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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,'' Kent State Athletic Director Laing Kennedy said. ''It's something they have been talking about ever since I came to Kent 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 KSU: the baseball field, the softball field, the golf training center, the upgrades around his football stadium.
OK, we gave Kennedy his little commercial, and KSU 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 Akron
Let'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 donor
Kennedy 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. Kent 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. noweb
Terry Pluto can be reached at terrypluto2003@yahoo.com.
A friend was talking about his son, who soon will be going to college.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Kandi, SL
Posted 10:49 PM, 04/29/2009
This is an amazing article. Truly amazing!
