SBNation.com - Terry Bowden Named Akron Football Coach All Of A Sudden

Terry Bowden Wanted For Arrest Due To Traffic Tickets

2012-01-03T23:55:49Z

New Akron Zips head coach Tommy Bowden did a little too much zipping in his car while head coach at the University of North Alabama when he was issued two speeding tickets that remain unpaid. As such, there are currently two warrants out for his arrest (via WHNT).

According to court documents, Bowden owes $537 in fines and failed to show up in court on both charges, which led to the suspension of his driver's license. Hopefully, he didn't drive to Ohio when he took the Akron job.

The son of Bobby Bowden has a 139–63–2 career coaching record, going 47–17–1 at Auburn and 29–10 at Division II North Alabama, where he's won a Gulf South Conference title and at least one playoff game in each of his three years. He also made the playoffs twice with Samford and won two West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships at Salem. We're digging deep here, folks.

For more on the Zips, visit MAC blog The Hustle Belt.

VIDEO: Terry Bowden Introduces Himself As New Akron Football Coach

2011-12-22T19:17:50Z

So, yep, the Akron Zips have hired North Alabama's Terry Bowden as their new head coach. You may recall him from his '90s work with the Auburn Tigers. Thursday afternoon, Bowden said hello to Akron via a video tweeted by the school mascot, which is all pretty cute.

For expert reaction, we'll turn to MAC blog Hustle Belt:

Color me a bit shocked on this hire. It really did come out of nowhere, but that'll happen when Wistrcill demands nobody speak to anybody, not even at the deli counter (I'm assuming). Heck, just yesterday those who are confirming the Bowden reports said that the job would be given to Temple OC Scot Loeffler. Things change quickly, I suppose.

....

But the Akron faithful - and at this point, faith is all they have - seem pretty happy with this hire. And I don't blame them. At this stage in the game, their own alumnus were turning down the job and I felt they were left with a "reach" hire. Bowden isn't a reach. He may have signed a one-year extension with UNA earlier this month, which is odd, but Akron can obviously throw more money at him.

For more on the Zips, visit MAC blog Hustle Belt.

Akron To Hire Terry Bowden As Head Coach, According To Reports

2011-12-22T15:16:19Z

It's now looking more likely that the Akron Zips will hire former Auburn Tigers coach Terry Bowden to take over their program, believe it or not. Credit FootballScoop.com with having the first link on Twitter, while the Canton Repository's Todd Porter reports that "key administrators from the university met with Bowden Wednesday near Cleveland Hopkins Airport and later offered him the job."

Bowden's telling his North Alabama players of the move Thursday, and that will be that, according to this report.

Look forward to confirmation from mascot Zippy shortly:

@FollowTheRoo Fans. Stay tuned for a major announcement coming soon! ...#tellyourfriends #gozips

The son of Bobby Bowden, he has a 139–63–2 career coaching record, going 47–17–1 at Auburn and 29–10 at Division II North Alabama, where he's won a Gulf South Conference title and at least one playoff game in each of his three years. He also made the playoffs twice with Samford and won two West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships at Salem. We're digging deep here, folks.

For more on the Zips, visit MAC blog Hustle Belt.

Terry Bowden To Akron Rumors Are A Thing We Must Now Confront

2011-12-22T15:02:58Z

You didn't wake up this morning expecting to contend with rumors of former Auburn Tigers coach Terry Bowden taking over the Akron Zips. None of us did. But thanks to one report flying around Twitter, we must now take a hard look at ourselves and what it means to be alive in the universe.

Here's where it all started:

@footballscoop We are being told Terry Bowden will be the new head coach at Akron.bit.ly/aMEurg

Bowden is presently running the North Alabama Lions, a Division II operation that functions as a safety net for SEC players who can't quite stick around at the top level. Like Florida Gators star cornerback Janoris Jenkins, a likely first-round NFL Draft pick, for instance.

He's the son of Bobby Bowden and the brother of various other Bowdens. You'd think he has no connections whatsoever with a small school in Ohio, but, yep, he spent a year as an Akron assistant in the 1980s.

For more on the Zips, visit MAC blog Hustle Belt.

Akron's Head Coach Announcement Is Obvious Ploy To Get Mascot Twitter Followers

2011-12-14T15:47:27Z

Announcing a new coach via Twitter makes sense for Akron as a follower-boosting ploy. After all, the Zips' Roo was named Mascot of the Year back in 2007. That's so long ago that Twitter was scarcely removed from its disemvowled version.

Akron Interested In UCLA Interim Coach Mike Johnson, According To Report

2011-12-13T22:35:49Z

UCLA interim coach Mike Johnson has been contacted about the head coaching position with the Akron Zips, according to ESPN.

Johnson is UCLA's offensive coordinator and is in charge of the team as it prepares for the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl where they will take on Illinois.

UCLA recently hired Jim L. Mora as its next head coach and it remains unclear if Johnson has a spot on his coaching staff.

Johnson played quarterback at Akron between 1988 and 1989. When asked about the position, he did not comment. He told reporters he was committed to staying at UCLA until after the bowl game, which takes place December 31.

Johnson has expressed interest in staying in Los Angeles on the UCLA staff:

"I love L.A.," Johnson said. "L.A. is a place I grew up and a place I've always called home and I like it here. I'm capable of doing the job if asked to do it. I'm very comfortable with that. I'm comfortable with Jim, I know who he is, I know the type of mentality he's going to bring."

For more on the Zips, visit MAC blog Hustle Belt.

Jim Tressel Denies Akron Coaching Rumors: 'No Validity'

2011-11-30T16:32:56Z

Jim Tressel has been in the news as of late in connection with the Akron Zips' head coaching position, but the current gameday consultant for the Indianapolis Colts apparently isn't interested in moving back to his alma mater. The former Ohio St. Buckeyes head coach talked about the rumors during an an interview on Tuesday.

"There's no validity to that," Tressel said on 610 WTVN while being interviewed by Bob Conners. "It's a wonderful place and I had four wonderful years there and they've done an extrodinary job with their campus and their athletic facilities, but there's no validity to that."

The main reason for the interview, though, was to get Tressel's thoughts on Urban Meyer being named as his successor to the head coaching position of the Buckeyes.

"When you go through some suffering like (Ohio State) went through this year and you have the right kind of players in the program, you're probably going to have some good things happen," Tressel said to Conners. "So (Meyer) will come in and do a good job. He knows how to coach the game."

Tressel also said he wasn't sure if he'd be returning to the Colts next season during the interview.

Akron Fires Rob Ianello As Head Coach

2011-11-27T22:59:17Z

Akron has fired coach Rob Ianello. Elton Alexander of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that Ianello and his entire staff were dismissed on Saturday, after Akron finished a 1-11 season in 2011 by falling to Central Michigan, 69-18, on Friday.

Ianello had compiled a 2-22 record over two years at Akron, and his Zips had been outscored 189-35 in November. His lone win over an FBS team in two years as the Zips' coach came over Buffalo in their 2010 finale; the Bulls were 2-10 in 2010.

The method in which Ianello was fired, however, may earn Akron athletic director Tom Wistrcill a fair bit of ire, too. As Alexander reported, Ianello was reached for comment on his firing on Saturday while en route to New York for his mother's funeral.

Ianello is due three more years of his $300,000 annual salary, though Wistrcill told reporters at a Saturday news conference that negotiations are ongoing. Wistrcill also told reporters that there will be a national search for Ianello's replacement.

For more on the Zips, visit MAC blog Hustle Belt.