TATTOO: Akron Zips vs Syracuse Orange

Welcome to this weeks Team Against Team: Trivia and Obscure Observations (TATTOO). Competing for the TATTOO are the Akron Zips and the Syracuse Orange. This weeks TATTOO is an Orange with a Zipper:

Born on Date
Akron: Founded 1870 vs SU: 1870
Ottos Edge: Push… Akron was founded as Buchtel College in 1870.
In 1913 ownership was transferred to the city of…

GPS (location)
Akron: Akron vs SU: Syracuse
Ottos Edge: Akron… which has a larger population (208k vs 139K)

City aka
Akron: Rubber City vs SU: Salt City
Ottos Edge: Akron… they are the Rubber Capital of the World.
Major tire companies were headquartered there, including BF Goodrich and Goodyear.

Speaking of Goodyear…
Transportation fame
Akron: site of first Zeppelin built in the US vs SU: Erie Canal used to run through
Ottos Edge: Akron… Goodyear abandoned their Zeppelin production and went into Blimps. 

Remaining on vehicles…
City hosts
Akron: The Soap Box Derby World Championships vs SU: The Great NY State Fair 
Ottos Edge: SU… they don’t call it great for nuttin

Akron also hosts...
Hamburger History

Akron: The National Hamburger Festival vs SU: Hamburg, NY
Ottos Edge: Push… we are all winners thanks to the creation of the Hamburger. 

According to legend the Hamburger was created in 1885 at the Erie County Fair.
Brothers Frank and Charles Menches ran out of sausage patties and
their supplier didn’t want to butcher more hogs in the heat.
He suggested beef instead and the brothers added ingredients (coffee, brown sugar) to add more taste.
They named it the Hamburg Sandwich, after the fairs location.

Sticking with burgers…
Let's put the women and children to bed and go lookin' for dinner! (Eatery)
Akron: Menches Brothers Restaurants (where you can still get the original burger recipe) vs  SU: Dino BBQ
Ottos Edge: SU… that burger sounds gross. While Ribs are hmmm good. 

Even more so with a side of…

Created in the city
Akron: Alcoholics Anonymous vs SU: Salt Potatoes
Ottos Edge: SU… man I am starting to get hungry

Finishing our food…
City Redevelopment 
Akron: Quaker Square vs SU: Connective Corridor 
Ottos Edge: Akron… Quaker Square used to be an old Quaker Oats factory.
In the early 70s it was converted into a mall and the silos became a round hotel (like the Renaissance in Syracuse).
Recently Akron purchased the hotel as residence hall space.

They need that extra space to provide an…
Edumaction
Akron: Tier 4 (US News) vs SU Tier 1
Ottos Edge: SU… I used my SU education to deduct that Tier 1 is better

School best know for…
Akron: College of Polymer Science and Engineering vs SU: Newhouse
Ottos Edge: Akron… where would we be without plastic?

At the grocery store you get bags that are plastic or…
School Paper
Akron: The Buchtelite vs SU: DO
Ottos Edge: SU… their paper sounds like a religious cult 

Some consider FB to be a religion and has been practiced since…
1st year of FB
Akron: 1891 vs SU: 1889
Ottos Edge: SU… two years longer and more successful too.

Akron was DII until 1980 when they moved to 1AA. Then in 1987 they joined D1A.

All Time Wins
Akron: 477 vs SU: 670
Ottos Edge: SU… ok much more successful

And we play in a better…
Conference
Akron: MAC (joined in '92) vs SU: BE
Ottos Edge: SU… we found something worse than the BE

Success in the Conf is marked by…
Championships
Akron: 1 MAC vs SU: 4 BE and 1 National
Ottos Edge: SU… Akrons best season was in 1976 when they played in the Pioneer Bowl (DII Championship), losing to Montana St.

Conf Champ goes to…
Bowl Record
Akron: 0-1 vs SU: 12-9-1
Ottos Edge: SU… now it is getting ugly. Maybe we should look…

Head to Head
Akron: Zero Wins vs SU: Zero Wins
Ottos Edge: Push… this is the first meeting between the two

A team that you have played many times is often called a…
Rival
Akron: Kent St (28-20-2) vs SU: Still Looking
Ottos Edge: Akron... the two schools are only 10 miles apart. The teams play for the Wagon Wheel:

“The story goes that John R. Buchtel was searching for a site to start a new college in 1870
near what is now Kent State University when his wagon became stuck in the mud.
The horses pulled the wagon apart and one of the wheels ended up being buried.
Buchtel would eventually settle on a site in Akron for Buchtel College, which would eventually become
the University of Akron. In 1902, while digging for a pipeline in Kent, the wheel was discovered
and eventually came into the possession of Kent State dean of men Dr. Raymond Manchester.
It was he who suggested in 1945 that the wheel be used as a trophy for the winner
of the Kent State-Akron football game."

When the rivalry started Akron (11-0-1) won all the games.
Then Kent St (9-0) won big every year causing the series to be stopped in 1954.
It started up again in 1972 (a tie) and Akron (9-2) has dominated recently.
Also, Akron (Rubber) used to play Youngstown St (Steel) for the Steel Tire until the series ended in 1995 (14-19-2).  

It is important to beat your rival on your…
No one, and I mean no one, comes into our house and pushes us around (Home Field)
Akron: Rubber Bowl (31K built in 1940) vs SU: Dome
Ottos Edge: SU… the Rubber Bowl is set to be replaced by the new Summa Field at InfoCision Stadium.
However I doubt SU will play there as TGD is likely to buy out the game so he can schedule another Top 10 team.

The new stadium has a strange name just like their…
Team Name
Akron: Zips vs SU: Orange
Ottos Edge: SU… Zips is short for Zippers, rubber galoshes once made by the BF Goodrich Company.
The term Zipper was coined to market the shoes that made use of a new fastener (zipper). 

Don’t ask him to take his shoes off…
Seinfeld
Akron: Comedian George Wallace was Jerry’s best man vs SU: Jerry Stiller played Frank Costanza
Ottos Edge: SU… I bet Frank owned some Zips to combat his foot odor problem

While the team is named after a shoe, it is not the teams
Mascot
Akron: Zippy the Kangaroo vs SU: Otto the Orange
Ottos Edge: Akron… Zippy is the reigning Capital One Mascot of the Year.
Also Zippy is one of the few female college mascots. 

Speaking of females…
Well known Hottie
Akron: Heather Kozar (Akron native) vs SU: Vanessa Williams
Ottos Edge: Akron… she was a Barker Beauty. If she is good enough for Bob she is good enough for me. 

Kozar is married to Tim Couch, who was drafted ahead of…
NFL QB
Akron: Charlie Frye vs SU: McNabb
Ottos Edge: SU… no contest

Speaking of contests…
NFL DE
Akron: Jason Taylor vs SU: Freeney
Ottos Edge: SU… sorry but real FB players don’t go on dancing contest shows.
What ever happened to drinking the night before games and running around chasing women? Those were men. 

While we are talking about real men…
Great Catcher
Akron: Thurman Munson (born Akron) vs SU: Marvin Harrison
Ottos Edge: Akron… Munson grew up in Canton, where Harrison will one day enter the HoF.

Another former SU WR is…
SB Winning NY Giants
Akron: Chase Blackburn, Domenik Hixon vs SU: Tom Coughlin, David Tyree
Ottos Edge: SU… this may be my favorite category

Sticking with the SB and Giants
DB
Akron: Dwight Smith (a record 2 INT TDs for the Bucs in SB XXXVII against the Raiders) vs
SU: Carl Karilivacz (INT for Giants in 1958 Champ Game against Colts)
Ottos Edge: Akron… Smiths team won the game defeating Al Davis and Raiders.
While the Giants lost the “Greatest Game Ever Played” to Johnny U and the Colts. 

Remaining with defenders…
Bobby Boucher (best defender)
Akron: LB Kevin Grant vs SU: Art Jones
Ottos Edge: SU… too bad the rest of the D aint so good

Speaking of not so good…
BBall Success
Akron: in 2005 won 1st ever post season game (NIT) vs SU: Top National Program
Ottos Edge: Akron… they don’t know the pain of expecting to make the NCAAs and instead going to the NIT two straight seasons. 

Sticking with BBall…
Famous BBall HC
Akron: Bob Huggins (97-46 at Akron) vs SU: JB
Ottos Edge: SU… well if you were looking for a reason to hate Akron, here it is

JB coached both…
NBA Star
Akron: Lebron James (Akron native) vs SU: Melo
Ottos Edge: Akron… ESPN says Lebron is better and they know all

ESPN is full of (no not shit) SU grads and grads from…
Not these guys again
Akron: NWers Ara Parseghian and Tyrell Sutton (both Akron natives) vs SU: brought back GRob for a 4th season
Ottos Edge: Akron… they can be proud of their guys

Other HCs with an Akron connection…

Jim Tressel
Akron: former GA vs SU: former QB coach
Ottos Edge: Akron… he got his start there

Heisman
Akron: John Heisman (the Trophy guy) coached in 1893 vs SU: Ernie Davis won award
Ottos Edge: Akron… the award was named for him after all

Former HC
Akron: Gerry Faust (went to Akron after ND) vs SU: Coach Mac
Ottos Edge: SU… Faust was at Akron from 1986-94.

From 80s coaches to the category of the week…
I love the 80s (aka oh yeah I remember him)
Akron: LB Ed Grimsley 1983-86 (more famous brother John) vs SU: LB David Bavaro 1986-89 (more famous brother Mark)
Ottos Edge: SU… we could sure use both Bavaro right now

And the TATTOO goes to….

The Syracuse University Orange. SU will win its home opener over Akron in a hard fought battle. Enjoy it folks.