Akron Zips

Akron Zips
The University of Akron is an open enrollment regional institution of higher learning based in Akron, Ohio. Founded in 1870 as a small college affiliated with the Universalist Church, the university became a state institution in 1967. The University of Akron's athletic teams are referred as the Zips. The word Zips is derived from Zippers - overshoes that were nationally popular in the 1920s and 1930s.

A kangaroo, Zippy is the Universitys mascot which is one of only eight female college mascots in the United States. Zippy presently holds the title of Capital One National Mascot of the Year. The other mascots are Lulu the female bull dog for Gardner-Webb University, Udee the hen for the University of Delaware, Freida Falcon from Bowling Green State University, and Penny the Penguin for Youngstown State University.

Under head coach Keith Dambrot in 2005, the mens basketball team won its first ever Division I postseason game. The basketball zips defeated Temple University in the NIT. The team was led by first team All-MAC performer Romeo Travis, also winning the most games in a season, 23. The 2005 mens soccer team rose to prominence as the first team in UA history to hold a national No. 1 ranking in any sport. The then coach was Ken Lolla

The 2005-06 year happened to be the most successful in Akron Athletics history with a total of four Mid-American Conference Championships. Mack Rhoades was hired as athletic director in 2005. That year, the mens basketball team, won their first ever Division I post-season game by defeating Temple in the NIT. The football team won their very first MAC championship giving them an opportunity to play in the Motor City Bowl. That same year the women's cross country team and the men's soccer team were declared to be the MAC champions in their respective sports.

The Akron Zips Men's Basketball team represents the University of Akron and currently competes in the Mid-American Conference East division. The team last played in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament in 1986. The Zips would win their first MAC East division title in 1998. Following after 8 years in 2006, the Zips received an invitation to the NIT. They won their first-ever post season game at Temple University before falling in the second round.

In 2007, Keith Dambrot led Akron to the MAC Tournament Final for a second year in a row, yet the team fell for a second time. 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. In the same year, Akron Zips succeeded to make a mark by winning their second MAC East title and tied the school record for wins in a season in the Division I era with 26. The team also gave their first-ever appearance in the MAC Tournament Championship game. But, they lost this energy-sapping game on a last-second shot 53-52 to the Miami RedHawks.