Does Akron Have A Hometown Team?

[RatFink]

A recent post had a link that spoke of goings on at SMU. SMU is some

small time school that is well known for cheating in case you haven't

heard. Kind of reminds one of Marshall on a bigger scale.

In that article SMU fans were complaining that Fort Worth was littered

with billboards proclaiming TCU as Fort Worth's home town team.

SMU is located in a gawd forsaken place called Dallas a cow town just

east of the most excellent city of Fort Worth.

Since 2004 is a banner year for trumpeting the wares of one Charlie Frye,

it seems an excellent opportunity to RECLAIM Akron as the home town

of the University of Akron and the Zips.

How about a dual billboard campaign? Feature the real Heisman canidate

Charlie Frye on one set and proclaim the Zips as the home team of

Akron. The fettid cesspool of Column-bus is far enough away to keep

the stench out.

Even advertise both in the Creakin' Jurinal.

Here's an advertising tip for the SID. Feature Charlie Frye with a back

drop of another famous Akron quarterback. If memory serves me, his

name was John Heisman. And, I belive he engineered a 12-6 thumping

of the vaunted Suckeyes.

Do the deal, Charlie.

[zipper]

Rat you must have either a crystal ball or an inside track, because I heard that they WERE going to feature C. Frye and J. Heisman in their promo pieces. Not sure if that's true, my source knows a source, etc. etc. but that was something I heard.

Love the idea about promoting UA as the hometown team. Sometimes people just need to be reminded.

[Guest Guest]

I'll add this commentary to your post:

1.) I think it is a great idea to use the University's ties to John Heisman to promote Charlie. I'm sure it is being done.

2.) It's too bad Charlie doen't have the WR's he had last season for support, but I have to believe that the position coach for 2 of the last 3 Belitnikof winners will create a few new "stars" from the returning crew.

3.) When's the last time a guy like Charlie made a legit run at the Heisman? Gordie Lockbaum? Can you count someone like Moss or Leftwitch?

3.) Just getting Charlie in the final 5 in NYC would be H-U-G-E for the program. It would also be a great reward for a guy that stuck with the program through thick and thin.

4.) The remainder of the team needs to realize 2004 is not all about Charlie, but his success is the ticket to the team's success. Should 2004 pan out like we all hope it does for the team, C Frye will defer the accolades to the guys that made it all possible, I'm sure of that. If C Frye is successful in 2004, it will be because EVERYONE busted their ass in 2004. Whatever individual accolades C Frye enjoys at season's end should certainly be enjoyed equally as much by the OL's. FB, WR's...and the D too. That's the cool thing about football.

5.) Lee Owens and Paul Winters's ofenses put up great offensive numbers against the MAC opponents. My gut feeling is, that with the talent we have, JD can do the same, and probably better. Can we get a defense? Can we get a defense?

[GoZips]

"Just getting Charlie in the final 5 in NYC would be H-U-G-E for the program.

It would also be a great reward for a guy that stuck with the program through

thick and thin." Guest

Ah, this is the objective. Realistically just getting Charlie to the dinner party is HUGE.

Writers never truly consider MAC players as worthy of any accolade. Consider the debacle in Dwright Smith's day. Dwight easily had the best numbers at corner of any

college player. Yet, he finished second to a thug from Wisconsin in the voting.

[Zips4life]

If the Athletic Department publicizes Charlie Frye the right way and gets some hype going, coupled with an opening day upset of Penn State, and I believe the Zips can easily fill the bowl.

[Zipsrifle]

I used to think that filling the bowl would be quite a task...but after the Can't State game last year, I don't see why it can't be done. I think that there are a lot of closet Zips fans out there. Like it has been said here before, a winning team will put butts in the seats.

I think that it will take more than a PR campaign by the SID to get the bowl full this season. If 5 has a great day against PSU and we come out on top....there will Zips fans coming out of the woodwork. Close doesn't cut it. If we play PSU close, it will be blown off by everyone just like Wisconsin was last year.

A win against a big Ten team will get the word out more than a PR campaign IMHO. From what I've seen in the past, the billboards that do get put up aren't necessairly where most people can see them. A page in SI and something better than the score ticker at the bottom of the screen is what is needed. The Can't State game last year was proof enough for me that a lot of people know how to get into the Rubber Bowl, now we just have to give them a reason to show up. The PR campaign can't hurt, but a winning team is the best PR Campaign. We've been on the losing end of a lot of close games over the past 9 years, if we can just come out on the other side, filling the bowl won't be a problem.

[Guest Guest]

If WAZOO can use a grain silo outside Spokane, then I say UA Marketing should find a nice big barn in Brimfield or Lodi and instill 5's presence on the NE Ohio landsape. Sure beats those Mail Pouch signs you see headed to Lancaster. And of course it doesn't matter how many people drive out there to see it, as long as a photographer from the AP visits. Hey, maybe we can use Go Zips estate in rural Medina County. Does that rock?

[ZipDude]

Are you really Governor Bob Taft in a nome de plume. that silly bastard spent millions of $ painting barns in Ohio with that silly BiCentenial thing.

BTW, the idea ROCKS !

[GoZips]

GOZIPS has an estate?

I think we have crossed wires here. Been looking for an estate since I was just a joey.

19.5 acres of woods on the edge of Wadsworth is hardly an estate, OR in "rural"

Medina county. Only a GUEST wandering the rainy beaches of forlorn Hulaland

would consider 19.5 acres an estate.

Obviously the GUEST needs a visit to the mainland really badly. Medina County

hasn't been "rural" in twenty years.

On the serious side, billboard images of #5 super imposed over a Heisman trophy

painted on STRATEGICALLY located barns along I-76, I-77, I-71 makes a lot of

sense. Please, not more than 25-30 miles out of downtown Akron. Look nice on the

daily commute into Cleveburg. Hmmmm, maybe into Columbus?

[Zipsrifle]

Better yet, get a couple of art students to make some crop Fryes (similar to crop circles) in the fields once they are done paint'n the barn.