Akron's Success Tide with County

[Johnny Utah]

Another article from the Independent:When former Massillon Tiger Andy Alleman was being recruited five years ago, he never considered the University of Akron. Alleman grew up 15 minutes south of the city, but never had the urge to play for the “hometown school”.But why would he?Akron had a local reputation as a program of last resort. The university couldn’t boast state-of-the-art facilities. It couldn’t even boast an on-campus football stadium.“I had 22 offers,” Alleman said. “I had offers from all the MAC schools and from schools in the Big Ten, ACC and SEC. I visited Akron out of high school just as a favor. When I visited, I thought to myself, ‘There is no way I’m coming here.’”Alleman instead opted to attend the University of Pittsburgh, where he played in all 12 games as a freshman on the Panthers’ defensive line.But things didn’t work out at Pitt and Alleman decided to transfer following the 2003 campaign. The school he eventually transferred to was the same school he said “no way” to just two years earlier – the University of Akron.What a difference a couple of years makes.When Alleman originally visited Akron, the school still lacked its major selling point. But when he re-visited the school in 2004, all he had to look at was the newly built indoor fieldhouse and he was sold.The $40 million facility features a 100-yard indoor football practice field, a six-lane track, a weight room and a rock-climbing wall, among other amenities.“I went back and looked at Akron and it was totally different,” Alleman said. “The first thing I noticed was the change in facilities. There was the new indoor field house and new buildings all over campus. When (new Zips coach) J.D. (Brookhart) came here, I said, ‘Things might be all right here.’”Things were more than all right.Brookhart coached the Zips to a 6-5 record in 2004. It was the school’s fourth winning season in the past six years. It was this past season, however, when the football program reached new heights. After getting off to a 3-4 start, the Zips won three of their last four regular season games to reach the Mid American Conference championship game for the first time. The Zips won that game 31-30 on a last-second touchdown and was invited to the Motor City Bowl – the school’s first.Brookhart wants to build on that success by cementing the Zips as a recruiting power in Ohio. For him, the greater Akron-Canton area will be ground zero for the Zips’ recruiting efforts.“We want to recruit everywhere, but Northeast Ohio should be our bread and butter,” Brookhart said. “The area has great football tradition, there is great coaching and there is great community support. We want this area to be our No. 1 recruiting ground. But we are only going to choose from those who can play on a high level.”Despite the MAC Championship, the Motor City Bowl bid and the national exposure that came with it, Akron’s allure to players in this area hasn’t been as great as it has been in other parts of the state. Brookhart believes many people in this area still view Akron as they did in the past.“We’ve won some battles last year and we want to continue it this year,” he said. “We’ve made great improvements in outside areas. We’ve had a lot of success in Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Western Pennsylvania and Florida. But we’re still having a harder time here. I think the perception of the University of Akron has been so deeply rooted in this area, it’s going to be tough to change.”Massillon head coach Tom Stacy, who was Akron’s offensive coordinator for nine years under former head coach Lee Owens, would like to see his Tiger players take an interest in Akron. But he adds that Brookhart’s staff is going to have to put in a lot of time to be successful in this area.“With the indoor training facility, I think it will attract local talent,” said Stacy. “But J.D. and his staff are going to have to work at it. That’s something that coach Owens did, and he got local kids like (former Jackson Polar Bear) Jay Rohr, Bobby Hendry and Dan Basch. I have great respect for J.D. and his staff, but they are going to have to make a commitment to this area in order to draw local kids.”Jackson head football coach Phil Mauro believes some of the old perceptions about the school are beginning to change. Two of Mauro’s former players – linebackers Rohr and Brian Rice – played for the Zips this past season. Like Stacy, Mauro says he would like more of his players to take interest in Akron’s program.“The (Akron football team) had a week off before going up there and Jay (Rohr) stopped by,” Mauro said. “There was a buzz around the school. We’re all excited. We think its a great situation and I’ve always felt that the MAC was a great league.”Alleman has seen the situation from both sides. He originally believed that Akron was a dead-end program. Now, he says it won’t take long before other local kids realize that the home-town school has a lot to offer.“There is no question about whether or not Akron can get local talent,” Alleman said. “I played for Pitt in the Big East and I’ve played in the MAC. At this point, the MAC is just as strong as the Big East from top to bottom.”Nobody is doubting whether or not Akron is heading in the right direction. But the Zips still play their games seven miles away from campus at the dilapidated Rubber Bowl. University officials say a plan is in place to have an on-campus stadium built within the next four years.Until a new on-campus stadium is built, Stacy says the football program will never be able to reach its maximum potential.“The biggest thing they have to fight against other schools is not having a stadium on campus,” he said. “That’s the biggest downfall. I really believe the Akron program is a gold mine. It could be one of the best, if not the best in the MAC. But it will never be the job it could be until they build a stadium on campus, in my opinion.”

[zipsbandman]

Until a new on-campus stadium is built, Stacy says the football program will never be able to reach its maximum potential.?The biggest thing they have to fight against other schools is not having a stadium on campus,? he said. ?That?s the biggest downfall. I really believe the Akron program is a gold mine. It could be one of the best, if not the best in the MAC. But it will never be the job it could be until they build a stadium on campus, in my opinion.?

The old coach is right. We would be dominating the MAC in recruiting if we had that stadium or even an announcement. We must make this thing official this year. Only then will we see our full potential.

[Kangaroo Craig]

Until a new on-campus stadium is built, Stacy says the football program will never be able to reach its maximum potential.?The biggest thing they have to fight against other schools is not having a stadium on campus,? he said. ?That?s the biggest downfall. I really believe the Akron program is a gold mine. It could be one of the best, if not the best in the MAC. But it will never be the job it could be until they build a stadium on campus, in my opinion.?

The old coach is right. We would be dominating the MAC in recruiting if we had that stadium or even an announcement. We must make this thing official this year. Only then will we see our full potential.

Agreed!

[Ryno aka Menace]

No offense guys but at this point it is a no brainer.

[KingZip]

Yeah, Akron should go back to taking players from local high schools that no other division one program wants just so we can brag about having players from NE Ohio.BS.Akron should recruit players from Western PA, Texas, Florida, and wherever they can get the best players. Having a recruiting philosophy that he needed to take lots of Akron-area players is one of the main reasons why Owens was canned - his players were not as good as the other MAC schools.

[xu9697]

Obviously, the sooner they make the announcement the better. In addition, while this year's recruiting class may not be drawn in much by a new stadium, if next year's class knows they will be in a brand new stadium in their Junior and/or Senior year, that is when you will see big gains in recruiting.

[GP1]

Yeah, Akron should go back to taking players from local high schools that no other division one program wants just so we can brag about having players from NE Ohio.BS.Akron should recruit players from Western PA, Texas, Florida, and wherever they can get the best players. Having a recruiting philosophy that he needed to take lots of Akron-area players is one of the main reasons why Owens was canned - his players were not as good as the other MAC schools.

Exactly. There is a reason this guy is back coaching high school and the other guys are basically nowhere.

[Ryno aka Menace]

Yeah, Akron should go back to taking players from local high schools that no other division one program wants just so we can brag about having players from NE Ohio.BS.Akron should recruit players from Western PA, Texas, Florida, and wherever they can get the best players. Having a recruiting philosophy that he needed to take lots of Akron-area players is one of the main reasons why Owens was canned - his players were not as good as the other MAC schools.

Akron should recruit from local high schools, it is good for attendance and there is alot of talent in that area. THe problem is they aren't getting the best from the local high schools. NEO has the best football in the state of ohio period. Canton Mck, Massillon, St. Ignatios, Cleveland Glenville, Youngstown, etc. The problem is Akron lets kids go to schools like Kentucky, Rutgers, Pitt, and Duke (schools with big names and bad football).

[GP1]

Yeah, Akron should go back to taking players from local high schools that no other division one program wants just so we can brag about having players from NE Ohio.BS.Akron should recruit players from Western PA, Texas, Florida, and wherever they can get the best players.  Having a recruiting philosophy that he needed to take lots of Akron-area players is one of the main reasons why Owens was canned - his players were not as good as the other MAC schools.

Akron should recruit from local high schools, it is good for attendance and there is alot of talent in that area. THe problem is they aren't getting the best from the local high schools. NEO has the best football in the state of ohio period. Canton Mck, Massillon, St. Ignatios, Cleveland Glenville, Youngstown, etc. The problem is Akron lets kids go to schools like Kentucky, Rutgers, Pitt, and Duke (schools with big names and bad football).

Winning games will get people to games, not getting local players. Akron needs to get the best players. If that is in NE Ohio, then fine. If it is other places, then we need to get them. There are good players everywhere and the job of the coaches is to get them. There was no relationship between attendance and local players during the Owens years. In fact, the crowds were basically unchanged.The best players during the Owens years were not from NE Ohio. Frye is basically from northcentral Ohio, Dwight Smith was from out of state, Blackburn was from the Columbus area, etc.

[SoFlaZip]

AMEN

[Ryno aka Menace]

AMEN

I didn't say Owens best players were from NEO I said he wasn't getting the best players in NEO...Canton McK. at one time had 7 guys on the Ohio State roster...you mean to tell me we couldn't land one of them? Massillon had 2....Massillon Perry had one, Canton Glen Oak had 2...and that is within a 20 mile radius!!!! We get the all conference and honorable mentions of NEO!! Bobby Hendry, and Jay Rohr are the only decent players he got from NEO.I grew up in Massillon and a receiver from McKinley was offered a scholarship from Akron, (And this is a direct quote) "I am too good for AKron I am gonna walk on at OHIO SATE!!" I just laughed, oh well anyway, he isn't playing anywhere at the moment but, believe me people it is hard to recruit with subpar facilities I had to do it, I am a former player that played for both Faust and Owens...I feel both were great people but poor coaches...I never experienced a losing season untill I came to AU...but ya know what it was the best time of my life!!And one last point when I first got to Akron, there were players like Marcell Weems, Darren Gouch, Phil Dunn, Kenny Champman...real D1 players when Owens took over the overall physical size of the team got smaller, and less athletic, I feel JD is the best man for the job period. Heis making things happen NOW not in 3 or 4 seasons..

[KingZip]

Ditto on that dog - you always put it right to the point now and back in the day.

[GP1]

And one last point when I first got to Akron, there were players like Marcell Weems, Darren Gouch, Phil Dunn, Kenny Champman...real D1 players when Owens took over the overall physical size of the team got smaller, and less athletic, I feel JD is the best man for the job period. Heis making things happen NOW not in 3 or 4 seasons..

This is a great point and something that is overlooked with the transition between LO and JD.I was with the team at the beginning of the Faust years and the players Faust brought to Akron were much better than the players Dennison recruited to the team. There was a huge amount of resentment of the Faust players by the Dennison players because they all thought they were as good as the "new guys". The truth of the matter is that they weren't and the animosity between the two groups was obvious and really bad for the program.I'm frequently shocked when I see how small the Owens players actually were. It's no wonder why we had trouble competing during those years. The combination of small and slow in football is deadly.From all I can see, JD is bringing in bigger and better players, which is really needed. I'm sure there are a quite a few LO players and former players who think they are just as good as the "new guys". Anyone with a competitive spirit would. The truth of the matter is that they just aren't. They shouldn't be as good either. As years go by, if a program is moving in the proper direction, the players recruited should get better and better each year.

[Captain Kangaroo]

And one last point when I first got to Akron, there were players like Marcell Weems, Darren Gouch, Phil Dunn, Kenny Champman...real D1 players when Owens took over the overall physical size of the team got smaller, and less athletic,

I agree, and I disagree.Faust never got credit for some of the players he recruited. Beyond Jason Taylor, he also got some great talent to attend U of A...and with facilities and infrastructure that Owens would have died to have (pre-Natatorium, pre-MAC days). Guys like Brian Hilk, John Motten, Derek Alston, Robert Lyons, Sean Vincent, Vic Green, Mike Johnson...all were great. If I recall correctly, Faust went 7-3-1 one season? However, something went wrong with Faust's teams.Faust's last season, that team was rock-solid Division 3 material. YSU came on to our field and I bet they outweighed us by 20 lbs per man. They whipped us 19-0 and it wasn't even close. One of the Junko's was our LB and he was something like 6'2 168 lbs. We went 1-10 that season...eeeking past an 0-11 OU team in a miserable freezing rain to get our sole victory.Faust had some good talent...and recruited it with little campus to offer...even no MAC or real bowl opportunities to pimp...but the team he left Owens in 1993 was overall very very bad...probably the worst in Akron D1 history.

[GP1]

Guys like Brian Hilk, John Motten, Derek Alston, Robert Lyons, Sean Vincent, Vic Green, Mike Johnson...all were great. If I recall correctly, Faust went 7-3-1 one season? However, something went wrong with Faust's teams.

Just to clarify one thing CK. Bobby Lyons was a Dennison recruit. However, Faust should get credit for bringing in a great young coach named Mike Woodford who later was with the New Orleans Saints and lastly with Florida to coach Bobby. Bobby would have never had his skills sharpened as well as they were with Dennison coaches. In fact, Bobby went to my high school (four years ahead of me) and wasn't even the best player on the team his senior year. Shawn Vincent had an older brother named Joe that was the best player on that team and if he didn't make some mistakes would have been a better player than Shawn. There was even another player on that team who was the nephew of Andy Urbanic, who was Faust's first offensive coordinator and now an athletic director at Florida State, who was a more high profile player than Bobby. Bobby was a late bloomer and Faust should get some credit for his three years in the NFL.Another player who Faust should get some credit for helping to a six year NFL career is John Buddenberg. John was a late bloomer also and a Dennison recruit. Hal Hunter, who has been with Vandy, LSU, offensive coordinator at Indiana and now with North Carolina since leaving Akron, developed John into an NFL type player and Coach Faust brought him to Akron.You are right about the talent level at Akron at the end of the Faust years. It was horrible. The failure of the Faust years can be described easily. A revolving door of coaches with no real leadership at the top, no support from the University, no support from the community, off field problems and on field failures snowballed into a 1-10 season Faust's last year. You guys would be shocked if you knew half the off field problems.

[LosAngelesZipFan]

Curious...for those that played on the UA teams and are from the area, is there any home town/NEO loyalty or is it basically "If I can't go to OSU, then I would just as soon go to Eastern Michingan as UA". Do UA marketing programs targeted at NEO make a difference in recruiting by raising the U's profile.

[GP1]

There are too many reasons why a kid picks one school over another to really say what could keep a kid home. For some, they may just want to go far from home, others may see a chance to play sooner than later at another school, others may actually like an academic program one school offers over another, etc. I question whether loyalty to your home area alone is a good enough reason to stay home. Once the reality of college sets in, loyalty may not be enough to keep a kid happy.Sports or no sports, I actually think it is healthy for a kid to get at least two hours away from home when going to college.

[Ryno aka Menace]

There are too many reasons why a kid picks one school over another to really say what could keep a kid home. For some, they may just want to go far from home, others may see a chance to play sooner than later at another school, others may actually like an academic program one school offers over another, etc. I question whether loyalty to your home area alone is a good enough reason to stay home. Once the reality of college sets in, loyalty may not be enough to keep a kid happy.Sports or no sports, I actually think it is healthy for a kid to get at least two hours away from home when going to college.

I have to agree as well...there are too many reasons..and you would have to throw in there where are your friends going because coming out of "high school" alot of decisions are made by what your friends are doing.