sportstalk in Cleveland in 1 day than all the MAC schools get COMBINED in a year!

I don't begrudge OSU fans for liking OSU. I hate OSU...but that my perogative. It does bug me when an Akron people (students or residents) root for OSU over the Zips or are condecending to the MAC schools.

Win something. Do it consistently, and the Zips Nation will rise up. Compare YSU's football attendance now and during their championship years. Big difference. Look at Can't's hoop attendance prior to their championship runs and during the Huffman/Mitchell/Gates years. Big difference.

If the Zips start winning, they will come and the fan foundation will quickly grow.

[zip37]

OK you youngsters, here is how it used to be, from the advent of the Acme-Zip game until it was discontinued, there was only 1 big game and Acme-Zip was it. It drew a full to overflowing Bowl. Then, the people of Akron and surrounding areas thought the season was over. Attendence at the A-Z was 32K plus then it fell off to a few thousand and remained that way until in the late 60s thru late 70s they would get a half Bowl or a little better for a playoff game. I think we are a little better off in the number of fans we get thruout the season than in the past.

P.S. The first overtime football game in NCAA history was at the R.B. whhen the Zips beat

Northern Michigan in a playoff game either thr Grantland Rice or Alonzo Stagg bowl. The attendence was disappointing. Maybe an on campus site will help, but don't hold your breath.

With ball ammunition lock and load.

[Buckzip]

If Akron, and OSU were ever in the same conference together.

I, for one, would root for Akron. I am an Alum of UA.

I bet many MAC/OSU fans feel the same way.

To me, Akron, and OSU are 2 different levels of football.

Right, or wrong, that is the way I currently see it.

[Kangaroo Craig]

Nothing would please me more than to somehow beat them in 07'. Every year they schedule a MAC school. Eventually the law of averages says that they are going to lose one of those. I hope it is us. I am sitting here imagining how shell shocked they will be when a MAC school finally knocks them off. The looks on their pitiful faces and the news media response will be priceless.

[Zipsrifle]

All I know is if we beat them in '07, I'm going to get my ass kicked walking out of the stadium because I won't be able to stop running my mouth.

[ziplock]

OK you youngsters, here is how it used to be, from the advent of the Acme-Zip game until it was discontinued, there was only 1 big game and Acme-Zip was it. It drew a full to overflowing Bowl. Then, the people of Akron and surrounding areas thought the season was over. Attendence at the A-Z was 32K plus then it fell off to a few thousand and remained that way until in the late 60s thru late 70s they would get a half Bowl or a little better for a playoff game. I think we are a little better off in the number of fans we get thruout the season than in the past.

P.S. The first overtime football game in NCAA history was at the R.B. whhen the Zips beat

Northern Michigan in a playoff game either thr Grantland Rice or Alonzo Stagg bowl. The attendence was disappointing. Maybe an on campus site will help, but don't hold your breath.

With ball ammunition lock and load.

Jim Dennison ran a very respectable program. But the community support, except for the annual Acme-Zip game was never very strong.

I remember the Akron-No. Mich game. I froze my butt off that day, but what a great win for the Zips!!

[GP1]

Jim Dennison ran a very respectable program. But the community support, except for the annual Acme-Zip game was never very strong.

Just a couple of things. First, CK mentioned Akron was D1 in 1986. It was actually 1987.

Secondly, if you refer to winning, Dennison did run a respectable program. Other than that, I knew some of the guys who played for Dennison and there was little respectable about the program other than the winning.

I'm still wondering how Dennison is in the ring of honor at the school and Mike Clark is not.