After meeting with new University of Akron football coach Terry Bowden, QB  Patrick Nicely has voluntarily left the team and will look to continue his career elsewhere according to a university press release.

There are now five quarterbacks on the Zips roster during spring practice.

Coach Bowden said in the release that he wishes Nicely the best of luck and that he's thankful for his contributions to the program.

Press Release:

University of Akron senior-to-be quarterback Patrick Nicely has voluntarily left the Zips football team, head coach Terry Bowden announced on Monday.

“Patrick and I met earlier today and he informed me that he’s going to leave our program to pursue playing opportunities elsewhere, and we will honor that request,” Bowden said. “We wish him the best of luck and are thankful for all that he has done for this program.”

Nicely saw playing time in 30 games between the 2009-11 seasons and was a starter in 19 of those. He closed out his UA career with 3,358 passing yards and 16 touchdowns.

Season tickets for the Akron Zips' 2012 football campaign are now on sale.

The schedule features six home games at Infocision Stadium-Summa Field including four against Mid-American Conference opponents Buffalo, Miami (Ohio), UMass and Northern Illinois as well as non-league contests versus UCF on Thursday, Aug. 30 and Morgan State on Saturday, Sept. 15.

UA officials say that this is one of the more anticipated seasons in recent memory with the hiring of former National Coach of the Year Bobby Bowden last month.

Information on ticket packages can be found on AkronNewsNow.com.

Press Release:

With interest surrounding The University of Akron football program at an all-time high following the naming of Terry Bowden as head coach last month, season tickets are now on sale for the Zips' much anticipated 2012 campaign. Fans can choose from a variety of economical packages that feature great amenities and provide special event access.

Bowden, who was head coach at Auburn from 1993-98 and spent the previous three seasons (2009-11) at Division II North Alabama, was hired at UA on Dec. 22. He owns a 140-62-2 career record and earned the 1993 national coach of the year award after leading Auburn to an 11-0 finish. In between stints at Auburn and North Alabama, he served as a television analyst with ABC college football for 10 years.

"I have really enjoyed getting to meet our enthusiastic fans and supporters during these last few weeks," Bowden said. "We need for the community to continue to support our program and the best way to do so is by renewing or purchasing season tickets. My staff and I have been hard at work the last three weeks recruiting the next class of Zips, and we're excited to get on the practice field this spring to begin preparing for the season."

For the first time, many season ticket packages will include a season parking pass, and concessions vouchers also provide added value for Priority Reserved and Reserved season ticketholders.

Packages start as low as $75 for General Admission seats. Those who purchase tickets in the Priority Reserved (starting at $200), Reserved ($120) and Family Plan (four tickets – including at least two youth – for $240) sections will receive a complimentary parking pass (one per every four season tickets purchased). Priority Reserved and Reserved season ticketholders also will receive $30 in concessions vouchers.

UA faculty and staff, and members of the Varsity "A" Association (former letterwinners) will receive a discounted price of $105 for Reserved seats. Membership in the Varsity "A" Association costs $35 annually and can be arranged by contacting the Z-Fund at (330) 972-2695.

New this year is the "Bowden Backers" package, a $99 season ticket in a lower-level reserved section. A limited number of seats are available at this special price.

Seats in the Club Level have three price points ($500, $750, $1,000) and include a parking pass in a priority lot (one per every four season tickets purchased). Patrons on the Club Level have access to a premium food and drink menu and alcoholic beverages (for additional fees), as well as pregame field passes (number of passes based on ticket price). Fans purchasing tickets in the Club and Priority Reserved sections are required to pay a Z-Fund seat license donation, of which 80 percent is tax deductible.

On Saturday, April 14, legendary Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden, Terry's father, will be the featured speaker at "Breakfast with the Bowdens". The event will be complimentary for Club Level season ticketholders who purchase by Friday, March 30. Club Level patrons will receive one complimentary ticket to the breakfast for each season ticket purchased.

The 2012 schedule features six home games at InfoCision Stadium – Summa Field, including four against Mid-American Conference opponents Buffalo, Miami (Ohio), UMass and Northern Illinois as well as non-league contests versus UCF on Thursday, Aug. 30 and Morgan State on Saturday, Sept. 15. Dates for the MAC games will be announced by the first week of March and start times for all six contests are to be determined.

Tickets can be ordered from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET on Mondays through Fridays by either calling 1-888-99-AKRON (25766) or visiting The C.P. and Cornelia S. Chima Athletics Ticket Office at InfoCision Stadium – Summa Field (located at 375 E. Exchange Street, near Gate 1 at the southwest corner of the venue, at the corner of E. Exchange and S. Union streets).

Those interested in purchasing season tickets online via GoZips.com/tickets will be able to do so starting at 9 a.m. on Friday.

Renewal invoices for 2011 season ticketholders will be mailed next week.

Group ticket packages are also available. On-sale dates and prices for mini plans and single-game tickets will be announced at a later date.

Details about the annual Spring Game in April at InfoCision Stadium – Summa Field will be announced at a later date.

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The autopsy results are in for former University of Akron quarterback Chris Jacquemain -- a tragedy with a life cut short by a drug overdose.

Mentor Patch.com reporting the Lake County Coroner released the cause of death as an accidental heroin overdose at his Mentor home on November 30. His family is now speaking out on the ravages of drugs.

The 25-year old Jacquemain was a standout at Mentor High School and later starred as the starter for the Zips; his college career ended with a suspension for undisclosed reasons and he was cut from the team in 2009.

Jacquemain had several run-ins with law enforcement since his college career came to an end, but his family said he was trying to get his life back on track and had been working out to regain his playing form for a tryout with the Cleveland Gladiators arena football team.

On the web:  Mentor Patch  http://mentor.patch.com/

The University of Akron Zips have unveiled their choice to take over the Zips football program.

The university's athletic department has released a video this afternoon with new football coach Terry Bowden, who once turned around the Auburn football program, and most recently brought Division II North Alabama to playoff appearances.

The decision was announced on the University of Akron social media sites on Twitter and Facebook, which linked to the video featuring Bowden.

Bowden replaces fired Zips football coach Rob Ianello, who guided the team to a 2 and 22 record over two years.

University officials announced a one-year, $250,000 buyout to bring Ianello's contract to an end.

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(UIniversity of Akron Athletics) The University of Akron has named Terry Bowden, who owns a 140-62-2 record (69.3 winning percentage) over an 18-year coaching career, as its 27th head football coach, President Dr. Luis M. Proenza and director of athletics Tom Wistrcill announced Thursday.

Bowden, who served as a studio analyst and color commentator with ABC Sports' college football for 10 years, was the head coach at Auburn from 1993-98 and spent the previous three seasons at Division II North Alabama.

Bowden, 54, was an assistant coach at Akron in 1986 under then Zips' head coach Gerry Faust.

"We welcome Terry Bowden back to campus. He brings with him an outstanding record of success and a true football coaching pedigree," Proenza said. "We know the entire Akron community will support Coach Bowden in his mission to cultivate a championship program here."

"We're thrilled to have Terry join the Akron Athletics family," Wistrcill said. "It's great for our student-athletes, fans and community to bring in a head coach with his track record of success."

A press conference to formally introduce Bowden will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 28 at 5 p.m. ET on the Towpath Credit Union Press Level (floor 7) of InfoCision Stadium – Summa Field. The proceedings will be web cast live through GoZips.com, and also be available on SportsRadio 1350 (WARF) in the Akron area and online via SportsRadio1350.com. "Voice of the Zips" Steve French and long-time UA Athletics personality Joe Dunn will anchor the coverage.

"I'm so excited to be a Zip," Bowden said. "With the great resources and the commitment to winning by the administration and community, it's just a matter of time until we build a championship program."

Bowden will meet with fans at the Zips women's basketball team's game versus Providence on Dec. 28 at 7 p.m. That event will be free of charge. He will also address the crowd at the Dec. 29 men's basketball contest versus VCU, which tips off at 7 p.m. Football season ticket holders will be E-mailed a link to purchase tickets to the VCU game at a special group rate.

In his time at North Alabama, he led the Lions to a 29-9 record and three-consecutive playoff appearances. In 2011, the squad went 9-3 and advanced to the second round of the playoffs. He was named Gulf South Conference Co-Coach of the Year in 2009 when the team went 11-2 and won the GSC championship and advanced to the quarterfinals of the playoffs. He followed that in 2010 by guiding the Lions to a 9-4 record and another trip to the playoffs.

As head coach of Auburn, he went 47-17-1 (73.4 winning percentage) and posted the best opening, five-year run of any head football coach in school history. Also during his time with the Tigers, Bowden became the first collegiate coach in 50 years to win his 100th career game by his 40th birthday.

In his first season at AU, he became the first coach in Division I-A (now FBS) history to have an undefeated and untied season in his inaugural year at that level.

Prior to his stint at Auburn, Bowden built two programs from the ground up as head coach at Salem College (W.Va.) and Samford University (Ala.). When he took the job at Salem in 1983 he became the nation's youngest head coach in college football at age 26.

Inheriting a Samford program which had won just six games in three years prior to his arrival, Bowden led the Bulldogs to a 9-1 record his first year, tying the record for the best season in school history. The squad led the nation in total offense (523 yards per game) and scoring offense (51.7 points per game), both national Division III records. The team's 40 touchdown passes were also a national single-season record.

Bowden then engineered and directed Samford's move from non-scholarship Division III football to Division I-AA (now FCS) scholarship football. With only one freshman class on scholarship, the Bulldogs went to a full Division I-AA schedule in 1989. By 1991, Samford was competing for the national championship. His 1991 Samford team had the best record in school history at 12-2, and reached the Division I-AA national semifinals.

Bowden was named head coach at Auburn on Dec. 17, 1992. In 1993, Auburn had a perfect 11-0 record and he swept virtually every national coach of the year award in his rookie season, including Walter Camp, Scripps Howard, Football News, Toyota and the Paul "Bear" Bryant Award presented by the Football Writers Association.

Bowden was again a finalist for coach of the year following his second season at Auburn as the Tigers had reeled off 20-straight wins, an Auburn record, and finished 9-1-1. He posted a 47-17-1 record at Auburn and led the Tigers to three bowl games.

During his time away from coaching, Bowden first served as a studio analyst and color commentator with ABC Sports' college football coverage. He was also an analyst for Westwood One Radio's College Football National Game of Week, co-hosted "The Coaches Show" on Sirius Satellite Radio with Jack Arute, and was the exclusive college football columnist for Yahoo! Sports.

Bowden is a member of one of the most famous and successful college football coaching families. His father, Bobby Bowden, turned Florida State into a national champion and his 389 collegiate wins rank second in Division I history.

His brother Tommy had an 18-4 record in two seasons as head coach at Tulane and a 72-45 record in 10 seasons as head coach at Clemson, taking the Tigers to eight bowl games. His brother Jeff also has 25 years of collegiate coaching experience, working at Salem, Samford, Southern Mississippi, Florida State and most recently at North Alabama, with Terry.

During the decade of the 1990s, Terry, Tommy and Bobby all led their teams to undefeated seasons.

As a student-athlete at West Virginia, Bowden lettered two years as a running back (1977-78), held a 3.65 grade-point average in accounting, the highest GPA on the football team, and graduated Magna Cum Laude.

He did post graduate work at Oxford University in England, and earned a Juris Doctorate from the Florida State School of Law in 1982, while a graduate assistant coach with the Seminoles.

Bowden has five daughters (Tera, Jordan, Erin, Cori and Jamie) and one son (Terry, Jr.).

The Rob Ianello era is done at the University of Akron. The University announcing this afternoon the former football coach will take a one-time payout of $250,000 to ease out of his contract.

Ianello had three years remaining but needed to free himself to take a coaching position elsewhere; the deal saves the University $750,000 over the three-year period.

The deal still requires Board of Trustees approval.

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(University of Akron) Under the terms of an agreement reached Tuesday, Dec. 20, The University of Akron announced that former head football coach Rob Ianello will resign from the university to accept a coaching position elsewhere.

Ianello will forego three years of guaranteed employment with The University of Akron, with a base salary and benefits totaling in excess of $ 1 million, in return for receiving a one-time $250,000 payment – a savings of more than $750,000  in salary and benefits he would have received had he stayed at The University of Akron in a reassigned position for the three years remaining on his contract.

The agreement will be recommended by President Luis Proenza for approval by the University’s Board of Trustees at its next meeting, scheduled for January 18, 2012.

The University of Akron is continuing its search process for a new head football coach.

University of Akron head football Rob Ianello admits that his team had a 'jump' in their step when they resumed practice earlier this week.

That 'jump' followed their 36-13 victory over VMI Saturday at InfoCision Stadium.

This coming Saturday, the Zips jump back into Mid-American Conference play at Eastern Michigan.

With eight games remaining in the season, Ianello hopes that his players look forward to the remainder of this season and not the 2012 campaign.

Akron has been getting solid offensive production from two players, running back Jawon Chisolm and wide receiver Keith Sconiers. Chisolm ran for 188 yards and one touchdown in the VMI win. Sconiers caught 8 passes for `54 yards and two touchdowns.

Eastern Michigan has victories over Howard and Alabama State this season and losses to Michigan and Penn State.