Abandoned - Rubber Bowl Stadium

[@whispertron]

The bizarrely pristine astroturf just accentuates the steadily increasing decay around it.

[@venomousnate7263]

Man that looks like a really cool venue for sports and concerts. Such a shame it was left abandoned and left in disrepair.

[@DiegoLlamasFabila]

If you want to see sports venues that are abandoned, the check the Rio 2016 Olympic Games venues.

[@jeffmcintoshmusic]

Completely agree. Built into the nature around it, it's so cool!

[@dianeadkins-diorio1783]

The Rubber Bowl shut down weeks after Rolling Acres Mall did, and both sat abandoned for years... of course, Rolling Acres Mall has since been demolished and replaced with an Amazon distribution center...

[@bisket2003]

They tired to make it into a venue a few different times after the school sold it off. Sadly the repairs to make it usable were too costly.

[@williamtaylor5852]

If my.memory is correct then on Thanksgiving day 1952, the rubber bowl hosted an nfl game between the Chicago Bears and the Dallas Texans, the latter was the last NFL team to go bankrupt where at the time the league took over the team, moved them to Hershey, PA, and played out their home schedule in Akron. Dallas won 20-2 in their only win ever, they shut down at season's end.

[@cassidybb10]

Akronite here. And fan of the channel. I was there many times. I marched in the north Akron high-school band. Akron high-schools played games there. Notably homecoming games as we didn't have a home field for our school.

[@droe1021]

None of this is true.

[@elizabethgreen2512]

Hey fellow Akronite those were the good ole days at the rubber bowl. I have a good friend who went to North 87

[@droe1021]

@@elizabethgreen2512 Akron sucks.

[@Tbone1716swagmaster]

@@droe1021 Blow us then.

[@DaCyberman]

Had some great memories at that stadium. Both playing football and in the marching band while in HS.

[@boabdownunder]

I find it bizarre that they haven’t utilised the hill as some form of amphitheater, that’s perfect for concerts or a festival, low running costs if they were to bring in temporary staging and amenities. It’s perfect for that

[@grandinosour]

next to an airport?????

[@mjhbuckeye]

@@grandinosour It's a low traffic airport for small general aviation traffic. Jet traffic and airliners go into Akron-Canton Airport or Cleveland Hopkins.

[@KTEFilmsInc]

At 11:00 in the video is the Blossom Music Center, its only like 30 mins away from where the Rubber Bowl was. Plenty of headline and mid level acts play there every year to where having something similar so close wouldn't make much sense.

[@mariebelladonna437]

@@KTEFilmsInc my husband grew up in Cleveland, and saw his first concert ever there, in the early 70s. ELP was among the headliners, if his memory serves, lol. He saw many other concerts there, too. Very cool to see the place he's told me so many stories about, in this video. He went to concerts at the Rubber Bowl, too, but he can't remember which ones. It's been a long time, and the memories are a bit...ahem..."cloudy". LOL.

[@Wnick1996]

Ohio seems to have some of the best-known abandoned places.

[@LOBricksAndSecrets]

Ohio itself is an abandoned place

[@bmstylee]

It could be worse. Ohio could be Michigan.

[@HarpowXtra]

National Skibidi Stadium......abandoned 20 year ago.....

[@VIPERJ27]

We are the state with the most abounded stories and ghost stories(not to be confused with folktales that gose to west Virgina) at least last I checked

[@VIPERJ27]

@@NickIggler1969sorry what did you say with your lead induced water and having the worst city in America Detroit

[@lordexplores]

I love the satellite imagery showing what the location used to look like, compared to what it looks like now. It's a shame it never got rehabbed. Great video!

[@jakezoet-jd1wk]

Honestly never thought I’d see another video about Akron since the Rolling Acres video. Such a shame that this stadium went to waste, especially considering its history.

[@MrConverse]

I saw the Monsters of Rock concert there sometime around 1991. The lineup was Kingdom Come, Metallica, Dokken, Scorpions, and Van Halen (in that order).

[@AndrewAMartin]

I saw that same lineup in Philadelphia -- I think your year is a little off though, as I saw them in 1987. And I also saw them in a stadium that no longer exists, JFK Stadium -- it's now covered by the Wells Fargo Center and/or parking lots...

[@yankees29]

Creatures of rock

[@noxcure]

Metallica being an opener in 91? Unreal

[@guaceldono7231]

Absolutely legendary lineup, three of metal’s giants plus excellent smaller bands in Kingdom Come and Dokken

[@tombourne2917]

I was there. It was summer 1989.. Still have the t-shirt..Loved those 80s rock bands.

[@CaptainColdyron222]

When I was 14 my older brother took me to the Rubber Bowl on a sweltering summer day to see the Monsters of Rock tour. He was there for Van Halen and I was there for Metallica. What a day.

[@Brendan-fy6ne]

Sounds awesome. Who opened for who.

[@culcune]

That was before Metallica became soccer-mom pop music, lol.

[@jessicadelgado2142]

@@culcuneyour definition of what qualifies as pop music is hilarious to me. Maybe you should stick with Beyoncé.

[@jessicadelgado2142]

My dad was at that concert! He introduced me to metal music and we go to a lot of concerts together. He has taken me to see Metallica five times and we’re going again this summer two more times.

[@CaptainColdyron222]

@@jessicadelgado2142 sounds like your dad is pretty cool. My older brother did the same for me. Even though he wasn’t into the thrash scene as much as I was he’d take me to see those bands when I was younger until I was old enough to go on my own. I got to see Exodus, Anthrax, Slayer and a lot of others. Good times.

[@Brother_Farr]

I live 5 minutes away from the site and like many people from Akron, the rubber bowl holds tons of memories! I went to a lot of high school football games there in the 90's and I even got to work with the officiating crew holding the first down markers for a few games. Winter games were the worst! the way the wind whipped around in that bowl, every bit of that chill hit you to the bone!! Thanks so much for this video!!

[@elizabethmctaggart6695]

This is such a niche topic to cover for an abandoned place, but I am always glad you cover these type of niche places. Makes me excited to see a random abandoned place I looked up months/years ago getting covered and making me want to search it up again

[@PETSEMATARYTWO]

warms my heart to see a youtuber whose art i enjoy, talking about a place so close to my hometown. i grew up in mogadore, a little town about a mile from the rubber bowl, and it was always the spot to go if you wanted to feel like a real urban explorer. tons of history and memories on those grounds

[@michaeljohnston4566]

My grandparents both grew up in Akron in the 30s… love thinking of them enjoying their youths here. Thank you for this one!

[@nitro329]

I was there back in 2021. So cool from an exploration standpoint. I'm happy I brought my camera because I had no clue how close the full demolition greenlight was at that time.

[@samgeorge4798]

Last summer I was going to see the USAF museum and stopped by the airfield to look at the blimp hangar. Ran into that bowl and the soap box hill and was Left wondering what was it's history. Really happy to see a video on it

[@theplayerspot4139]

i live about 20 mins from the stadium. i’m just scrolling through bright sun films and i had a massive “wait a minute, is that? there’s no way…” moment

[@erikbrand6682]

current zip here! the rubber bowl is absolutely gorgeous, and I was lucky enough to visit a few times. learning the history of this stadium and the connections through the university is incredibly astonishing. go zips!

[@rngfootball759]

Only recall watching Akron Kent St on TV on a Maction Wednesday when nothing else on TV to watch. Quite a few NFL players played at that field.

[@katCC1991]

I had an idea for another abandoned video for you but unfortunately the building was torn down a few years ago. Have you ever heard of the Preston Springs Hotel? It was once a massive hotel for its time and was well known for its sulphur springs. Babe Ruth was allegedly a regular guest there. It called its home in the small town of Preston, Ontario (apart of the city of Cambridge) - which is about an hour and a half or so from Niagara Falls. The hotel closed and was turned into a nursing home at one point but eventually closed and stood abandoned for upwards of thirty years (it was always abandoned during my lifetime). There was a lot of plans for redevelopment and some pushed through but ultimately stopped due to lack of funds. It stood as a deteriorating eyesore to many despite its historical value. Eventually a few years or so ago it was torn down and only remnants of its stone front porch stand today. The whole area once upon a time was bustling with hotels and tourism because of these springs, but nearly all of these hotels are gone due to fires or being torn down.

[@surgetube9435]

Played a game there in 2007. I liked the way the sun hit the field in the late afternoon. Lockers kinda sucked but it was pretty dope for a MAC school. I like the bowl stadiums. This what happens when a lot of people just do not give a shit about doing something hard.

[@WillCrane]

I grew up right down the road from that stadium. That would be a crazy prospect of having 30,000 people down in the derby downs. thanks for covering this. I enjoyed it and learn more about that iconic stadium.

[@daveotuwa5596]

2:53 I just found out the Brooklyn Dodgers weren't exclusively a baseball franchise but as well a football franchise.

[@abbyginge03]

the SPEED at which i clicked on this‼ I actually got to explore this in 2020 before it got torn down and I grew up like MINUTES away! Literally gasped so hard when I saw this notification!

[@dannydaw59]

Is that a 1/4 mile dragstrip on the south side of the stadium?

[@skylilly1]

@@dannydaw59 it’s an access road for parking for vendors, etc. oh, I’m sure it has been used as a drag strip for the locals. 😂

[@jman42s]

My grandfather used to coach at Akron before they left the Rubber bowl, I remember going to a few games there as a kid but what I remember most about it is that it was a very popular albeit creepy place to go explore in high school

[@eileenbrannan9131]

This is right in my backyard. It was really a great place to go for live music and football. So sad how it all ended.

[@zachbush7923]

Yeah, and now no one even goes to the new stadium. It's sad.

[@austingood22]

It’s crazy seeing all this old footage of something I see everyday. I grew up right by the Rubber bowl. I still leave really close to it. Great video. Thanks for the history lesson on something I grew up with.

[@Firemanharv]

Went to U of A. Freshman year was fall of 08. Went to one of the last games there (against Toledo). I think we won. It was a really cool place. I have yet to go to a game at the new stadium all these years later 😂. Another terrific video my man! Thanks for sharing history about my little corner of the globe.

[@danjustthinking]

University of Akron seems to have a few abandoned things associated with it. Like the onld quaker oats factory turned into a hotel that is now siting empty on the campus.

[@evian9999]

The quaker oats building had part of the hotel that was turned into dorms for UA at one point in the late 2000s. Every room was basically a giant circle (formerly grain silos). So all of the walls were round and made for some weird room layouts haha!

[@erikbrand6682]

they turned those into covid quarantine zones afterwards for sick students! (i had the displeasure of staying in them for a week or two, had a full bath and room to myself though!) afterwards, it is completely vacant. it's a shame, it's honestly a beautiful building

[@Tuckahoe1918]

Enjoyed the video. Sent it to a colleague that attended Akron in the early 1970s, and he said "I remember it well. Saw both football and college and HS soccer games there. I refed an international soccer match there. Canadian National team vs. Akron U. Saw a Browns pre season game there and a Simon & Garfunkel concert there."

[@davemlbc]

The Rubber Bowl had lighting masts mounted at field-level and blocking views right up until the end. I assume the lights could never be moved higher because it's so close to the runway. That becomes even more interesting after learning that the stadium's origin is directly linked to the airport. The Goodyear Airdock is also located next to the runway. For most of a century few people would have expected to see the gigantic blimp hangar last while the stadium was the one to become obsolete and be demolished

[@In_MT]

Saw the Rolling Stones there in 1973! Saw many, many concerts that summer...Alice Cooper, Humble Pie, Stevie Wonder with the Rolling Stones, J Geils band :-)

[@matteven]

I grew up racing at the derby track. My grandmother’s house was within walking distance. My friends and I knew every way to sneak into that stadium. Saw a few future NFL players play for/against the Zips. Sat in the track bleachers and listened to a Bon Jovi show with my Mom. Saw Ozzfest 98’ there. So many good memories. 🥲

[@bethpedone8771]

Reminds me of Pitt Stadium - about 90 miles away and similar in stature being built in the side of a hill. Unfortunately Pitt Stadium is also a thing of the past.

[@IVR02]

Hey Jake, I'm not sure if you still take audience requests, but the art deco design of the Rubber Bowl reminded me of a stadium in my area from the same time period that I think could be an interesting topic. It's Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson, NJ. It opened in the 30s, was abandoned in the 90s, and was recently remodeled and reopened. There's a lot of interesting history to it, and I think it could make for a good episode.

[@ZacSaleski]

I visited the glass bowl back in 2020, it was probably a few months before the city started the tear down. It was a cool stadium and its honestly one that I wished that Akron would stay with all of the history and the layout of place was one of a kind. Gonna miss it

[@TheCLESportsGuy]

Was at the final game, grandstand seats broke in 3rd OT when students were jumping on it. It was so run down then it was unbelievable. What's missing in this was the countless issues it had going back to the 70s. I've heard stories you couldn't get hot water in the locker rooms ever and the visitors locker room was the smallest in college football. It was an unique stadium, however it far outlived its use. University of Akron really put itself in financial troubles since Infocision and the Football team (love Coach Moorhead) will just never be consistently good to be worth that spending. Great video!

[@Markfreeman8]

I miss playing high school football playoff games on that field

[@kelseymcleod8330]

I grew up in Akron! Lived in Triplett blvd. just down the road. Our high school got to play one football game a year at the Rubber Bowl, every Akron school did and I remember going there so many times for Akron U games with my grandma as well! It’s so surreal to see it in this condition. We also went to Rolling Acres mall frequently, even until the Dillards and JC Penney outlets were all that was left.

[@SuperBuickregal]

Rolling Acres, Chapel Hill and Quaker Square just to name a few of Akron Ohio downfalls and decline. Great informative video and Keep em Rolling!

[@bill_nye_the_russianspy_9642]

I was born in akron and still have family there and its so wierd to go there these days, I remember seeing the train displays at quaker Square and shopping at rolling acres and chapel hill with my family. It's sad to see how akron went down hill. I went to Mason elementary up until 5th grade and was sad to see they even tore it down.

[@zachbush7923]

BSF should do a video on the Innerbelt, another relic of the past in Akron that currently sits rotting.

[@jcarr0314]

Thank you for showing the good of Akron and what the city used to be My hometown ❤ from Akron Ohio

[@ZEZERBING]

in the rolling acres mall shot, I worked in the store to the right behind the elevator. good memories.

[@KOrgan0414]

I drive past the hill where this once stood every day.

[@Tbone1716swagmaster]

Sad to see it go.

[@stephenkayes8981]

I saw ozzfest 98 there. It was actually a good venue for it.

[@kevin2400]

I remember living on Massillon rd . And if there was no traffic... I could hear the concert....

[@AJKPenguin]

I remembered the Rubber Bowl advertised on highway signs on I-76. If I were the City, I'd plant perennial flowers in 3 seasons. They can last for at least a dozen years and make the Rubber Bowl Hill quite wonderful.

[@katmorrison6078]

I toured University of Akron for one of my college visits in 2011. They were very proud of new stadium and you could tell, it was beautiful. They took us around the entire facility and it was game day as a bonus. I had no idea the Rubber Bowl even existed but it doesn’t really surprise me, Ohio has a ton of abandoned places. I didn’t end up going to Akron for college either, I wound up at Ohio University instead.

[@bufaloguerreiro7573]

How fitting that historical landmarks get abandoned and replaced by soulless money wells while vapid white women think its nothing short of amazing

[@g-lo3261]

Great job as always Jake!

[@scottowen580]

Got to go watch a game at Akron as a kid. I hated the lights. They blocked the view annoyingly bad. But this was a good reflection to a childhood spot. Thank you!

[@vekst]

Thank you for the vid like always Jake!

[@EpicGuy21someonestolemyhandle]

3 days

[@KimberlyStrode]

I’m a Zip and it was so much fun tailgating there. It was cool to see the Goodyear blimp fly by. The new stadium has no soul.

[@mcain2911]

These videos are always a pleasure to watch, Jake.

[@BrightSunFilms]

I really appreciate you watching!

[@THEum3k]

University of Akron, Akron's #1 producer of abandoned buildings

[@KJNOLA13]

Really enjoyed this. There is an abandoned football stadium in Downtown Atlanta. I believe it even hosted an Olympic event. I’m sure you know about it but I would be highly interested in the history and why it’s in the state it is now. Great content!

[@graywalters8096]

I also immediately thought of Herndon Stadium at Morris Brown College. That one is a bigger venue than this one, despite it being owned by what was even at the time a much smaller college. It honestly seems like incompetence that the stadium was ever enlarged so far beyond a reasonable size for its use case. I've been there several times and the post apocalyptic vibes are off the charts

[@DoomGoober]

@@graywalters8096 Alonzo Herndon Stadium was recently featured in the film "Civil War" as a refugee center.

[@KevinWindsor1971]

The last NFL game played in the Rubber Bowl was on Thanksgiving Day 1952. The hapless Dallas Texans in their only season, became nomads after they got booted from the Cotton Bowl. George Halas decided to sit his starters, even though his Bears team didn't have a good record. The Texans in their only Rubber Bowl game beat the Bears for their one and only win in franchise history. The assets of the Texans were sold, and would be reorganized as the Baltimore Colts in 1953. Colts legends Art Donovan and Gino Marchetti were members of the 1952 Texans.

[@_Maelgon_]

There is a mall I used to go to as a kid named Exton Square Mall (Exton, PA). It was doing good for a while. But when Sears went bankrupt in 2018, the mall started a very small decline that was not much to worry of at first. When covid was still ramping up, I went there for the last time before the pandemic. I remember in one of the big areas of the mall, I remember seeing a small kids playground with numerous weird animal structures that I loved as a kid. After the pandemic went into full swing, I went back to the mall for the first time since 2019 in 2022 to get a COVID booster shot in the massive area that used to be the big Sears mart. After all was said and done I went to the food court to grab some stuff and I remember there being so many empty and closed store lots. I was shocked at how many there were. The old play place hadn’t opened up at all since the beginning of the pandemic and I also saw that the old Lego store I went to as a kid had closed down. When I got to the food court, only 2 tenants were open. As of recently it has closed (or will soon close) permanently. It made me so sad to see the sad and slow decay of one of my favorite places as a child. This might be a selfish ask driven by nostalgia, but I would love to see a video on my dear old Exton Square Mall one day. It deserves recognition for the countless childhood memories it gave me and my friends. I last went there in 2023.

[@dylon4906]

I live less than 10 minutes from the rubber bowl and pass by its (former) location all the time, and im also a student at the university of akron. its surreal to see something so close to my home in humble southeast akron being featured on this channel

[@K-yp8tb]

My hometown!

[@oevilone]

Mine too!

[@reddwarfer999]

@@oeviloneNot mine.

[@domhammer1289]

I watched my brother play one of the last football games ever played in this stadium. It was a highschool rivalry football game between Akron STVM and Hoban

[@ryanmcmullen6064]

I live in Akron Ohio this was kool as hell to watch thank you

[@RED-cy7ig]

So sad. All the memories created there are just gone.

[@maddierobertss]

really cool to see you cover the rubber bowl! i never got to see it myself even tho its close to where i’m from, but i enjoyed learning its history. love your content :)

[@BrightSunFilms]

Thanks!

[@chris_is_here_oh_no]

Excellent video, fascinating history! This was perfectly covered!

[@BrightSunFilms]

Thank you so much!

[@KTEFilmsInc]

My freshman year at the University of Akron was the final season at the Rubber Bowl. By then, it was already over. A lot of the metal grandstands were already missing and replaced with wood. Bathrooms were small and frequently out of order. Parking for students was chaos, especially for the conference games. It was a mess. Their current stadium on campus isn't amazing by any means, but it at least serves many more functions and need for the teams and the fans than the Rubber Bowl could at the end. I miss the stadium in the hill but its not something I'd ever wish to experience again.

[@SuperBuickregal]

Thanks and Keep em Rolling!

[@BrightSunFilms]

Always! Thanks so much!

[@DiegoLlamasFabila]

Nice video! BTW, on the theme of sports, can you make a video of Abandoned about the Winter Olympics of Sarajevo 1984? It's incredibbly eerie to see the Bobsled track, the Ski Jump Slope, and vacant stadium, all because of the Bosnian War. I totally recommend to check those Olympics.

[@privateaccount3405]

Went for Ozzfest there in 1998, many great bands but TOOL was the standout for me. Wild to see it wiped completely clean now.

[@mitchellm8530]

I love the picture of blossom that was added to reference a more modern venue. I live in north Ohio and anyone who lives here knows blossom hill is a beautiful outdoor concert venue

[@tyrillium1744]

Been watching your videos for months and only now just realize that I wasn't subscribed. You were just always at the top of my recommended so I never realized. SUBBED!

[@JakeTheVictini]

Man, Akron must not be a strong tourist destination if its places of interest keep falling apart. But thanks for the video!

[@naught19]

as someone near there, the place is unnavigable, it's always under construction and it's too confusing

[@VIPERJ27]

To add with what the local said below me as someone who has lived their whole life in a city next to Akron it’s one of the worst places to visit in Ohio sadly it’s extremely poor and shitty besides a few nice spots in downtown it’s also struggled with crime just as much as Cleveland if not worst ever since the early days of the Mafia in Cleveland which gose back to the 1910s the mayfield mob is one of the most infamous that worked around and in Akron

[@VulpesHilarianus]

Akron has three viable career paths. Working at the university. Working at the hospital. Or working at the DOT office. Everywhere else hires from out of state. That means if you're a native and not a Goodyear or First Energy transplant you're jumping from job to job for your entire adult life. The place hasn't been healthy since around 1995, and the university and the hospital keep it alive. Even then the university has probably fifteen years left before it goes into irreversible decline and the big corporate sponsors abandon it.

[@TheRenegade.]

@@VIPERJ27I’m from Cleveland but what you said is spot on. My family hated when I’d go to Akron but they were okay with me going to downtown Cleveland late nights. That kinda always said something about Akron so I avoided it as much as I could. I was at the rubber bowl in 2020, cool to see but I wasn’t even aware it was demolished. I’m in the military now so I’ve been out of Ohio and I’m not planning on going back lol.

[@TheRenegade.]

@@YankeeRebel1348 Wouldn’t say it’s an “issue”. Also I’m not hating on my birth state, just stating I have no interest in returning right now. Being a native to Ohio to my whole life I always wanted to go travel and like I previously said I’m military so that’s what I’m currently doing. So far being overseas briefly and traveling stateside has offered me more opportunities than being stuck in Cle. I still visit but it’s not a place I’d think I’d settle in, it’s all personal preference and I genuinely do not enjoy 4 seasons for multiple reasons, but to each their own I guess.

[@asayeah844]

Quite ironically, every football season, Infocicion stadium sits largely abandoned as well.

[@kevinwood9988]

I grew up minutes from the Rubber Bowl. Only watched a few football games there, but heard of its legendary concerts.

[@jriley1992]

Awesome! Thanks for the new video!

[@thestars386]

This was a pretty cool history lesson. I love this kind of stuff. Just think, *everything* will eventually be abandoned. *Everything!* From the *dust* we came from, to the *dust* we return. That house you're in while watching this, yup it will also become abandoned. Just saying.

[@2AAProductions2]

Thank you for making this film.

[@kyralee4516]

I love all your videos and movie. Awesome work and keep going :) 😊

[@StarzKri]

The amount of times I’ve driven by there and never realized how important that location was… depressing how a lot of Ohio ends up like this

[@kurtdowney1489]

Excellent video very well done the historic photos really made this flow very well.

[@BrightSunFilms]

Thank you very much!

[@robertmiller2104]

Another great video sorry to see how it came to an end

[@abrotherslegacy1001]

I grew up in Akron, used to race Bmx at the track by there, went to many Zips games and saw Monsters of Rock concert there in 1987. The box car derby is there and the world famous GoodYear air dock is there. It’s a real shame Akrons leadership allowed for its demise.

[@OhioPeteS2k]

Coldest football game I’ve ever been to was when I worked the parking lot gate on a thanksgiving day in the 1990s for the Akron/Kent game at the Rubber Bowl

[@brandonyork7408]

Excellent job on the commentary and the video!! Thank you !!

[@BrightSunFilms]

Thank you!

[@tommymaroon4189]

I live about 30 minutes from the Rubber Bowl and once went to a game there when I was real little. It’s a travesty that the university and city did nothing to help it. My dad’s an Akron alum, and he has countless stories of the stadium, including Gerry Faust’s first nationally televised game in 1986

[@wolfman3295]

I think this is the first time I have seen an abandoned video come full circle in a good way.

[@jacobgivens7906]

I remember playing my first grade flag football playoff there and it was so cool as a kid. Immediately went to get ice cream after also.

[@matthewballiet3728]

Wow that’s amazing

[@johnroot4886]

Great video Jake, I grew up in Cleveland and got to see many concerts here, sorry to see it in such a sad state

[@Andy-uj9he]

I went to an Archbishop Hoban vs. St. Vincent St Mary football game at the Rubber Bowl in 2001. It would be the last time I’d be inside. Also went to derby downs a few times to watch the races, which was right next door to the Rubber Bowl. Pretty cool memory, and sad they were unable to use the stadium for other things.

[@Algernonab]

That's a damn shame. You mentioned the USFL planning to host an Akron team there, and now with the USFL having new life in the UFL, I've thought for a while that it would be cool to have an Ohio team to be a natural revival for the Michigan Panthers. This is the exact kind of stadium that I think would have been awesome for a UFL team.

[@ballistik_coffee_boy]

love the show! thanks my friend, always a joy

[@indieauthorjasonblayne7511]

I have a few memories watching my hometown college team, Marshall University, playing against the Zips during the MAC era.

[@cicero_21]

I visited this place once. There was dirt piled up in the end zone, and it was being used as a dirt bike park. The turf was absolutely torn to crap.

[@justinflickinger7515]

Thank you so much for showing history in Ohio. Really great content you always put out

[@cameronevans1622]

I’d fly to Akron Fulton airport a lot during flight training. It was sad to see the rubber bowl deteriorate.

[@timdawg53]

I performed on that field with my high school marching band, in the 1999 OMEA State Marching Band Finals.

[@truckermikemct1]

My only visit... 1980, I was a senor at Padua Fransiscan High School. Padua played Cincinnati Moeller in the Division 1 football championship. Moeller was a machine and dominated.

[@grants7752]

So I’m from Youngstown, which is pretty close to Akron. I was so excited as a freshman get to play and do the rubber bowl I was in marching band was excited never happened.

[@user-xl1vm3fx7u]

The abandoned Rubber Bowl ….I’ve seen more people there currently than the Zips Infocision stadium

[@erikbrand6682]

real

[@DJSolstice]

I’m subscribed to over 600 channels, but yours is the only one I get excited about when I see a new upload ❤

[@MrSimelani]

CLOSED FOR STORM was featured on my American Airlines international flight!! 😮

[@Cuz-Y-Not1942]

We live an hour away from the stadium, and I played 3 games in that stadium growing up. So It will always have a special place in my heart and memory. This video definitely hits home, man. Thanks Jake, sending you and yours, love and prosperity.

[@cpnquack]

This is honesty one of the more nostalgic abandoned buildings for my family, considering my mother played band in the Rubber Bowl when she was in college back in 2004. She honestly never knew the bowl was abandoned until I showed her the video today. She told me plenty of stories she had here. It clearly held a place in her heart. As for me, I’ve always had a book my entire life about the Akron Zips and their mascot, Zippy. I think he was looking for his hat, if I remember correctly. I honestly never knew where they had come from, but now I know that they played here at one point- although now the stadium is all but gone.