'FEAR THE ROO' | THE ORIGIN OF ZIPPY

Everything seems to start with the rubber industry in Akron. The origin of its university's nickname is no different. The university chose the nickname Zippers following a contest in 1925. Freshman Margaret Hamlin won $10 for suggesting Zippers, which was the brand name of a $6 pair of rubber overshoes made by the B.F. Goodrich Co. The nickname was shortened to Zips in 1950. The choice of a kangaroo as the school's mascot, however, doesn't have any ties to the city's history. It was adopted in 1953 after the student council decided the university needed a mascot. Student council adviser Dick Hansford came up with the marsupial from a comic strip about a fighting kangaroo. "Fear the Roo" became the university's motto this fall as part of a new marketing campaign -- sort of a tongue-in-cheek rallying cry for the rather unthreatening animal. It was inspired by the Maryland Terrapins' "Fear the Turtle" motto.
Source: University of Akron