The Akron Zips are no strangers to the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
Akron, a university located in Akron, Ohio, that boasts an enrollment of about 15,000 students and a basketball program that has been a force in the MAC for most of the last 20 years, has made it to the Big Dance in four of the last five years. This year, the Zips are a No. 12 seed and will battle No. 5 seed Texas Tech at 12:40 p.m. ET on Friday.
Although Akron coach John Groce needs no introduction at this point, the university’s mascot “Zippy” and nickname “Zips” definitely still do. As we ask ourselves just about every year: What the heck is a Zip? And why is Akron’s mascot, Zippy, a kangaroo?
Let’s find out together:
Why is Akron called the Zips?
Nearly a century ago in 1927, Akron held a contest on campus to choose a nickname for Akron’s athletic teams. A student named Margaret Hamlin suggested the “Zippers,” a reference to a new line of rubber boots sold by the B.F. Goodrich Company in Akron at the time. Hamlin won the contest, and in 1950—as zippers were becoming more common on clothes in the United States—athletic director Kenneth Red Cochrane shortened it from “Zippers” to simply “Zips.”
(If you’re wondering why Zippers won the contest, the other finalists included the Rubbernecks, Hillbillies and Tip Toppers, according to a 2004 piece from the Akron Beacon Journal.)
But that still doesn’t explain why Akron has a kangaroo named “Zippy” cheering for them on the sidelines ...
Why does Akron have a kangaroo named ‘Zippy’ as a mascot?
Put some respect on Zippy’s name.
Zippy, Akron’s female kangaroo mascot, was officially established as the university’s mascot in 1953, just a handful of years after it switched to the “Zips” nickname.
But why a kangaroo? It turns out, Akron’s vice president at the time wanted to choose a unique mascot instead of following suit with so many universities around the country who picked the Tigers, Lions or Bears as their team names. Yawn.
Looking to make a splash with his selection, Dick Hansford landed on a kangaroo, and it was quickly approved. Zippy has been Akron’s biggest superfan ever since.
A little bit about Zippy: Her favorite beverage is Pepsi, and her favorite food is a stadium hot dog, per the mascot’s bio on Akron’s official website. Also, if you go digging for some Zippy lore, you’ll find she once appeared to have a love affair with Kent State mascot “Flash” until she broke his heart, making the two schools bitter rivals.
Zippy also was named the best mascot in the 2024 NCAA men’s basketball tournament field by Sports Illustrated’s Patrick Andres. But the past two years, she has been runner-up in that same contest to Xavier’s mascots D’Artagnan and the Blue Blob in 2025, and to Florida’s Albert and Alberta Alligator in ‘26.
There’s work to be done for Zippy in the 2027 mascot rankings. But first, a matchup against Texas Tech awaits.
More March Madness from Sports Illustrated
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- High Point’s Student Radio Team Gave Us an All-Time Great Tournament Moment
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why Akron Is Called the Zips, and Why They Have a Kangaroo Mascot Named ‘Zippy’.
