Ohio State and Michigan, Auburn and Alabama, Duke and North Carolina — these are just a few of the biggest and most heated college rivalries in American sports. 

All of those rivalries have massive implications on the biggest stages with the winner usually moving on to win a conference or even national championship. So where does that position the Kent State and Akron rivalry? 

While it certainly doesn’t hold those same implications, each game means something to both fanbases. Whether it’s football, basketball or another collegiate sport, fans will show up in droves to support their team in the rivalry. 

Rivalry origins 

Kent State and Akron first met on the gridiron in 1923, and as the years went by, the two schools began to develop a “bitter feud,” according to a Daily KentStater article. In that same article, which was published in 1933, a rivalry between the schools was alluded to. 

It wasn’t until 1942, when Kent State finally took down the Zips on the gridiron. Later, the football series was actually cancelled due to a lack of competition between both teams in 1954. 

“The 1940’s turned the tide for the matchup, giving Kent 10 straight wins by a combined score of 333-77,” an archived Daily KentStater article stated.  

Before the cancellation, a prize for the winner of the game was developed. This prize was the wagon wheel, a historic symbol of the rivalry between Kent State and Akron. 

As the legend goes, John R. Buchtel, a businessman and industrialist, was scouting land to build a new college in the spring of 1870. As he rode across the land that Kent State was eventually founded upon, his wagon became stuck in the mud, and his horses managed to break

away leaving the wagon broken into several bits and pieces (including the wheel itself). 

Buchtel moved on and founded Buchtel University in a different location, which would later be named the University of Akron. 

The wheel was later discovered in 1902, as construction took place on a Western Reserve trail pipeline. However, the whereabouts of the wheel were unknown until Kent State Dean of Men Raymond Manchester said the wheel was in his possession in 1946. 

According to another archived Daily KentStater article, Akron officials weren’t happy when they learned this. 

“It seems unreasonable that a man of the standing of Dean Manchester should withhold from the University of Akron a symbol of an incident which might be considered a determining factor in the founding of Buchtel college in Akron,” Wilson Sparhawk, Akron Alumni President (at the time) said.

Russell Beichley, Akron’s Athletic Director at the time, came up with the idea for the wheel to be a trophy for the winner of the annual football game between both teams. Manchester wholeheartedly accepted the challenge. 

“That buggy wheel is a relic that belongs to KSU, but I’m willing to put it up as a trophy — there’s no danger of losing it,” he said in the article.  

After the cancellation in 1954, the series resumed in 1972. Since 1983, the series has been played annually. 

Student thoughts 

Tim Trepal, a junior VCD major, considers himself an invested Kent State sports fan and said he’s been to several Kent State vs. Akron games. He added the environment at these games is completely unlike that of normal games.  

“There’s definitely an extra level of energy,” Trepal said. “There’s more of a big time feel to the game.” 

Trepal believes the rivalry between both teams is one of the biggest in mid-major sports and has a large following in the Northeast Ohio region with the high number of Kent State and Akron alumni. He also said both programs’ success in men’s basketball has raised the stakes of the rivalry. 

“It’s one of the shortest distances between two D-1 schools in the country,” Trepal said. “There’s big Mid-American Conference Tournament implications and NCAA tournament implications.” 

Despite the local popularity of the rivalry, Trepal said the rivalry is “underrated” in regards to its national popularity and standing among other rivalries. 

“I don’t think a lot of people outside of the MAC sports world would know about it,” he said. 

Blake Rainey, a junior political science major, considers himself a casual Kent State sports fan, and has been to several Kent State sporting events, including an Akron vs. Kent State men’s basketball game. Similar to Trepal, he said the atmosphere was much different. 

“It was absolutely packed,” Rainey said. “Everyone’s more energized.” 

Rainey also feels like the rivalry is “respected” around the Northeast Ohio area and that people are familiar with it. He also said there is a certain level of disdain in the rivalry. 

“I’ll see people walking around campus wearing Akron sweatshirts and shirts, and I’m like, ‘This is Kent State, why are you wearing that?’” Rainey said. “The same can go for Akron. I wore a Kent State shirt when I went over to their campus, and I felt like I was getting stares the whole time.”  

Current standing

As of right now, most people associate the Kent State and Akron rivalry with men’s basketball, as both programs have separated themselves as consistent contenders in the MAC. Both teams have combined to win the last three MAC titles, and the way the current season is shaping up, both teams are positioned to be in contention for a title once again. 

While both football programs have had down years recently, both teams take the rivalry very seriously, which keeps the games interesting and competitive. Akron has won the last two matchups and has possession of the wagon wheel. It’ll be up to Kenni Burns to figure things out and retake the wheel and rivalry back in Kent State’s favor. 

John Engoglia is a reporter. Contact him at [email protected].