| Akron Zips | |
|---|---|
 | |
| University | University of Akron |
| Conference | Mid-American (primary) Big East (men's soccer) Great America Rifle Conference |
| NCAA | Division I (FBS) |
| Athletic director | Andrew T. Goodrich |
| Location | Akron, Ohio |
| Varsity teams | 17 |
| Football stadium | InfoCision Stadium-Summa Field |
| Arena | James A. Rhodes Arena |
| Mascot | Zippy the Kangaroo |
| Nickname | Zips |
| Fight song | Akron Blue & Gold |
| Colors | Blue and gold[1] |
| Website | gozips |
 | |
TheAkron Zips are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent theUniversity of Akron inAkron, Ohio, United States. The Zips compete in theNational Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at theDivision I level as a member of theMid-American Conference (MAC) East division.[2][3] Akron sponsors 17 varsity teams across six men's, 10 women's, and one coed NCAA sanctioned sports. The football team competes in theFootball Bowl Subdivision (FBS), the highest level of competition forcollege football.[4]
The Zips name comes from "zippers", rubber overshoes made by theBF Goodrich Company of Akron that were popular in the 1920s and 1930s.
In 1925, a campus-wide contest had been conducted to choose a nickname for the university's athletic teams. Suggestions submitted by students, faculty, and alumni included Golden Blue Devils, Tip Toppers, Rubbernecks, Hillbillies, Kangaroos, and Cheveliers. The winner, freshman Margaret Hamlin, received a prize of $10 for "Zippers". Athletic directorKenneth Cochrane officially shortened the nickname toZips in 1950.
The university's mascot is "Zippy", a female kangaroo. Zippy is one of only eight female college mascots in the United States.[5]
| Men's sports | Women's sports |
|---|---|
| Baseball | Basketball |
| Basketball | Cross country |
| Football | Golf |
| Soccer | Lacrosse |
| Track and field† | Soccer |
| Softball | |
| Swimming & diving | |
| Track and field† | |
| Volleyball | |
| Co-ed sports | |
| Rifle | |
| † – Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor | |
Akron reinstated its varsity baseball program for the 2020 season (2019–20 school year) after having dropped the sport in 2015.
In 2006, the men's basketball team, under head coachKeith Dambrot, won its first everDivision I postseason game by defeatingTemple University in theNIT.[6] The team, led by first team All-MAC performerRomeo Travis (former teammate of NBA starLeBron James in high school), won the most games in a season, 23.
In 2008,Keith Dambrot led Akron to the MAC Tournament Final for a second year in a row, yet the team fell for a second time, this time to archrival Kent State.[7] The Zips advanced to the NIT for a second time in Dambrot's four years as head coach and won their first game at Florida State,[8] eventually falling in the Sweet 16 in a game at UMass.[9]
In 2009, the men's basketball team captured the MAC Tournament title, defeatingBuffalo inCleveland at theQuicken Loans Arena 65–53, thus qualifying Akron for its first appearance in the NCAA tournament since 1986 and first as a MAC member.[10]
In 2010, the team reached the MAC Tournament Championship game for the fourth straight year, but lost to Ohio 75–81 in overtime.[11] The Zips played in the postseason CBI tournament where they lost to Wisconsin–Green Bay 70–66.[12]
The men's basketball team advanced to theNCAA Division I men's basketball tournament in 2011 and 2013 as well.
The women's basketball team went to their first NCAA Tournament in 2014 after winning the MAC title. They made the WNIT in 1999, 2013, and 2015 and the WBI in 2015.
Akron's major football rivalry is withKent State University, whom they play for theWagon Wheel. They also formerly playedYoungstown State University for theSteel Tire until that series was discontinued in 1995. In 2005, the Akron Zipsfootball team won their very firstMAC championship giving them a chance to play in theMotor City Bowl, Akron's firstDivision I-Abowl game appearance where they lost to theUniversity of Memphis.
The rifle team went to their first NCAA Championship in the 2019/2020 season after placing 4th in the national standings. The 2020 NCAA Rifle Championship was cancelled after the practice day to Covid. Akron competes as a single-sport member of theGreat America Rifle Conference (GARC) after leaving theMid-Atlantic Rifle Conference (MAC) in 2016. in 2017, Rifle was the first sport that Akron hosted an NCAA National Championship competition and in 2023 hosted Akron's 2nd ever NCAA National Championship competition.
The Akron Zips men's soccer team, ranked number one throughout the 2009 regular season, went undefeated, making it to theNCAA Men's Division I Soccer Championship, but lost in penalty kicks to theVirginia Cavaliers.
On December 12, 2010, Akron won the NCAA Division I national championship in men's soccer by defeating the Louisville Cardinals, 1–0. This was the first NCAA team championship for the school in any sport. The Zips play their home games atFirstEnergy Stadium-Cub Cadet Field.
Following the 2012 campaign, head coachCaleb Porter left the Zips to take the head coaching of thePortland Timbers ofMajor League Soccer. The Zips have remained a national power under coachJared Embick, winning the MAC season and tournament championships in each of his first four seasons.
The Akron Zips Men's Soccer program made their way to another NCAA College Cup in 2018 but fell 1–0 to the Maryland Terrapins in the final.
Akron joined theBig East Conference for men's soccer after the 2022–23 school year.[13]
In 2005, the women's cross country team, women's indoor track and the men's soccer team also won the MAC championship in their respective sports, making the 2005–06 year the most successful in Akron athletics history with a total of four Mid-American Conference championships in the same year.
The 2005 men's soccer team was the first team in UA history to hold a national no. 1 ranking in any sport, and was coached by Ken Lolla, now the head coach at the University of Louisville.
The 1978 men's archery team, led by 3-time national individual college champion Richard Bednar and hall-of-fame coach Bill Bednar, was the first team in UA history to win a national collegiate team championship.[14]
The University of Akron has produced five individual national champions, including 4 NCAA national champions:[15]
The newest Zips varsity sport is women's lacrosse, which played its first season in the spring of 2020 as a single-sport member of theASUN Conference.
