HEY AKRON

Looks like a kangaroo. We'll see your Zips after we beat Navy.

Go Cards !    Thats a Fighting Cardinal from Ball State !

Better check again ..... Best offense in the MAC returning with the most prolific passing QB. Depth on defense spells 9 to 10 win season with another Bowl Appearance for the Cardinals.

You talk it...  bring it. We will walk it.

See you fools in the post season ...or.... not !  For You. Rubber Bowl blowout coming to AKRON.  Write this name down "Nate Davis"  yea.. say it slow and then watch the show !!

Go Cards !!

What a horrible attempt at making Ball State look good.

Go Falcs !!

Yea real nice work down at the GMAC bowl against Tulsa . Hows that for some dynamite up your Falcons. BA - BOOM !!!!!

You'll have enough trouble with Temple, Buffalo and Miami Oh. Doubt if you'll be bowling soon Ziggy ! Not to mention the ZIPS.

Just lean on Ball State for your MAC representative this season. We dont mind. Looks like a 10 win season for Nate the great and his offensive wizards !!

In response to the question.  The nickname zips derives from a time when the University's mascot was the zippers in honor of a zipper making company in akron.  It was later shortened to the zips, and the kangaroo was added later to put a face to the mascot.

Zippy, the mascot and the kangaroo that can be seen in the athletic logo is the visual represntation of this imbodiment of the zips. 

But the short answer would be that a zip is a nonsensical reflection to the days when akron was a boom town with hundreds of small business focused on one product (in this case the zipper).  It is nonsensical, but in no way is that a bad thing.  All school mascots are a bit of nonsense.  At least ours is unique.

Hey: GREAT job with Rutgers.

Hey: Ray Rice

Umm Ball State is suck and you have nothing to be proud of. And you also play Temple, Buffalo, and Miami OH

Central and Eastern Michigan and BG are better then Ball State!

Ummm... you can go back to your adult learnig center and learn how to talk first Thames9. 

Second.... Ball State will ROLL and get to another Bowl game. The East is not nearly as as strong as the West with Central Mich, BAll State and Western Mich. Dont count  out Toledo either.

And No.. we dont play Temple or Buffalo idiot. The only East teams we play are Miami Oh and Akron.. two wins for us ! Eastern will get rocked by our offense and Central has it coming to them in their own joint. 9 wins is booked and on to the post season 4 SHO !!

Bowling Greeen has no O Line this season. Why do I have to tell you about your own team. You should try Flash Cards. Eeeeezz up on the afternoon cocktails at least until the season starts.

HHHHHYYYYAAAAAAAA !!!!!  Come get some OHIO.

Well I see one guy took a shot at answering your question.  Trouble is he is WAY off!  Akron used to be the hub of the rubber industry.  From the boom of the vehicle, to the middle of the 1900's, if you had a car chances are it's tires were built in Akron.  The scrap rubber from these tires was melted down and used to make rubber over-shoes....you know.......shoes to wear over your shoes to keep them clean in the winter time when there was a lot of salt-laden slush on the sidewalks.

These over-shoes had a zipper up the side.  Soon after the invention of this shoe the U of A held a contest amongst it's student body to determine a mascot.  One student suggested they be called the Zippers in honor of the shoe.  The idea was accepted and won the contest.  Years later the name was shortened to Zips.  The Kangaroo came from another contest.

AK Rowdy, North side of Summit County!  GOOOOOOO ZIPS!!!