New Akron Stadium

[zip81]

New stadium to lift profile of UA, city On-campus stadium will have many uses Published on Thursday, Aug 09, 2007 A friend was talking about his son, who soon will be going to college.''What's Akron like?'' he asked.He hadn't been to the campus for 10 years back when only an optimist would call it a campus.''Just go down and take a look,'' I said. ''You won't believe it.''That's because I don't believe all that has happened at the University of Akron. If that sounds like some public relations plug, so be it. I'm a Cleveland State graduate and grew up in the Cleveland area, so it's not like I'm pushing the old alma mater.I'm simply saying that if you have even a passing interest in Akron being a viable city, this is great news. It's much bigger than just being about college football. It makes the city a better, more attractive place.So forget UA no longer being your dad's university it might not even be your big sister's. New dorms, new field house, new buildings, a new central campus area that feels and looks like a campus.All in the past 10 years.Now, a new football stadium, set to open by 2009.''It's an excellent move for Akron,'' Can't State Athletic Director Laing Kennedy said. ''It's something they have been talking about ever since I came to Can't 13 years ago. It's not easy to put all that together, but it's great for the MAC (Mid-American Conference) and Akron. Add that to their magnificent field house, and they are making real strides.''Like any good athletic director of a rival school 15 miles away, Kennedy quickly mentioned all the improvements at Can't State: the baseball field, the softball field, the golf training center, the upgrades around his football stadium.OK, we gave Kennedy his little commercial, and Can't State deserves it.As for UA?''I won't miss sitting on those fiberglass benches at the old Rubber Bowl,'' Kennedy said. ''I bet the fans won't, either.''The Rubber Bowl might be a warm, fuzzy field of dreams in the memory of your father or grandmother.The reality is that it costs nearly $500,000 annually ''just to keep it safe,'' Zips Athletic Director Mack Rhoades said. It's 66 years old and looks it. Rhoades said two surveys revealed that it would cost more than $60 million to upgrade it.It's cheaper to spend the estimated $55 million for a new on-campus facility.Stadium for AkronLet's start with the fact the idea makes sense, especially if the 30,000-seat stadium is to be Akron's stadium not just that of the University of Akron.It's ridiculous for a $55 million project to be used five to six times a year to be the home of a MAC football team. Nor should this stadium be about attracting better athletes and helping Zips coach J.D. Brookhart on the recruiting trail.That might be a nice by-product, but this must be bigger than trying to lift the Zips back to a bowl game. The new stadium should be used for good high school games and for other events with the university and city. It needs to be a vibrant place, not an exclusive football palace.''That's the goal,'' Rhoades said. ''We've already talked to (Akron Public Schools Superintendent) Sylvester Small about having some high school games there. We're looking at some concerts, too. It's why we will have an artificial surface, so we can have a lot of events.''Rhoades said it would be used during the week for flag football, soccer and other student events. About 45,000 square feet in the press box area would be used for classrooms and offices.''It just brings so much more to our campus,'' Rhoades said. ''The Rubber Bowl was eight miles away. It was hard to use it for campus activities. We were only one of 15 Division I schools not to have a football stadium on campus.''Rhoades mentioned being on a Memphis radio station talking about how UA pulled this off, as the host said it's exactly what the University of Memphis needed.InfoCision title donorKennedy said it was critical for UA to find ''its title donor,'' and once that deal was cut, the stadium became viable.InfoCision is the biggest sponsor and will have the stadium naming rights. Rhoades said about $30 million has been pledged, and the university believes it can raise the rest through bonds and other donors.Rhoades said his research revealed ''the main reason people say they don't go to Akron football games is the Rubber Bowl.''No doubt, that's a factor.UA always will be fighting for attention, even with what the Zips insist will be one of the nation's premier football facilities for fans. Akron is not Cleveland, but it seems everywhere within at least 100 miles of where the orange helmets take the field is one big Browns Town.And Saturdays, the entire state is a Big Buckeyes Village, with all eyes on the team from Columbus. The Zips averaged 16,132 fans last year. Can't State was at 17,004. Central Michigan led the MAC with a 21,563 average.The Zips' attendance ranked 106th out of 119 teams playing Division I football last season. And there were four MAC teams below UA in attendance: Temple (15,810), Miami (15,244), Ball State (15,061) and Eastern Michigan (14,734).MAC football is not a magnet for the casual fan, but it should be part of the campus experience. The new stadium will join Canal Park and other projects inspired by Mayor Don Plusquellic to make Akron into a place where you can tell your friends, just like I did: Hey, you really gotta see it.

[scottditzen]

Strange article. At first I'm just glad the ABJ is covering the school. But I'm not sure I want more articles like this one. Weird. The tone of it seems to depict the MAC and Akron Football with a condescending, second rate "special olympics" quality. needless plug for the no show mayor:The new stadium will join Canal Park and other projects inspired by Mayor Don Plusquellic to make Akron into a place where you can tell your friends, just like I did: Hey, you really gotta see it. Heck, the way that sentence reads one can interpret that the mayor inspired the new stadium!!!!! I think the ABJ may be run by the mayor's office.strangest comment:Nor should this stadium be about attracting better athletes and helping Zips coach J.D. Brookhart on the recruiting trail.Okay, I know Pluto's trying to make a bigger point here, but this sentence is just absured.

[Dr Z]

I wish we had an Akron grad writing for the Akron paper.Unfortunately we have a CSU grad and a YSU grad.Is it any wonder why we get what we get.

[ziptrumpet87]

The Don comments really threw me. With the disconnect between Buchtel Hall and City Hall I can't imagine how he could claim something like that.

[g-mann17]

strangest comment:Nor should this stadium be about attracting better athletes and helping Zips coach J.D. Brookhart on the recruiting trail.

How about dumbest comment."on saturdays all eyes are on the team from Columbus"Maybe that's because you don't let Northeast Ohio look anywhere else. I'm sorry but until the day it actually changes I will always criticize the Beacon for putting OSU before the home town team. You think Pitt does that? No. Do you think Huntington did that? Heck no. And the Marhall vs West Virginia is a very comparable to The University of Akron vs OSU.Is that saying you take OSU off the front page after beating Michigan? No, but it does mean preseason should focus on the Zips. It does mean a Zips win should get more coverage then an OSU loss. It does mean the Patriot Bowl should get more then the FirstMerit add that has been running in the paper.

[Captain Kangaroo]

The oddest comment I saw was:

''It's an excellent move for Akron,'' Can't State Athletic Director Laing Kennedy said. ''It's something they have been talking about ever since I came to Can't 13 years ago. It's not easy to put all that together, but it's great for the MAC (Mid-American Conference) and Akron. Add that to their magnificent field house, and they are making real strides.''Like any good athletic director of a rival school 15 miles away, Kennedy quickly mentioned all the improvements at Can't State: the baseball field, the softball field, the golf training center, the upgrades around his football stadium.OK, we gave Kennedy his little commercial, and Can't State deserves it.

If I were Kennedy, I would be ecstatic with the "commercial" he tendered.

[BZip_08]

strangest comment:Nor should this stadium be about attracting better athletes and helping Zips coach J.D. Brookhart on the recruiting trail.

How about dumbest comment."on saturdays all eyes are on the team from Columbus"Maybe that's because you don't let Northeast Ohio look anywhere else. I'm sorry but until the day it actually changes I will always criticize the Beacon for putting OSU before the home town team. You think Pitt does that? No. Do you think Huntington did that? Heck no. And the Marhall vs West Virginia is a very comparable to The University of Akron vs OSU.Is that saying you take OSU off the front page after beating Michigan? No, but it does mean preseason should focus on the Zips. It does mean a Zips win should get more coverage then an OSU loss. It does mean the Patriot Bowl should get more then the FirstMerit add that has been running in the paper.

Amen.

[ziptrumpet87]

[Zipgrad01]

Wow. After reading that article I get this impression from Pluto...1. Akron is a 2nd rate program and nobody wants to watch them or MAC football unless the only other thing to do is watch re-runs of the A Team.2. They only reason it was a good idea to build this stadium is because it has many "civic" uses.3. He really likes Can't a lot so he had to get their input like it really matters.I could go on, but I am starting to get upset. Damn, after reading that article I am just thinking about getting a refund on my season tickets. I mean....our program isn't even good enough to have it's own stadium. Why should I support it by throwing my time and money away for a worthless cause that in his eyes will always be worthless?Can someone please tell me how drivel like this gets in an Akron newspaper? If that article isn't a kick in the nuts I don't know what is.

[ZachTheZip]

Yep. We're the "little engine that could". There's no way we can compete with any team, but we keep on playing anyways. We should abolish UA sports alltogether and donate our facilities directly to the city. Why even bother? All hail the Don! He is obviously the reason UA has grown so much better over the last few years.

[Zipsrifle]

Actually, though the article wasn't perfect, I think it did a good job of saying "You need to see the new UA". In general a good message. With that said, I kinda feel like Pluto's message was a bit strong....Kinda like: "Who cares if UA is putting all the effort into this stadium, it's not theirs, it's the city's, so once it's built, don't hog it!" I understand Pluto's message the UA will do more good by letting everyone in the city use it, and show the people of Akron what UA has become. The other comments are simply in there as an effort to keep from pissing everyone off. We get pissed because OSU gets a lot of coverage, but I'm sure Can't will be pissed if UA gets more coverage than they do. The recruiting was not used in a good context.

[g-mann17]

...but I'm sure Can't will be pissed if UA gets more coverage than they do...

So let them be pissed, they have that Ravenna Rag for coverage if they want an article about re-sealing the Dix parking lot, or adding a new memorial to some hippies. (sorry I have a special distaste for Can't because of something that happened to distant relatives during that time.) The University of Akron founded 1870, Can't State University founded 1910. Someone needs to put that little piss ant school in it's place and let it know it's got a lot of dues to pay.

[skip-zip]

g-mann...we'll have our chance to put Can't right back in their place on September 22nd.I like how people assume that everyone in Ohio is an Ohio State fan. I have a bunch of friends that I hang out with on Saturday to watch college football. Only ONE is an Ohio State fan. Two are Michigan fans. Three of them are Akron fans. And one is Penn State. In fact, of my family and close friends that live in NE Ohio, more of them are Michigan fans than Ohio State fans. That "all eyes are on Columbus" statement is just not true. I'm sure if we counted, we'd find more fans for Ohio State than the other D-1A schools in Ohio. But that's far from ALL.

[74ZIP]

screw mayor don...he is only being his usual pompous self...he couldn't get what he wanted so he is whining like the 15 yr old he REALLY is... he needs to remember that a lot of the PATRONS at the downtown watering holes and restaurants are Uof A students...he also needs to remember that Root Canal Park is only used what....85-90 days a year...i'll bet he doesn't give back any of the tax money collected from fans eating,drinking,attending the games,buying stuff when the football stadium opens...