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By Kathy Antoniotti
Beacon Journal staff writer
POSTED: 01:26 p.m. EST, Nov 14, 2008
On the day when University of Akron football bowed out at the Rubber Bowl, the school's popular slogan made its debut in the nation's comic pages.
A character in Thursday's syndicated strip Crankshaft wore a T-shirt emblazoned with ''Fear the Roo.''
The timing was pure coincidence.
More than a year ago, Dave Osterland, associate vice president for community relations at the university, suggested to cartoon illustrator Chuck Ayers that he should feature the slogan in the strip.
''It certainly wouldn't hurt my career if you featured Akron in one,'' Osterland told Ayers, an Akron resident and a longtime friend.
But Osterland said today it was a huge coincidence that Mindy, the granddaughter of Crankshaft, the strip's title character, was shown wearing a UA shirt on the day of the last UA football game at the Rubber Bowl.
Ayers drew the strip about a year ago, Osterland said.
''Interestingly, I forgot about it,'' he said. ''I think Chuck forgot about it, too.''
UA Athletic Director Mack Rhoades said the strip, which runs in more than 600 newspapers across the country, including the Akron Beacon Journal, sent a very positive message to donors, who called to say they saw it. But so far, it's failed to garner additional money for the university's athletic program.
''I wish,'' he said. ''Perhaps if it had come out six or seven months ago, but unfortunately with today's economy, it didn't.''
Rhoades said ''Fear the Roo'' items are UA's top sellers in merchandise.
''It's been great for the university,'' he said of the popular slogan.
Ron Syroid, president of the Akron Press Club and a friend of Ayers and Osterland, said Ayers told him he jotted down Osterland's request on a piece of paper to remember to use the slogan.
''He'd look at it occasionally and never seemed to find the right one to use it in. It was like a miracle it appeared yesterday,'' Syroid said.
The ''Fear the Roo'' slogan, first used in 2004, was initially so popular that the university didn't feature merchandise with it on their Web site. The school couldn't keep the apparel in stock long enough to be able to sell it online.
Today, the site, http://www.akronzips.com , carries T-shirts and hooded sweatshirts with the logo. Prices run from about $18 for a T-shirt to $35 and up for sweatshirts, an employee at the Barnes & Noble bookstore on campus said.
Osterland said he didn't know if the fictional Crankshaft Mindy goes to UA.
''If Mindy isn't a University of Akron student, I certainly will work hard to get her here,'' he promised.
Kathy Antoniotti can be reached at 330-996-3565 or kantoniotti@thebeaconjournal.com.
On the day when University of Akron football bowed out at the Rubber Bowl, the school's popular slogan made its debut in the nation's comic pages.
A character in Thursday's syndicated strip Crankshaft wore a T-shirt emblazoned with ''Fear the Roo.''
The timing was pure coincidence.
More than a year ago, Dave Osterland, associate vice president for community relations at the university, suggested to cartoon illustrator Chuck Ayers that he should feature the slogan in the strip.
''It certainly wouldn't hurt my career if you featured Akron in one,'' Osterland told Ayers, an Akron resident and a longtime friend.
But Osterland said today it was a huge coincidence that Mindy, the granddaughter of Crankshaft, the strip's title character, was shown wearing a UA shirt on the day of the last UA football game at the Rubber Bowl.
Ayers drew the strip about a year ago, Osterland said.
''Interestingly, I forgot about it,'' he said. ''I think Chuck forgot about it, too.''
UA Athletic Director Mack Rhoades said the strip, which runs in more than 600 newspapers across the country, including the Akron Beacon Journal, sent a very positive message to donors, who called to say they saw it. But so far, it's failed to garner additional money for the university's athletic program.
''I wish,'' he said. ''Perhaps if it had come out six or seven months ago, but unfortunately with today's economy, it didn't.''
Rhoades said ''Fear the Roo'' items are UA's top sellers in merchandise.
''It's been great for the university,'' he said of the popular slogan.
Ron Syroid, president of the Akron Press Club and a friend of Ayers and Osterland, said Ayers told him he jotted down Osterland's request on a piece of paper to remember to use the slogan.
''He'd look at it occasionally and never seemed to find the right one to use it in. It was like a miracle it appeared yesterday,'' Syroid said.
The ''Fear the Roo'' slogan, first used in 2004, was initially so popular that the university didn't feature merchandise with it on their Web site. The school couldn't keep the apparel in stock long enough to be able to sell it online.
Today, the site, http://www.akronzips.com , carries T-shirts and hooded sweatshirts with the logo. Prices run from about $18 for a T-shirt to $35 and up for sweatshirts, an employee at the Barnes & Noble bookstore on campus said.
Osterland said he didn't know if the fictional Crankshaft Mindy goes to UA.
''If Mindy isn't a University of Akron student, I certainly will work hard to get her here,'' he promised.
Kathy Antoniotti can be reached at 330-996-3565 or kantoniotti@thebeaconjournal.com.
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