The unique athletic nickname "Zips" worn by the University of Akron stems from a historic campus-wide student contest held in nineteen twenty-seven to select a mascot for the institution's sports teams. A campus student submitted the winning entry "Zippers," inspired by a popular rubber galosh boot manufactured locally by the B.F. Goodrich Company in Akron called the "Zip-Zip." Over the decades, the moniker was officially shortened from Zippers to Zips, and the beloved kangaroo mascot, Zippy, was introduced to represent the university's athletic pride.