Division East Defensive coordinator Jim Fleming (6th year) | 2009 record 3–9 (2–6 MAC) | |
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Conference Mid-American Conference Head coach J. D. Brookhart (6th year) Offensive coordinator Shane Montgomery (1st year) | ||
The 2009 Akron Zips football team represented the University of Akron in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Akron competed as a member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) East Division. The team was coached by J. D. Brookhart and played their homes game at InfoCision Stadium.
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Before the season
Much of the anticipation leading up to the season involved the grand opening of the new on-campus Summa Field at InfoCision Stadium. The University set up webcams, allowing fans to watch the progress of the stadium being built. Fans watched online as the final stages of the stadium were pieced together, including a 40-foot by 25-foot video scoreboard and ribbon boards along the east stands.
The first Spring Training Scrimmage took place on March 12, after only five practices. With the offensive side down two key running backs (DeVoe Torrence and Alex Allen), the defense was able to win this session, along with the second scrimmage on March 28. In the annual Blue-Gold game, the defense came out victorious again, winning the game with a score of 28-24. Key plays in this game included a blocked field goal by Norman Shuford and an interception by Kevin Davis.
Alex Allen was one of the 106 nominees for Allstate's AFCA Good Works Team. According to the Press Release, this list "honors college football players who make outstanding contributions in the areas of volunteerism and civic involvement."
Roster
The Zips lost relatively few starters from the 2008 football season. However, the starters that they did lose include lettermen Dennis Kennedy and Chris Kemme, the latter of which signed for the Detroit Lions after the 2009 NFL Draft. On the defensive side, Akron lost all three linebackers to graduation, and Strong Safety/Kickoff Returner Bryan Williams signed a free agency deal with the Cleveland Browns.
Coaching staff
The Zips made hired three new coaches for the 2009 football season. Shane Montgomery was the head coach of the Miami Redhawks for the past four seasons, and moved over to serve as Akron's Offensive Coordinator and Tight Ends Coach. During his time at Miami, he led the team to a first-place tie in the MAC East Division in both 2005 and 2007. Walt Harris is best known for being the head coach of Pitt from 1997 to 2004 and Stanford in 2005 and 2006. A week later, Akron announced the hiring of new Linebackers coach Vince Okruch.