Displaying items by tag: Larry Williams

University of Akron Athletic Director Larry Williams joined the Sam and Brad Show to shed some light on the cancelled Akron/Nebraska game from this weekend.

Fan or no fan -- you have to feel sad when a member of the family leaves. And Keith Dambrot is a member of the Akron family, with deep roots in the community and University. The long-time basketball head coach is heading east, to Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, for a reported seven year, seven million dollar deal.

Dambrot led the Zips to their winningest season in history, but fell to Kent State in the MAC title game; that loss scrubbed any hopes of a March Madness berth. Akron went two rounds before falling in the NIT.

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(University of Akron) Earlier tonight, The University of Akron was informed that current men's basketball Coach Keith Dambrot has accepted the position as head basketball coach at Duquesne University.

The University has issued the following statement from UA Athletic Director Larry Williams and it is being shared with you at this time:

"We are very grateful for the enormous contributions that Coach Keith Dambrot has made to our excellent men's basketball program. His hard work with our student-athletes combined with their dedication to going the extra mile have brought great success to The University of Akron – including the winningest season in UA history – and we value his role in making that happen. He and the Dambrot family will always be a part of The University of Akron family, and we wish him well as he moves along.

We will immediately launch a national search for our new basketball coach and we reaffirm our commitment to building our basketball program and all of Akron Athletics into a nationally recognized program across the board. In addition to finding a new coach, we are working to be in a position to upgrade the James A. Rhodes Arena and we will need to rely on support from the community to achieve that goal."

The University of Akron's athletics programs are in a good place, and one of the MAC's more spirited football rivalries will have a new date for the 2016 season.

Larry Williams, the University of Akron's Athletic Director joined the Sam Bourquin Show to talk about the UA/Kent State game being moved to October, the upward trend of the football program, and Keith Dambrot's squad, who is enjoying yet another 20-plus win season.

When asked about the giridiron rivalry between Kent and Akron, Williams said the new date ought to be a wonderful opportunity for Northeast Ohio football fans to partake in that festive atmosphere.

"This is one we want to make sure everyone shows up for, and really understands what this local rivalry is about," Williams explained.

He says the football team has some expectations never before seen coming off the Idaho Potato Bowl win over Utah State, and Terry Bowden's unit ought to capitalize on last year's success.

"I think we're in a pretty good spot right now with a somewhat seasoned quarterback (Tommy Woodson), and this is our opportunity to take a step forward and make some progress."

Switching to the hardwood, the Zips' men's basketball program has been a source of excitement for the University of Akron and for Williams himself.

"It's fun basketball, and winning is a culture that breeds on itself, and that's something we want to contintue to foster," he said.

There's been a lot of talk about attendance at University of Akron football games, with the university being forced to buy tickets to clear attendance standards.

In the end, athletic director Larry Williams says it does come down to winning, and the fact that the Akron football program hasn't done a lot of it in recent years.

"We don't have the luxury of having a Division I team that has a long list of accomplishments at the highest level," Williams tells WAKR's Jasen Sokol. "Very good teams, but especially recently, that is in the mind of potential guests or customers, there really hasn't been a lot of success here."

Williams says that he's much more optimistic about the program, thinking it can build on winning and going to a bowl game under head coach Terry Bowden.

Williams says that it's a tough, competitive environment in college sports...where for most people, winning is expected.