STADIUM RENDERING
Football
(Click to enlarge)
My first words were, “Holy crap. That stadium looks absolutely breathtaking.” Your thoughts?
Football
(Click to enlarge)
My first words were, “Holy crap. That stadium looks absolutely breathtaking.” Your thoughts?
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July 19th, 2007 at 11:43 am
So…what, we’re all supposed to show up to some unveiling party UA has planned, but has yet to tell us about? I’ll check my social calendar.
Interesting to see how the sports facilities appear to occupy more real estate than halls of educa-sheon (as Doug Hefferman would say).
July 19th, 2007 at 11:46 am
Doesn’t look like that thing could ever be “capped” with a dome. With the teensy crowds that UA gets, why not move the blizzard games next door into the indoor facility, and just have standing room only? At least fans wouldn’t get frostbite, like at the Turkey Game w/ KSU 2 yrs. back.
July 19th, 2007 at 11:57 am
BEAUTIFUL! It’s really what I was hoping for - the Camden Yards of college football! When is the unveiling party and are all season ticket holders invited?! This is going to be monumental for the football program, and a cornerstone for the U as a whole as well as the future of the city of Akron. Great job UA!
July 19th, 2007 at 12:14 pm
Yes it IS nice. BTW, you’d better watch it, Rob. Positive comments are frowned on here!
July 19th, 2007 at 12:30 pm
I knew some people would have to be haters.
Check: Visit OSU. The athletics compound is about 65-70% of the campus.
Nick: You lack vision. That stadium could easily be capped. And the crowds won’t be so teensy once that thing is built.
July 19th, 2007 at 12:34 pm
Easily? Not teensy? I’ll hold my breath.
And when UA football begins winning at least half of its games on a regular basis, we can begin the OSU comparison. It’s a “business” in Columbus, it’s a little-watched sidebar in Akron.
July 19th, 2007 at 12:59 pm
Looks like a very nice stadium. Not sure what on earth Rob is talking about with the Camden Yards of College Football, because the two don’t compare whatsoever. Kind of reminds me of Miami’s Yager Stadium and Youngstown State’s Stambaugh Stadium.
Will this be tops in the MAC, we shall see, but I think people should just be happy with getting rid of the Rubber Bowl. Perhaps now we will get some larger crowds in here and stop having smaller crowds than that I-AA school down 76; who thinks they are better than us.
In the end, it all comes down to a winning team. If we have a winner in here, we can sell out many of the games, but if we continue the mediocrity which we have seen since we moved up to I-A; don’t expect to see that place being filled each and every week. Let’s just average more than that I-AA down the road so we can stop hearing it from them. Yes they have a nice stadium, but this one is far nicer!
July 19th, 2007 at 1:19 pm
Thrilled, especially since I can actually see the house I live in on Spicer in the rendering. If I’m still in school (hopefully not) I will live right across the street from all of those gorgeous dorms that look quite a bit like the new Exchange Street Complex. Between the thousands of students that could live on campus, and the beautiful stadium and let us not forget academics, this is a fantastic thing for the university as a whole…. even if Manny’s meets eminent domain, it is worth it, because a football stadium and that entire complex adds so much to the community.
And Manny’s can always move across the street into another building, maybe even a new one.
July 19th, 2007 at 1:25 pm
Looks very impressive. I’m looking forward to this getting built and I believe attendance will improve being on-campus and good product on the field.
July 19th, 2007 at 1:33 pm
Nick: That’s right athletics is a business at the State University of Ohio, that’s why all our money is poured into there. And that is why all of their players have enough money from their summer landscaping jobs to buy iPhones and bling.
I pull for the bucks, I really do. I have a ton of friends that our non-OSU fans. But I am sick of Ohio State being the only show in this state. Smaller states than us have up to 4 BCS schools. We have OSU and Cinci.
I want my own team, I want the Zips!
July 19th, 2007 at 1:34 pm
Get out of my head Rasor. That’s exactly what I thought. Beautiful!
July 19th, 2007 at 1:39 pm
Nick - go back to sleep.
July 19th, 2007 at 1:57 pm
I’d be happy to admit an error in any statement I made. No one has pointed one out, though. UA football HAS been a “who cares?” option for this Div.-1A college and town, has it not? Zips usually DO finish below .500, do they not? What’s the beef in speaking the truth?
July 19th, 2007 at 2:01 pm
Looks great, wonder why no endzone seats though. Maybe they just don’t show up in the picture, will miss the BOWL but its time is past and time to move on..
July 19th, 2007 at 2:23 pm
You are due for some seroius accolades, Mike. I thought for sure that the U would stall until the announcement could be made. I think this (putting out a rendering early) works out better for them. It generates buzz that otherwise wouldn’t be there. It does look nice. My onlt question is: where do we tailgate?
July 19th, 2007 at 3:00 pm
The rendering looks great. They captured every detail of how it will look on game days — empty.
July 19th, 2007 at 3:07 pm
One more thing I noticed was that there is no parking anywhere near the stadium. Think about it, how are you going to get 25,000 fans on a campus with less than 10,000 parking spaces. Do you really think people are going to park at Polsky’s and the new lots at Quaker Square and walk to the games?
July 19th, 2007 at 3:16 pm
That’s a fair assessment, Swanny. There are two parking decks within a 5-iron of the stadium (if you count concrete bounces), but many of the other 10,000 spots aren’t that close. I’m sure UA and the design firm has considered it.
I’ll have more on the stadium tonight or tomorrow.
July 19th, 2007 at 3:27 pm
Hopefully, like what Bridget said, Manny’s Pub could be close by so people can tailgate near the stadium or just drink at the bar before and after
July 19th, 2007 at 3:27 pm
Nick-You are wrong. You claim the Zips usually finish under .500 yet 5 of the last 8 years the team has a winning record. You suggest moving the games to the indoor facility. It holds 1,500 people-Have you ever been to a game? You claim “who cares”. The Zips have a message board with numerous fans that care alot. You must care to some degree or you would not have check out this blog or bothered to reply. Nick, are you going to admit to your errors or give some lame justification?
Mike, the rendering is great! Can’t wait for this project to be completed!
July 19th, 2007 at 3:39 pm
Hi Brian,
Good to hear from you. How’s Virginia?
July 19th, 2007 at 3:47 pm
Many of the Nation’s Major schools have stadiums and parking is not right next too it. Ga-Tech has 52,000 Capacity and trust you wont find that many spaces that close to their stadium. Try going to game in Happy Valley, PA at penn St. Do you really think they have 110,000 spaces for football right there? But, the stadiums are filled on gamedays. Keep in mind students who live on campus or nearby will not have need for gameday parking. AU had made the 15,000 per game home attendance the past two years at a rundown Rubber Bowl over 5 miles from campus. If, the team continues to produce on the field (5 out of the last 8 seasons a winning PCT) with campus facility. IMO, the fans will be there. There was time Lville didn’t draw jack (middle 1970’s) and now they’re making plans to expand their stadium to 68,000 to meet need. Never underestimate what new on-campus facilities and winning product on the field can do for school.
July 19th, 2007 at 3:50 pm
Nick, you may mention some truths, but the thing is we are trying to celebrate a stadium that has been LONG NEEDED by UA and it’s city!
A BIG reason why students/faculty/staff/community don’t come to games now (and remember, the records have been BETTER) is because of the location and shoddy condition of the Rubber Bowl.
July 19th, 2007 at 4:14 pm
Wow. This looks great. Proenza and company do things the right way.
July 19th, 2007 at 4:38 pm
This rendering is very impressive, but it looks like the surrounding buildings are all dorms (like the new Exchange/Grant street dorm). Maybe the commuters can get dropped off by their mommy/daddy or carpool… just like in HS. Then there isn’t a need for parking decks, bars, nor restaurants.
Ideally this would be great for the students and the rest of the community if the stadium is there, and they can convert one of the buildings into a parking deck, the other a dorm, and then theres enough space to let the other businesses rennovate and improve the area, providing: living, food, & entertainment - ultimately making the City of Akron and The University of Akron a better place to be.
July 19th, 2007 at 5:22 pm
We need to celebrate this for Akron U and the City of Akron. I played at the Rubber Bowl back in the 1970’s and the locker rooms were big joke. I hate to think of what they look like today. Lighting was poor the last ESPN game I saw from the Rubber bowl and I know that one section in the endzone that buckled over 20 years ago was never property fixed. The place is falling apart and has been for years. You have 67 year old stadium 5 miles from campus that sorely in need of the estimated 60 million to renovate it. The Zips could own the MAC for 5 years and would have issues drawing fans to the bowl. I believe this is great for Akron and I couldn’t be happier for UA.
July 19th, 2007 at 6:44 pm
where’s the parking ?
July 19th, 2007 at 8:07 pm
My, aren’t we all sounding so IVY League today!
You’d think we really had a serious school on our hands, but DARING to compare it to Penn State for ANY reason is almost treasonous. (I’m not even a Penn Sate fan!)
Penn State has a HUGE, legendary following. They never needed to invent or re-invent themselves as they went along. All this premeditated, “Hail Fellow, well met” local stuff is the epitome of rank amatuer.
People park half a mile away to see a LEGENDARY school like Penn State play; you can’t create momentum out of thin air, Pal, or a parking lot.
July 19th, 2007 at 9:12 pm
West Sider I used Penn ST as example of big time schools who don’t have parking right at the stadium. I could name a couple of dozen or so that don’t have parking right at the stadium. Penn St you could be walking well over a couple miles depending on when you get to the stadium. I know as I went to home games there for over 8 years before they got the 110,000 seats today. My point is most major schools regardless of the following don’t have much parking right at the stadium and come game day many fans are parked all over campus.
July 19th, 2007 at 10:08 pm
Who cares about Manny’s? Pints will still be open and will be directly across the street from the stadium. It is the perfect place for a coldie and a sandwich before the game.
July 19th, 2007 at 10:26 pm
Who cares about Manny’s? Rasor probably does…
July 19th, 2007 at 10:50 pm
Ooooh. Dan the funny man.
Comedy, huh? Is that what you do now? Are you a comedian? I prefer Black Machismo for my laughs. EAD.
JK. Keep chugging at NewEraScouting.com. Almost there!
July 19th, 2007 at 10:56 pm
We need to all step back and look at things in the big picture. This team has never produced that great of a product on the field with the exception of the bowl team a few years back. Our season ticket numbers are 50% that of Youngstown State in the I-AA; and a measly 20% of that at the I-AA University of Montana.
Those programs have that many number of season ticket holders and that many people at the games because they win: not because they have the top 2 nicest facilities in the I-AA.
Will we sell more tickets at the games at the new stadium; most certainley; but remember this city has well over 200,000 people at it, and we can’t get 10% of them to a game; while down the road in Crapstown, I mean Youngstown, they get 18-20k to a game in a city of 80,000……. You can throw out the competition with the Indians and Aeros too, the Aeros are done September 5th or so this year and don’t play on a date of an Aero’s home game, and I don’t think more than 1-2 home games are on the same date as when the Tribe Plays.
If we can win, which is going to be a longshot in my book, we will see big crowds; but you guys are looking pretty dumb for dreaming like you all are about a damn dome and major expansion of this place and parking for 25,000 people; when in reality that is just about 15,000 cars—ever here of carpool?
July 19th, 2007 at 11:28 pm
John speaketh the truth. Akron has some of the most apathetic residents in the state, at least when it comes to their major college. Sure, some jumped on the bandwagon two years ago, but that was like some sort of “miracle” that put us in that bowl game. Still, the stadium should produce the initial spike, as Jacobs Field did. And if the wins are there, and the stadium becomes “the place to be,” maybe some momentum will be sustained. Let’s have some faith in our new AD, Mack Rhoades, who seems like a down-to-earth go-getter. He turned things around in Texas, and he was brought here for the same purpose. Go Zips.
July 19th, 2007 at 11:29 pm
Let’s get off the parking issue. Just take a visit to most major colleges and they don’t come with parking spaces for 70,000, 80000, 90000 or 100000 people. First, your students are on on-campus already. There’s plenty of nearby parking no further then you’d be parking if you attended a game at most of the major schools in the Nation. Go to an Ohio St game and arrive three hours before kickoff and see how close you get. I’d love for all the parking complaining people here to come down here to Georgia and try going to UGA or GA-Tech game and see where you’ll be parking and tailgating. That’s the norm in college football at most campuses as stadiums are not built with spaces to match the attendance and fans find a way to pack the places and tailgate. At Penn St I’d rather park my brother dorm (which we did) and walk to the stadium as the traffic is so horrid at the end of games for the close lots. You’d be sitting for long periods leaving anyway. Tennessee is on the river in the part of campus that has limited parking close. Another 100,000 plus seater where spaces are premium real close.
July 20th, 2007 at 12:43 am
Another fact we may be overlooking is that Y-town has 3 local TV stations which create a community feel and buzz for the local teams. Akron, on the other hand, has to rely on Cleveland’s news stations for publicity. And there aren’t enough minutes in a TV sports segment to talk about the Bowns, the Buckeyes, all of the high school teams, AND the Zips. It’s all about community, and Akron has no community identity.
July 20th, 2007 at 1:04 am
Parking is for people to tailgate and convienently leave their cars overnight so they can hit up the nearby bars and restaurants that won’t exist. So you’re prob right - theres no need for parking. Lets build a bunch of new dorms where the majority of U of A students live off campus anyways.
At any rate - the stadium is awesome and I’m sure one day after they realize they need places for students to eat and drink it will bring a lot of business to The City of Akron.
July 20th, 2007 at 2:43 am
I agree with AULI, although the UAkron Love it means botching the university’s name. The private sector has to follow up and build around this stadium just as all those businesses profitted off of Canal Park.
July 20th, 2007 at 3:28 am
It’s the private sector’s job to make sure there’s watering holes. UA has no responsibility there. If no one takes advantage of the new stadium, I’ll drop out of law school to cash in.
July 20th, 2007 at 6:52 am
John - Have you ever been to Missoula, Montana? You’re either there to enjoy BEAUTIFUL Big Sky country or you’re going to school. There isn’t much else to do. Yes, they do win but U of M is IT. ZERO pro sports and hours of driving to find another decent college game. By the way, Grizzly Stadium in Missoula started small to match existing need and has been expanded over the years to keep up with demand (http://www.umt.edu/athletics/wgs_index.htm). It appears that the U of A has come up with a nice stadium to replace the Rubber Bowl with room for growth if necessary. I think the rendering looks terrific!
July 20th, 2007 at 8:35 am
I agree with Tom on this one. I too think the stadium looks beautiful but I will be somewhat disappointed if there isn’t any end zone seating on at least one end of the field. To me a stadium with seating only along the two sidelines is more like a glorified high school stadium than one for a college that hopes to become more of a player on the national scene.
Looking at this rendering, I’d like to see there be continuous seating from both sidelines all the way around the south end zone. If that makes the stadium too large in terms of capacity then they could lessen the height of the upper decks on either sideline.
Still looks like a great place to watch a game either way.
July 20th, 2007 at 8:51 am
I am a UA alum. I have gone to the Rubber Bowl for football games, but it was always inconvenient to get there. I wished for a closer stadium, and now we are getting it. I will for sure go to many more games when this is built. This is a great thing for Akron. Just think of the money that people will spend in the neighboring restaurants and bars - we may even have to wait for a table! Wow - who would have thought that would happen in downtown Akron…..GO ZIPS!
July 20th, 2007 at 9:10 am
I think a downtown stadium would be great fo the city and AU!
July 20th, 2007 at 9:30 am
WOW!!! Can’t wait until the ZIPs are back on campus in this beautiful facility. John Heisman would be proud. Kudos to President Proenza and the UA athletic dept. Would like to see the Akron city series play double headers here every Friday night and on Saturdays when the Zips are on the road. GO ZIPS!!!
July 20th, 2007 at 10:14 am
Great rendering. Where’s the tunnel for the team to come out of and storm the field? There was talk of a tunnel across from the field house so the Zips could walk across the street from the locker rooms and blast through the tunnel.
July 20th, 2007 at 10:22 am
Looks great. Will be great. Great for the university, the area, and the city of akron. Can’t wait.
July 20th, 2007 at 10:48 am
Super rendering….it’s obvious that you can close either end of the stadium at a later date when the attendance warrants it….I agree that the parking is an issue but have you ever gone to a Miami Hurricanes game in the Orange Bowl…..there are about 5000 spaces around the stadium in a highly populated area…..I park in a Cuban man’s yard for $20 and I tailgate there with him every game….alot of the same people are there each week….think of what that does for the housing areas off campus at Akron and the students who live there can make beer money….dedicated football fans will find a way to park and have fun at the game….can’t wait till 2009 as it will be my son’s senior season…thanks Mike for your hard work getting the facts….
July 20th, 2007 at 11:13 am
Well it’s official. about 90% percent of the people on this blog are idiots. “oh boo-hoo we never win and nobody goes so why build a stadium boo-hoo” Well for those of you who have never had anything to do with Akron except the mis-fortune of having to go to second rate Akron U listen up. This stadium is what the city has needed since long before I went there (in the 80’s). It will boost downtown, it will give the Akron high schools somewhere decent to play, it will give me a reason to go to games (win or lose) cause I can darn near walk to the stadium and it’s not a hell-hole like the blubber bowl. how about concerts at the new stadium like there used to be at the rubber bowl?? The advantages are obvious and to those who think the only reason to build a new stadium is if you have a dynasty football team, get out of Akron. We don’t need you here. We need this city to be respectable. We’ve lived for decades as a laughing stock and we are now getting out of it. If you’re threatened by that, leave.
July 20th, 2007 at 11:27 am
Attendance: The Bowl kept people away. This new stadium will put people in the seats. The days of sparse attendance are over.
Performance: A nice stadium with a real crowd of spectators will help recruiting, which will help performance, which will help attendance. . .
Broader Impact: A stadium like this right on campus will attract students to campus who might otherwise go to a different school. Having students living so close to downtown and games so close to downtown on the weekend can’t help but enliven the city. It’s hard to estimate, but I’m sure it will have an extremely noticable, positive impact on our downtown.
Conclusion: Hurray!
July 20th, 2007 at 11:52 am
This project better end up being carbon-neutral at worst! Sounds to me that the carbon footprint generated by this thing is going to be WAY bigger than the one generated by current activity in and around the Rubber Bowl on game day. All of those additional evil tailgaters pumping out CO2 from their gas/charcoal grills better not result in a carbon tax being added to my season ticket package! Go Zips!
July 20th, 2007 at 12:44 pm
It wasn’t the bowl, but a horrible coach (Faust) who proved he couldn’t win beyond a high school level and he only won because he recruited from 6 states. When Jim Dennison was coaching, the rubber bowl was packed for the Acme Zip Game and we always had a winning season. The appeal of a new stadium will draw crowds at first, but you have to have a winning team to keep them coming. Hopefully they will enclose both ends, because the winds get pretty nasty in that part of campus durign the winter. Bottom line is Akron is not a football school like the overrated football team with a school in Columbus. I hope it works well for AU.
July 20th, 2007 at 12:51 pm
Get out of the 70’s Craig, it’s UA, not AU. Get with it.
July 20th, 2007 at 1:05 pm
[…] an early peek go to Mike Rasor’s UA blog on […]
July 20th, 2007 at 2:31 pm
Has any one though of what’s going to happen to historic Joe’s Sun Bar? I guarentee I spent more time in there than in class in my years at Akron U. I’m glad to see this project moving forward. I never went to a single football game because I hated the trip to the rubber bowl.
July 20th, 2007 at 2:32 pm
Give this place a year…. After YEAR 1 of this stadium, we will have big crowds, but let’s see how bad they get after that. You guys continue to bring up the campus and thousands of more people: THEY AREN’T GOING TO COME IF THEY AREN’T WINNING!
I am a Zip fan, and have been for a long long time, but you guys are all jumping for joy for a new stadium and expect it to be packed and want to add 5000 more seats to make it a bowl? WHY!!!!!!!!!! They are going to be empty every darn week.
20,000; if we can’t manage that in Year 2, then their is NO HOPE! We will always be a 2nd rate program as the I-AA down the road continues to succeed and pile on the success they have had for so long in the I-AA Ranks. I kind of wish we were in the I-AA because we could maybe field a winning team and get some bigger crowds by playing Youngstown in the new place!
July 20th, 2007 at 3:34 pm
Lovely stadium, but where is the parking for the thousands of fans? Is there a parking deck hidden in one of those residence halls?
July 20th, 2007 at 4:25 pm
I hope im still here to see it ….
July 20th, 2007 at 5:43 pm
I can’t believe some of the negativity on here. Please people stop the loser mentality and cheer the hell up. The stadium is a great great thing for the college and city. I’ll be at the games with my friends and family and you idiots can complain on the internet for the rest of your lives. I don’t care about you guys.
July 20th, 2007 at 7:07 pm
I too cannot understand all the negativity. This is a win win situation for all parties involved. First of all, given that the zips have been relatively competitive in the MAC with the WORST facilities is nothing short of a miracle. I can only imagine our potential with recruiting with the best gameday and practice facilities in the conference. Second of all, we will see an instantaneous spike in attendance, and I think the stadium will have that great intimate atmosphere that is at Canal Park. Not to mention all of the positives it does for the surrounding community this is a tremendous get for Akron.
July 20th, 2007 at 7:31 pm
I’m not being negative, I’m being a realist. I am ecstatic about that beautiful stadium they are going to put up, but you guys act like this will put us on the same level as Penn State and the Big East and those types of programs: IT WON’T! It will seat 27,500 and all those seats won’t be filled come year 2 because people will stop coming if we ARE NOT WINNING.
Winning teams bring in the fans: BOTTOM LINE! My family lives in Youngstown and I have to hear it from them about YSU and how well they are doing and how many people go to the games and how their 32 loges are sold out every year, and how thousands of people tailgate right near the stadium for 10 hours on gamedays! You think I want to hear that: NO! But they are right.
I went to the Youngstown St. v. James Madison game in Youngstown last year and I got to admit, it was an atmosphere we haven’t seen at Akron in decades! It was loud, packed all over the place, and the best thing was it was on ESPN2-HD.
It’s sad we are 2nd rate to YSU down the road, but we are what we are! And until this program win’s, that place will maybe be half full each and every week. You won’t get fans popping 10-15 bucks on tix for a loser.
July 20th, 2007 at 8:17 pm
Unless you’re less then 30 years old. There was time UA was rokcing as well. Try during the Dennison era back in the 1970’s. I know as I went to games all the time when I lived in Akron. The bowl would be filled for the annual Acme Zip games and average attendance was 15,000 per game unless they were playing Kent St or YSU and then attendance exceeded 20,000 for home games. You had 29,000 at the bowl just couple of years ago for game when the Zips beat Marshall. The team has had five winning seasons out of the last eight and are on the Div 1A minimum average 15,000 per game at a falling apart Rubber Bowl that’s five miles away from campus. The Zips continue to be competitive in the MAC and they’ll be filling the new stadium.
July 20th, 2007 at 8:49 pm
Win or lose, I think the stadium will be a great asset to the University and City of Akron. Just look at the brownies and Cleveland
Those games are awesome to go to because of the crazy fans and maybe some alcohol is involved. The only thing that is missing here are places to tailgate and nice bars and restaurants for people to walk to before and after the games.
July 20th, 2007 at 9:04 pm
P.S. Swanny - I care about Manny’s! That’s one of my favorite bars to go to because of the nice patio and their family is so nice. I’ve only been to Pint’s a couple times and never stayed longer than 10 minutes. Who wants to only have one bar around anyways?? Competition is the key to success and improving the market. At the rate Pint’s is only good for bad-mouthing other businesses. Maybe if they tried making their business better instead of ripping on the better establishments they might earn a bit more respect and make their place nicer.
July 20th, 2007 at 9:22 pm
Mike, nothing else you wrote about was this interesting? so people or fans do read your blog but most don’t care to respond I guess, you do a good job of reporting.The stadium is nice I like the fact that if you stay in one of those new dorms you can roll right out of bed on to the stands but as for the fair weather fans you are worse than the rubber bowl(: GO ZIPS
July 20th, 2007 at 9:28 pm
Red,
Recruiting updates aren’t necessarily the most fascinating tidbits. Alas, such is life as a college blogger in the summer.
July 20th, 2007 at 9:40 pm
That’s fine, but why is there any reason to believe that the zips cannot be competitive in the MAC with top facilities in the conference? This is the MAC people.
July 20th, 2007 at 10:13 pm
John,
Be sure to tell your therapist about the progress you have made; that is being able to admit your family lives in Youngstown. Now sack up and admit you attended YSU.
July 20th, 2007 at 10:48 pm
In 1970’s YSU played home games at Austintown Fitch HS and couldn’t sell that stadium out. Their current stadium when first built was one sided when it was built and it took a number of years before it starting selling out. Like when a guy named Tressell arrived. My point is saying what YSU is doing today is no different then UA during the the Dennison era. UA puts a winning product on the field, with the facilities they have today and fans will be there. The 29,000 plus at the Marshall game of couple of years ago more then drives that home.
July 21st, 2007 at 1:24 am
Nope ZipMeister, My final decision was down to Akron and Youngstown State, but I didn’t receive a scholarship from the Red and Black and decided to go with the Zips. The academics I received at UA were very much fine and helped me get to where I am today.
And I am happy to admit my family is from Youngstown; it is full of great tradition and has some AWESOME Italian food and family restaurants which nothing in Akron can beat!
July 21st, 2007 at 8:24 pm
As an Akron alum, I don’t see how anybody could be pessimistic about this project. It’s great for the university and great for the City of Akron. The adminstration deserves much kudos for this. They are doing it the right way. 27,000 is perfect in the beginning. As long as a competitive team is put on the field, which recent indications show there will be, the place will be packed early on. From there, it’s up to the coaching staff to put a championship team on the field .
Every program has to start from somewhere and this is the perfect start for UA. Yes, it will be a new start. It will be up to J.D. and company to build off the new stadium and put a team capable of competing for the MAC Championship year after year. If they can do that, down the road I can see the university “bowling” at least one side of the stadium and bringing it up to 35-40,000. It will take time, but people have to have patience with this. In my mind, there is no reason why the people of Northeast Ohio can’t have big-time college football in their backyard. This is the first step.
I, for one, plan on getting in line and ordering a pair of season tickets and making the 20 or so mile drive from Massillon once this is built. It’s something I haven’t done the past couple of years because, to be honest, I have not had any desire to spend multiple Saturday’s at the RB. I know other alums who feel the same way. It sounds sad, but with the RB, Akron would always be a second-rate D1 football program.
Not to rant, but I have a good relationship with Lee Owens and Tom Stacy. They have both adamently told me that The University of Akron is a sleeping giant in the MAC. The missing piece was a stadium. I know what they were up against during their tenure at Akron. I’ve talked to both at length about that topic.
Now, that this piece of the puzzle will be in place, it’s time for current students, alums and people of Akron to believe in their city and school.
Call me a homer, but I believe.
July 23rd, 2007 at 11:10 am
Kohl, you hit it on the head. I was a student at Akron for ~6 years. Went to a sum total of like 3 games, and most of my friends went to ZERO. Half of them did not know where the Rubber Bowl even was. I think having the stadium on-campus will be HUGE for attendance.
Btw I also agree with the person that said people in Akron are apathetic about things. I never really noticed it until I moved away, but it is true. Akron should be very proud of this stadium, it is a great thing!
July 26th, 2007 at 1:52 pm
I have been going to see the Zips play since the 1950’s. My dad would
take my brother and I to 4 or 5 games a season. After my dad passed away we continued our loyalty to the Zips and travled to see them play VT, Maryland, Ohio State and a number of other teams.
During that time I seen the attendance go up and down with jumps from one conference to another. It seems that the MAC is a good fit for a school that has no place to go but up.
So let’s forget all the negative comments and the comparisions to bigger or smaller programs by embracing the next page of what I hope will a center of pride for the university and the community!
July 26th, 2007 at 5:14 pm
OldZipfan, I am with you all the way. My father in law is an avid Zip fan too, last year went to see them play Penn State at Happy Valley. Has been to North Carolina also (I think). Anyway I think this will definitely generate some new fan interest. Will Akron replace the Buckeyes? No…but who cares? This is AKRON’s team. There is plenty of room for Zip fans, so let them come out and have a good time!
October 27th, 2007 at 4:10 pm
Business and Personal Finance…
I couldn’t understand some parts of this article, but it sounds interesting…
October 29th, 2007 at 2:44 pm
Business Ideas Forum…
I couldn’t understand some parts of this article, but it sounds interesting…
February 9th, 2008 at 2:11 pm
It looks very nice, but I am sorry to see that my familiar childhood haunt is no longer as I remember it.
My grandmother’s house on Spicer Street was destroyed to build a frat house. My first school, Spicer, is gone as is the house I lived in next door to it. My church, the Chapel at Brown & Vine is gone…
I am living in Scotland now and I see little left visit in Akron.
I guess that is the price of progress…