Four Decades of Ineptitude

[1981 grad]

I thought since we cannot watch Akron football today, we can talk about the futility of this program.  Since Jim Dennison was forced to make way to Gerry Faust in 1986, every Akron football coach has been fired and left the program with a losing record.  Maybe this is the Dennison curse for forcing a good football coach to leave for the school's two seconds of fame.  I still remember when Gerry was hired and there were a room full of press at the new conference.  Gerry Faust, Lee Owens, J.D. Brookhart, Rob Iannella, Terry Bowden, Tom Arth, Joe Moorhead.   You would think in 40 years we could pick one coach that would bring success to our program and then get hired away.  Never happened.  J.D. did win a MAC title and took us to a Bowl Game.  Bowden also took us to a Bowl game.  

 

During the last 40 years, who was your favorite coach and the coach you dislike the most.  

Favorite Brookhart, Least favorite Arth  (I just remember we seemed to be outmatched almost every game)

[kreed5120]

My least favorite is Ianello. If there was anytime that Akron was in a position to make noise in the MAC it was when enrollment was pushing 30k and we had a new stadium to sell recruits, students, and fans.

 

Ianello ruined any sort of momentum midway through his first season at the helm.

[Zips1991]

My time as a Zips student (and fan) only goes back to the last season of Brookhart, so I can only really spoke on Ianello, Bowden, Arth, and Moorhead. So, the obvious answer is Bowden for me. From where he the program was when he took over to where it was in 2015 and 2016, you couldn't ask for much more. There was really no reason to get rid of him. 

[exit322]

10 minutes ago, Zips1991 said:

 There was really no reason to get rid of him. 

 

I think the speculation is that Chuck Amato (RIP) was the real catalyst for the success, and he retired before that last Bowden season IIRC

[Zips1991]

5 minutes ago, exit322 said:

 

I think the speculation is that Chuck Amato (RIP) was the real catalyst for the success, and he retired before that last Bowden season IIRC

I don't think I knew that, but that would make sense. Still probably would've been better than what we have now. 😅

[NWAkron]

Ford favorite.  Hipsher least favorite.

[clarkwgriswold]

When it's bad coach after coach year after year the problem is the institution and it's management of the program not the captains of the ship.

[exit322]

1 hour ago, NWAkron said:

Ford favorite.  Hipsher least favorite.

 

Hipsher was certainly unexciting 

[exit322]

1 hour ago, clarkwgriswold said:

When it's bad coach after coach year after year the problem is the institution and it's management of the program not the captains of the ship.

 

That's why I have a little hope with Goodrich.

[phil]

10 minutes ago, exit322 said:

 

That's why I have a little hope with Goodrich.

Doesn't the U spend about $50,000 to a company to screen coaches and come up with suitable candidates when we seek a new football coach?

[exit322]

42 minutes ago, phil said:

Doesn't the U spend about $50,000 to a company to screen coaches and come up with suitable candidates when we seek a new football coach?

 

I do not know what the spend is.  Maybe a Craigslist ad this time?  Why not...

[GP1]

5 hours ago, 1981 grad said:

Maybe this is the Dennison curse for forcing a good football coach to leave for the school's two seconds of fame. 

I'm not interested in talking about the futility of the program. There's enough of that around here. 

 

For the record, Dennison wasn't forced to leave the school. Dennison was promoted to AD where he showed zero ability to chart a course for the future. Had the University not made this Mickey Mouse decision and brought in an ad that had a vision, we might be having different discussions today. 

 

 

[clarkwgriswold]

9 hours ago, GP1 said:

I'm not interested in talking about the futility of the program.

 

I think you just did.

[ZipForNow]

You can’t do much better than Bowden and Amato. That’s two head coaches. I had a lot of players in class then, and found that it was the right mix of recruiting and execution on the field. Bowden liked “Florida speed.” And actually the student-athletes were just as successful or unsuccessful in the classroom as other students in my classes. In some ways they responded better to external motivation. Bowden was smart and supported academics.

 

On the field, they nearly beat Michigan and did beat Northwestern and always seemed competitive. But I have at times suffered from selective memory.

 

As for the future, I agree that Goodrich is the guy to figure this out.

[kreed5120]

1 hour ago, ZipForNow said:

You can’t do much better than Bowden and Amato. That’s two head coaches. I had a lot of players in class then, and found that it was the right mix of recruiting and execution on the field. Bowden liked “Florida speed.” And actually the student-athletes were just as successful or unsuccessful in the classroom as other students in my classes. In some ways they responded better to external motivation. Bowden was smart and supported academics.

 

On the field, they nearly beat Michigan and did beat Northwestern and always seemed competitive. But I have at times suffered from selective memory.

 

As for the future, I agree that Goodrich is the guy to figure this out.

 

It was a different time. Prior to ~2018 there was no reason we couldn't compete in the MAC other than our ineptitude. Our facilities were top notch. Enrollment was booming. 

 

Since then enrollment has plummeted and players are now paid to transfer every year, which we can't keep up with financially. The deck is stacked against programs like Akron. You need money to compete and we just don't have it. 

[Captain Kangaroo]

3 hours ago, ZipForNow said:

You can’t do much better than Bowden and Amato. That’s two head coaches. I had a lot of players in class then, and found that it was the right mix of recruiting and execution on the field. Bowden liked “Florida speed.” And actually the student-athletes were just as successful or unsuccessful in the classroom as other students in my classes. In some ways they responded better to external motivation. Bowden was smart and supported academics.

 

On the field, they nearly beat Michigan and did beat Northwestern and always seemed competitive. But I have at times suffered from selective memory.

 

As for the future, I agree that Goodrich is the guy to figure this out.

Bowden went 4-8 in his final Akron season. That’s the same year he beat Northwestern.

 

Academics no longer factor into D1 football. Every year the Zips lose 1/2 the team…over 40 players…to the portal. Every team does. Players today majoring in NIL money and maintaining eligibility outnumber the ones taking advantage of their free education 4:1. Education is parsley on the D1 plate.
 

Why does no one mention Lee Owens when discussing the most successful Zips HC’s (post Dennison). The guy was 7-5 when he got fired. 5-3 in the MAC. Greats like Dwight Smith, Frye, Hixon, Blackburn, Cherry, Arthur, Payne …they were all his recruits. And he convinced them to play at The Rubber Bowl, with no Stiles Center.
 

His final year at Ashland he went 10-2.

 

In the tallest midget competition, Lee Owen’s dwarfs the field.

[clarkwgriswold]

3 hours ago, kreed5120 said:

 

It was a different time. Prior to ~2018 there was no reason we couldn't compete in the MAC other than our ineptitude. Our facilities were top notch. Enrollment was booming. 

 

Since then enrollment has plummeted and players are now paid to transfer every year, which we can't keep up with financially. The deck is stacked against programs like Akron. You need money to compete and we just don't have it. 

That deck becomes even more stacked when you're not keeping up with even your MAC peers.

[phil]

4 hours ago, Captain Kangaroo said:

Bowden went 4-8 in his final Akron season. That’s the same year he beat Northwestern.

 

Academics no longer factor into D1 football. Every year the Zips lose 1/2 the team…over 40 players…to the portal. Every team does. Players today majoring in NIL money and maintaining eligibility outnumber the ones taking advantage of their free education 4:1. Education is parsley on the D1 plate.
 

Why does no one mention Lee Owens when discussing the most successful Zips HC’s (post Dennison). The guy was 7-5 when he got fired. 5-3 in the MAC. Greats like Dwight Smith, Frye, Hixon, Blackburn, Cherry, Arthur, Payne …they were all his recruits. And he convinced them to play at The Rubber Bowl, with no Stiles Center.
 

His final year at Ashland he went 10-2.

 

In the tallest midget competition, Lee Owen’s dwarfs the field.

Great post.  I have heard before that Brookhart's 1st 2 seasons benefitted from Owens players.  Anybody remember why he was fired if he went 7-5 and 5-3 in the MAC?

[Captain Kangaroo]

31 minutes ago, phil said:

Great post.  I have heard before that Brookhart's 1st 2 seasons benefitted from Owens players.  Anybody remember why he was fired if he went 7-5 and 5-3 in the MAC?

Two reasons - 

 

1.) Owens Fatigue - it was a 9-year climb to 7-5 and many just thought it was time for a change.

 

2.) New AD Mike Thomas wanted “his guy” to lead The Thomas Era.
 

 

[phil]

1 hour ago, Captain Kangaroo said:

Two reasons - 

 

1.) Owens Fatigue - it was a 9-year climb to 7-5 and many just thought it was time for a change.

 

2.) New AD Mike Thomas wanted “his guy” to lead The Thomas Era.
 

 

Knowing this board I can say with 100 percent certainty that nobody on this board would ever complain about a coach that had a 7-5 record.

[GP1]

17 minutes ago, phil said:

Knowing this board I can say with 100 percent certainty that nobody on this board would ever complain about a coach that had a 7-5 record.

Ummmmm.....

[ZippyRulz]

1 hour ago, phil said:

Knowing this board I can say with 100 percent certainty that nobody on this board would ever complain about a coach that had a 7-5 record.

 

Sarcasm noted, however 7-5 at best backed us into an East Division win and the shot at a miracle-finish MACC. To be nationally relevant in the MAC would require more like a 10-2 record.

 

[zipsfan33]

15 hours ago, Captain Kangaroo said:

Two reasons - 

 

1.) Owens Fatigue - it was a 9-year climb to 7-5 and many just thought it was time for a change.

 

2.) New AD Mike Thomas wanted “his guy” to lead The Thomas Era.
 

 

2-9, 4-7, 2-9, 4-7, 7-4, 6-5 (MAC East Co Champs), 4-7, 4-8, 7-5 Still my favorite coach.  

[exit322]

3 minutes ago, zipsfan33 said:

2-9, 4-7, 2-9, 4-7, 7-4, 6-5 (MAC East Co Champs), 4-7, 4-8, 7-5 Still my favorite coach.  

 

In today's college football, he'd have three bowl games, too.

[UAZipster0305]

On 10/31/2026 at 7:03 PM, exit322 said:

 

I think the speculation is that Chuck Amato (RIP) was the real catalyst for the success, and he retired before that last Bowden season IIRC

Then the responsible thing to do would have been to wait and see. 

 

The grass is not always greener, and with Akron football, the grass has never been greener...