Porter Fashions Rust Belt Renaissance At Akron

[Z.I.P.]

This story is already out on Gozips.com, about two hours after it went live on SI.com. It is, honestly the best national media article yet on what is happening to Akron soccer, as well as what's happening to Akron as a result of Caleb and how he has changed the culture of the town and "the children on campus" -- a reference that both he and his mentor Yeags appear to embrace. Ah, shucks, I just' love the li'l Zip boys and girls! And I am sure that the shout outs to the Rowdies will make them most happy. I HOPE this appears in the print edition.

edit: For some reason, the link above starts with page 2. Here it is from the top:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/socc...rter/index.html

[zip37]

What a great article--GO ZIPS!!!

[ZachTheZip]

That article's incredible.

[jem101]

LOVE IT! This is friggin' Sports Illustrated writing a 3 page article on our school's soccer program. Coach Porter

[Captain Kangaroo]

That article's incredible.

Better than a YouTube video?

[RootforRoo44]

Big time props for the Rowdies in it too...gotta love it!

Porter has also converted a quiet, Midwest college into a hotbed for soccer fanatics. At every home game and most away games you'll find the AK Rowdies, Akron's rabid fan base known for harassing opposing players. The Rowdies' antics are campus legend: They've created phony Facebook pages with which to stalk opposing teams' players before games against Akron. There's a

of the Rowdies, sporting capes and hard hats and bull horns, greeting the visiting University of Tulsa last fall with a welcome sign covered in flames and full-throated chants of "It's a looong way / Back to Tulsa" and "Tax e-va-sion! Tax e-va-sion!"

btw i really hope this is in the print edition as well. Guess i'll find out soon enough.

[Zip_ME87]

That article is awesome.

[MDZip]

The best part of all is at the end.

One incident might provide a clue about Porter's future. At the end of my stay in Akron, Porter took me out to see the school's new stadium, then under construction. Situated at the heart of campus, the stadium's new grass surface has just been laid when we arrive. One of the groundskeepers, a genial, ruddy-looking man in work boots, walks up and shakes Caleb's hand.

"You know, the only thing I'm worried about is people sneaking out here at night, playing on the field," he says. "They could tear it up, really set us back."

"That could happen? You think?" Porter looks flummoxed. He surveys the field, looks for intruders. He says to the groundskeeper, "I'll sleep out here and guard the field if I have to."

I wait for a grin, a wink, some acknowledgment by Porter that surely he must be kidding.

None comes.

Man, did we get lucky landing him. I still can't believe we're talking about the Zips.

[zip37]

Not luck-- good people who got the job done-- then we let one of them get away [Wadell]