UA Sports News for August 1997
Press Releases are courtesy of the University of Akron Sports Information office.
August 18: WHLO 640-AM and WTIG 990-AM Will Air UA Football Again In '97; WAKC-TV Channel 23 to Carry Hi-lites
For the sixth straight year, Akron radio station WHLO 640-AM will be the flagship station for University of Akron football. Massillon station WTIG 990-AM has reached agreement for a third season to form the Zips' Football Radio Network.
WHLO's 5,000-watt daytime signal covers 66 of Ohio's 80 counties in addition to western Pennsylvania and into West Virginia.
Returning for his eighth season as the "Voice of the Zips" will be Steve French. He will be joined in the broadcast booth by Clint Scroggs, who last year served as UA's sideline reporter. The UA network is on the air 15 minutes before kickoff with the pre-game show, featuring Zip head coach Lee Owens.
Akron Zips' Monday Night Football
For 12 consecutive Monday nights, beginning September 1, Zip football fans will be able to see UA game highlights on WAKC-TV Channel 23 at 8 p.m.
The one-hour show, hosted by Joe Dunn, will feature head coach Lee Owens evaluating game highlights from the previous Saturday. Coach Owens also will preview the Zips' upcoming opponent.
The Nebraska game will be replayed twice: Sept. 1 and 8. The Miami game will be shown Sept. 15 with the final show Nov. 17 following Toledo.
Scrimmage Update
The Zips' defensive unit, third in the MAC a year ago, picked up where it left off last season when UA held its first scrimmage of '97 last Saturday at the Rubber Bowl. Junior Jerome Cargile (Cleveland/Chanel) raced 100 yards for a score with an interception for the day's long play. True freshman Rich Reliford (Bolingbrook, Ill.) also registered an interception and returned the ball inside the 10-yard line. Tailbacks Greg Lomax (Monongahela, Pa/Ringgold) and Bo Hunter (Wilmington, Del./Milford (Conn.) Academy) had TD runs. Sophomore defensive end Ron Smith (Reynoldsburg) strained a knee ligament, but should be ready for the Aug. 30 Nebraska opener. The Zips scrimmage again Thursday at 8 a.m. at the Bowl.
MAC Caravan
Mid-American Conference commissioner Jerry Ippoliti will be in Akron Aug. 25 for "Lunch With The Coach" at noon at the Martin University Center. Ippoliti will discuss the MAC's "New Era" with the league's championship football game slated for Dec. 5 in Huntington, W. Va., and the bowl tie-in with the Dec. 26 Ford Motor City Bowl in Pontiac, Mich. The commissioner is undertaking a tour of all 12 MAC
schools this fall.
Picture Day
The annual Picture Day is planned for this Saturday (Aug. 23) at 11:30 a.m. at the Rubber Bowl. Members of the media are invited to conduct coach and player interviews. All players and coaches are available for group and individual photos.
Fall Ball Blast
The Varsity "A" Association is sponsoring a meet-the-teams night for Zip volleyball and soccer this Wednesday, Aug. 20, beginning at 6:30 p.m. at Tadmor Temple Shrine. UA volleyball coach Mike Sweitzer and soccer coach Ken Lolla will discuss Zip fortunes for the 1997 athletic season. The meal will be picnic fare. Tickets are priced at $6 for adults and $3 for children and can be reserved and held at the door by calling Barbara Hlivko at (330) 796-5186 or Ray Mitchell at (330) 867-1020.
More Notes
Zip season tickets are priced at $36 (4 home games) and $18 for senior citizens and UA faculty and staff. For details contact the Zip Athletic Ticket Office at 1-888-99-AKRON or (330) 972-6920 ... 1997 Akron Football Media Guides are for sale at JAR Arena. Books are priced at $10 apiece. Checks should be made payable to University of Akron Athletics
and mailed to the Sports Information Office, 76 JAR Arena, Akron, Ohio 44325-5201.
Calendar Items
Wed. Aug. 20 Fall Ball Blast 6:30 p.m., Tadmor Shrine
Sat. Aug. 23 Picture Day 11:30 a.m., Rubber Bowl
Mon. Aug. 25
Lee Owens MAC teleconference 11 a.m.
(dial (913) 661-0896 or (800) 289-0437, when asked code is 361911)
Owens Press Conference 11:30 a.m., Alumni Center
(Alumni Center is across the street from Martin Univ. Center)
Lunch With The Coach Noon, Martin Center
Tom Osborne teleconference 12:50 p.m., Lincoln, Neb.
Phone number: (913) 661-9178
Thurs. Aug. 28 Varsity "A" Steak Out 5:30 p.m., Tadmor Shrine
Fri. Aug. 29 Depart for Nebraska 5:45 p.m. from Martin Center
Sat. Aug. 30 Kickoff at Nebraska 1:30 p.m. ET, Lincoln
University of Akron junior defensive back Jon Eaton (Wheelersburg) will miss at least the first week of preseason football camp with a severely sprained left ankle. A two-year starter and a member of the GTE District IV Academic Team, Eaton ranked fifth on the team in tackles last fall (65 total) and played a key role in UA's secondary being among the nation's top 25 units against the pass. Zip
head coach Lee Owens hasn't ruled out Eaton's availability for the season opener Aug. 30 at Nebraska.
Veteran players report to campus today for preseason drills and will begin workouts tomorrow morning at Camp Chof in Dalton.
Shoulder injures will sideline two UA gridders for the 1997 season. Sophomore wide receiver Derrick Woodruff (Orrville/Owatonna, Minn.) and
redshirt freshman defensive end Jason Wiggins (Columbus/St. Francis DeSales) expect to rehabilitate their injuries and return in '98.
Woodruff, who attended the Air Force Academy Prep School for one semester before transferring to UA, switched from quarterback to tight end last season and started the Kent game. He recently underwent shoulder surgery. Wiggins has been plagued by nerve problems in his right shoulder.
Lunch With The Coach Moved To Mondays
UA's popular "Lunch With The Coach" program has been switched to Mondays at noon at the Martin University Center, 105 Fir Hill Street. The first luncheon will be Aug. 25 when Zip head coach Lee Owens previews the '97 season and UA's opener against Nebraska in Lincoln. Tickets are priced at $7.50. Joe Dunn again will serve as emcee.
Three Zips In Big 33 Game
Three incoming UA Zips played in the 1997 Big 33 Pennsylvania-Ohio All-Star Game July 26 in Hershey, Pa. Offensive lineman Paul Ondrusek (Darlington, Pa./Blackhawk) and defensive lineman Mike Lukanski (McDonald, Pa./Fort Cherry) represented Pennsylvania. Offensive lineman Matt Kutscher (Mentor/Lake Catholic) lined up for Ohio, but will sit out this season with the Zips while gaining academic eligibility. The Pennsylvania stars won the annual battle, 21-20.
Varsity "A" Steak Out
The Varsity "A" Association will sponsor its annual meet-the-team Steak Out on Thursday, Aug. 28, at Tadmor Temple Shrine, beginning at 5:30. Tickets are priced at $15 each and are available through Varsity "A" officers or by contacting Bill Ellis at 330/376-5012.
Trip Raffle
Would you like to travel to Lincoln or to LSU's "Death Valley" with the Zip football team? The UA program is selling raffle tickets for a trip for two to either to the Aug. 30 Nebraska or the Sept. 27 LSU game. The winner receives overnight stay with the team, evening and pregame meals with the team and two game tickets. Raffle
tickets are priced at $5 each with the drawing Aug. 23 at the Rubber Bowl, prior to Picture Day. For further information contact the UA Football Office at (330) 972-7466.
Alumni Association Trips
The University of Akron Alumni Association is sponsoring trips to Nebraska and Louisiana State. The trip to Lincoln is priced at $365 per person and includes air fare, two nights lodging and game tickets. Cost for children 2-12, sharing a room with two adults, is
$249. The LSU trip is priced at $679 per person and includes air fare, three nights lodging and game tickets. Cost for children is $415. For further information, contact the Alumni Association at (330) 972-7270.
Zip Notes
Redshirt freshman Nevara Smith (Detroit, Mich./Cass Tech) has
been moved from defensive back to wide receiver. Smith has clocked at 4.38 in the 40-yard dash ... Three 1996 lettermen have left the UA football program. Sophomore wide receiver Jeff Sine (Akron/Walsh Jesuit), sophomore fullback Matt White (Vermilion) and junior linebacker Andy Wilson (Massillon/Perry) saw limited action for the Zips last fall ... Zip season tickets are priced at $36 (4 home games) and $18 for senior citizens and UA faculty and staff. For details contact the Zip Athletic Ticket Office at 1-888-99-AKRON or (330) 972-6920 ... 1997 Akron Football Media Guides are for sale at JAR Arena. Books are priced at $10 apiece. Checks should be made payable to University of Akron Athletics and mailed to the attention of the Sports Information Office, 76 JAR Arena, Akron, Ohio 44325-5201.
Calendar Items
Sat. Aug. 23 Picture Day 11:30 a.m., Rubber Bowl
Mon. Aug. 25 Owens MAC teleconference 11 a.m.
Owens Press Conference 11:30 a.m., Martin Center
Lunch With The Coach Noon, Martin Center
Thurs. Aug. 28 Varsity "A" Steak Out 5:30 p.m., Tadmor Shrine
Fri. Aug. 29 Depart for Nebraska 5:45 p.m. from Martin Center
Sat. Aug. 30 Kickoff at Nebraska 1:30 ET, Lincoln
University of Akron senior football star Nate Boyd is Street & Smith's 1997 Mid-American Conference preseason Defensive Player of the Year and a first-team All-MAC selection, according to The Sporting News.
The Zips' rambunctious middle linebacker heads the list of 44 returning lettermen (41 from last season) who'll report for August drills this Friday (Aug. 8). Newcomers and freshmen players report tomorrow. Third-year head coach Lee Owens will again gather his squad at Camp Chof in rural Dalton, Ohio. UA opens its '97 season Aug. 30 at Nebraska.
Joining Boyd on the TSN All-MAC team is junior free safety Andre McCray. The Akron Buchtel product racked up 109 tackles last fall and earned second-team All-MAC accolades from the league's coaches. Akron returns nine defensive starters from a unit which ranked third in the MAC and 26th nationally in total defense (317.4 yards per game average yield).
McCray also gained preseason All-MAC honors from the Football News, Lindy's and Bob Griese's College Football Preview. The Sporting News also listed Boyd among the nation's top Division I-A players "In The Shadows." The former East Liverpool High School standout logged a team-high 140
stops a year ago to rank third among MAC tacklers and was twice selected league Defensive Player of the Week. He was UA's Vern Smith Award nominee (MAC Player of the Year).
The Zips are in the East Division of the new Mid-American Conference format. Marshall and Northern Illinois have rejoined the league, bringing to 12 the number of schools in the 51-year-old all-sports conference. At the MAC Media Day on July 23 in Pontiac, Mich., the Zips were picked to finish in fifth place in the East, ahead of rival Kent. Akron won three of its final four games last fall to finish 4-7 and 3-5 in the MAC (tied for sixth).
The MAC will stage a Championship Game, pitting East and West champs, Dec. 5 in Huntington, W. Va. The winner will advance to face an at-large team in the first Ford Motor City Bowl, Dec. 26, at the Pontiac Silverdome.
Zip Notes
The Zips play just four home games in 1997, after adding the Nebraska road trip and losing the Youngstown State home game. Senior DE Corey Christian says four home games isn't so bad. He had only two his senior year at Pittsburgh Penn Hills High School, waiting for a new stadium to be completed. The Princeton Tigers this year play all 10 games on the road while their new stadium is being constructed. Akron home dates are Sept. 20 vs. Bowling Green (7 p.m., Acme-Zip game), Oct. 4 vs. Central Michigan (7 p.m.), Oct. 25 vs. Ohio (3:30 p.m., Homecoming) and Nov. 8 vs. Kent (3:30 p.m., 40th Wagon Wheel Game) ... Nebraska and Louisiana State were ranked sixth and 12th, respectively, in last season's final AP poll ... The Zips face four of the nation's top 20 returning backs. The group includes Kent's Astron Whatley (3,113 yards in 3 years), Central Michigan's Silas Massey (2,633 yards in 2 years), LSU's Kevin Faulk (2,134 yards in 2 years), and Nebraska's Ahman Green (2,003 yards in 2 years). It would have been five if Toledo's Wasean Tait had returned from a severe knee injury ... UA's Oct. 18 date at Eastern
Michigan is a non-conference game. The Zips play five games within the East Division (Bowling Green, Kent, Marshall, Miami, and Ohio) and three cross-over games with the West (Ball State, Central Michigan and Toledo). The Eastern game will not count in the league standings ... The Zips have been picked as high as third in the East by one preseason magazine (MSM) and as low as sixth by Preview Sports. Athlon preseason magazine ranked Akron eighth among the 12 MAC schools.
Calendar Items
Sat. Aug. 23 Picture Day 11:30 a.m., Rubber Bowl
Mon. Aug. 25 Owens MAC teleconference 10 or 11 a.m., TBD
Owens Press Conference 11:30 a.m., Martin Center
Lunch With The Coach Noon, Martin Center
Thurs. Aug. 28 Varsity "A" Steak Out 5:30 p.m., Tadmor Shrine
Fri. Aug. 29 Depart for Nebraska 5:45 p.m. from Martin Center
Sat. Aug. 30 Kickoff at Nebraska 1:30 ET, Lincoln