3rd in a series along my “Buckeye Trail”
For those in the know, of all the nicknames in intercollegiate athletics, one of the most unique, the “Zips”, belongs to the University of Akron. A campus-wide contest was held in 1927 to choose a nickname for the schools athletic teams. Student Margaret Hamlin suggested “Zippers”, which was the name of a popular rubber overshoe being sold by Akron’s B.F. Goodrich Co. This was shortened in 1950 to “Zips”. The University of Akron’s mascot is “Zippy” The Kangaroo. Zippy was chosen by the Student Council in 1953 to be the schools Mascot.
The University of Akron (UA) was founded in 1870 as Buchtel College near downtown Akron, by the Ohio Universalist Convention, which was strongly influenced by the efforts, energy and financial support of Akronites, particularly industrialist John R. Buchtel. In 1907 Buchtel College became a private, non-denominational school. In 1913, Buchtel College trustees transferred the institution and its assets to the city of Akron in 1913. For the next 50 years, the municipal University of Akron, assisted by city tax funds, brought college education within the reach of many more young people.
A long era of expansion followed World War II. Overseeing much of this growth was the University’s 10th president, Dr. Norman P. Auburn. Under Auburn’s leadership, the institution made the transition in 1967 from a municipal to a state university.
In 1988, the University established the world’s first College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering - now the largest academic program of its kind in the world.
The University of Akron is poised to become the public research university for Northern Ohio, comparable to what The Ohio State University has long been for Central Ohio and to what the University of Cincinnati has more recently become for Southern Ohio.
UA now offers 300 academic degree programs covering many areas from Education to Law to the Sciences.
The University of Akron recently completed the $300 million first phase of its New Landscape for Learning campus enhancement program. During the five-year project, nine new buildings were constructed, 14 major renovations were completed and 30 acres of green space were added to the 218-acre campus. April 2008 The University broke ground for the new on campus Sports Facility, InfoCision Stadium and Suma Field. This will be a state of the art facility that will provide for both team and spectator comfort.
The “FEAR THE ROO!” Campaign/slogan was the brainchild Mike Waddell Associate Director of Athletics in the fall of 2005 when the Women’s Cross Country, Men’s Soccer and Football Teams all won Mid-American Conference Championships. The Men’s Soccer team rode this wave of success to a number one ranking, which was a first ever for “any” team in the Mid-American Conference.
“Fear The Roo” first appeared on the back of a t-shirt give away at the Men’s Soccer game on October 28th 2005. By the end of the year “Fear The Roo” was every where and items bearing the slogan were flying off the shelf.
Now, on to the Cache;
Do you “Fear The Roo”? If not, then venture out into the park to discover Zippy’s hiding place. Ground Zero will only put you in the general area. Use your GeoSense! The cache is a medium large container with lots of room for swag, Travel Bugs and Geocoins.
Enjoy your hike into the cache, while exploring this seldom visited section of Newport News Park, no real bushwhacking will be required until your close. The trails through here are for the most part are dry. However there are a few sections that after heavy or prolonged rain can be wet.
Next up in this Series will be Brutus Buckeye.
A Big Congratulations to CacheBeagle on this, his First, First To Find.
This cache has been approved by and registered with
the Newport News Department of Parks, Recreation &
Tourism. Registration # 0157
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