Zippy is the female mascot of the

University of Akron The University of Akron is a public research university in Akron, Ohio. It is part of the University System of Ohio. As a STEM-focused institution, it focuses on industries such as polymers, advanced materials, and engineering. It is classifie ...

athletics team. Zippy is a

kangaroo Kangaroos are four marsupials from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the red kangaroo, as well as the antilopine kangaroo, eastern ...

, and was chosen by a committee in 1953. The school's nickname, "Zips", is a shortening of "Zippers", a pair of rubber overshoes and a brand name of the BF Goodrich Company of

Akron Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city ...

. It was originally adopted by the school in 1925 after a contest to give the school a nickname. "Kangaroos" was one of the choices at the time. In 1950, the current nickname was adopted because of the rising popularity of zippers in use on pants. Two years later, a committee suggested the kangaroo as a mascot, and it was accepted by the student council on May 1, 1953. Originally, it was met with derision, as it was not put to a campus-wide vote. However, over time, Zippy has become a fan favorite at the school. "Zippy" has always been a costumed mascot, and currently wears a blue letter-sweater and a gold-and-blue rat cap. In a 2010 interview, she stated The Things They Carried was her favorite band. In 2007 Zippy was chosen as one of twelve collegiate mascots to compete for

Capital One Bowl The Citrus Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. The bowl is operated by Florida Citrus Sports, a non-profit group that also organizes the Cheez-It Bowl and Florida Classic. The gam ...

mascot of the year. With an unprecedented 13–0 record, Zippy was named the winner on January 1, 2008.Capital one bowl.com

References

Mid-American Conference mascots Akron Zips Fictional kangaroos and wallabies 1953 establishments in Ohio {{Ohio-sport-stub