LEGC at the Akron Rubber Bowl

The Akron Rubber Bowl was primarily used for football games from its opening in 1940 until 2008. This was the home field for The Akron Zips football team of the University of Akron. The team currently plays at the newer InfoCision Stadium-Summa Field. Ohio is known for having football roots, with the creation of the professional game being right in their backyard. With this comes rivalries so large they needed a college stadium to house it. 

Currently the stadium sits abandoned and partially demolished right next to an airport and the World Headquarters for the All-American SoapBox Derby. 

Historic Show and Concert Performances

1. Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus On July 6, 1944
2. Liberace in 1956
3. The Rolling Stones performed at the Rubber Bowl on July 11, 1972
4. Black Sabbath/Humble Pie/ and Others also played in July of 1972. The show ran so late that they cut the power to the stage amidst complaints from people within the vicinity of the Rubber Bowl. 
5. The Eagles performed right after their debut album before they became massive success in 1976 Hotel California
6. Also in 1972 at a Jefferson Airplan Concert, there were people sitting on hill who didn’t pay for tickets. They started throwing stuff at cops. Cops fired tear gas into the crowd while the lead singer, Grace Slick was egging on the crowd. The Rubber Bowl was shut down that evening for a bomb threat that was called in. 9 officers and 25 civilians were injured that night. 
7. After a wild 1972, Belkin Productions, who put on the shows, found out that the concerts were illegals due to not being licensed by the city. The University of Akron and Belikin each thought each other was doing the licenses. A month after the Jeefferson Airplane Show and the License issues, Belkin Productions brought David Bowie in for his first US appearance at the Cleveland Music Hall. Can’t help but to think it may have been the Rubber Bowl if not for the license issues. 
8. The Grateful Dead/Bob Dylan\Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers July 2, 1986
9. The Monsters of Rock - Van Halen, Metallica, Dokken, and Kingdom Come. The crowd began to riot and throw things during the Metallica set. (Find on YouTube)
10. Bon Jovi July 3, 1989
11. 1998 Ozzfest with Tool, Megadeth, Motorhead, and Ozzy

Historic Games or Sports

1. The Kent State Golden Flashes Also played select games here in the 1940s
2. The Cleveland Browns used it for some preseason games between 1950 and 1973
3. In 1952 November 27, the Rubber Bowl hosted a game fore the Dallas Texans in which they recorded their only win over George Halas-led Bears team. Halas started his second string players out of confidence he would win. They didn’t. 

Purchased in June 2012 by a marketing group, they were pursuing a USFL football team to play in it called, The Akron Fire. In 2013, the USFL decided against expanding and adding a team in Akron. In 2014, The marketing group pivoted to now use the Rubber Bowl as a multi-use entertainment facility and wanted to put a dome over it. In 2015 they planned to use it for LOUD-fest, which was a hip hop show, but the concert was canceled due to safety concerns over the venue. Two years later, April 5, 2017 Summit County foreclosed on the stadium but still had plans to allow the marketing group to use it. A few months later however, the marketing group gave up the deed allowing the city to become sole owner of the property. In September of 2017 it was announced that it would be demolished. The demolition had to stop due to fear of the roadway above collapsing. Now it sits to be reclaimed by nature, forever holding the memories of the summer of 72, the sounds of whistles and pads hitting, and the marching band playing the fight song, one last time.