Akron Zips
| Akron Zips | |
|---|---|
 |
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| University | University of Akron |
| Conference | Mid-American Conference |
| NCAA | Division I (Bowl Subdivision) |
| Athletic director | Larry Williams |
| Location | Akron, Ohio |
| Varsity teams | 16 |
| 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 |
| Website | www |
The intercollegiate athletic teams at the University of Akron are known as the Zips. Teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level and in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) for college football. Since 1992, the Zips have been members of the Mid-American Conference. The Zips name is unique in college athletics and comes from "zippers", rubber overshoes made by the BF Goodrich Company 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 director Kenneth Cochrane officially shortened the nickname to Zips in 1950. The university's mascot is "Zippy", a kangaroo. Zippy is one of only a few female college mascots in the United States.
A member of the East Division of the Mid-American Conference (MAC), Akron sponsors teams in six men's, ten women's, and one coed NCAA sanctioned sports:
Akron's major football rivalry is with Kent State University, whom they play for the Wagon Wheel. They also formerly played Youngstown State University for the Steel Tire until that series was discontinued in 1995. In 2005, the Akron Zips football team won their very first MAC championship giving them a chance to play in the Motor City Bowl, Akron's first Division I-A bowl game appearance where they lost to the University of Memphis.
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