Wagon Wheel (trophy)

Wagon Wheel

Akron Zips Kent State Golden Flashes
Sport	Football
First meeting	1923 Akron 32, Kent State 0
Latest meeting	November 1, 2023 Akron 31, Kent State 27
Next meeting	November 19, 2024
Trophy	Wagon Wheel (since November 16, 1946)
Statistics
Meetings total	66
All-time series	Akron leads, 36–28–2
Trophy series	Kent State leads, 27–25–1
Largest victory	Kent State, 47–0 (1949)
Longest win streak	Kent State, 10 (1942–1954)
Current win streak	Akron, 1 (2023–present)

10km
6miles

Kent State

Akron

  

Locations of the University of Akron and Kent State University

The Blue and Gold Wagon Wheel, now known simply as the Wagon Wheel, is awarded to the winner of the annual college football game between the Zips of the University of Akron and the Golden Flashes of Kent State University. The trophy is, as the name implies, the wheel from a horse-drawn wagon that is painted blue and gold, the school colors for both universities. It was first contested in 1946 when the rivalry resumed after World War II.

Although the two schools are in neighboring Northeast Ohio counties and are only approximately 10 miles (16 km) apart, they only played each other in football periodically since the first meeting in 1923. The rivalry was contested annually over several periods of time, but none lasted longer than nine consecutive years prior to the current run. Akron joined the Mid-American Conference in 1992, and since then, the rivalry has been played every year. Through the 2023 game, Kent State leads the Wagon Wheel series 27–25–1. Akron leads the overall series 36–28–2.

History

The University of Akron and Kent State University, located approximately 10 miles (16 km) apart, first played football against each other in 1923, a 32–0 win for Akron. The two schools did not meet again until 1928 and played annually from 1928 through the 1936 game. From 1932–1935, both teams were members of the Ohio Athletic Conference, which Akron had joined in 1915 and Kent had joined in 1932. During that time period, all of the games were Akron wins except a scoreless tie in 1932. After Akron left the OAC in 1936, the series was interrupted again after the 1936 meeting and resumed in 1940 with Akron wins in 1940 and 1941 before Kent State recorded their first win in the series with a 23–6 win in 1942. World War II halted the series again as neither school fielded a team for the 1943, 1944, and 1945 seasons. ^{[1] [2]}

Akron rejoined the OAC in 1944 and the Wagon Wheel trophy was introduced when the series resumed in 1946. It was the idea of Raymond Manchester, the dean of men at Kent State. Manchester donated the wheel, claiming it had been discovered in Kent in 1902 during construction of a pipeline or building near the eventual site of Kent State University. He connected the wheel to both schools by creating a legend that the wheel had been part of the carriage of Akron industrialist John R. Buchtel, the main benefactor and original namesake of what is now the University of Akron (known as Buchtel College from 1872–1913). Manchester's story was that Buchtel had been near the future site of Kent State in 1870 while scouting for a site to locate a new college. Buchtel's carriage became stuck in the mud and his horses pulled it apart, with one of the wheels becoming embedded in the mud. That incident, Manchester claimed, caused Buchtel to ultimately choose Akron as the site of the new college, which opened in 1872 and eventually became the University of Akron. ^[3]

While Akron went 10–0–1 in the rivalry's beginning, Kent State proceeded to win the next 10 games, including the first 9 of the Wagon Wheel series. Several of the wins were by large margins, including a 47–0 win in 1949 that stands as the largest margin of victory for either team. Prior to Kent State's 58–18 win in 1954, Akron announced the series was being discontinued as being noncompetitive. ^{[1] [2] [4]}

In the 1970s, the rivalry was revived, but the teams only met occasionally as they played in different conferences and different NCAA levels. The first meeting was in 1972, which resulted in a 13–13 tie, and they met again two years later in 1974. Kent State's 51–14 win in the 1974 game capped a stretch where the Golden Flashes went 11–0–1 against the Zips and tied the overall series. Akron finally recorded their first Wagon Wheel win five years later with a 15–13 win at the Rubber Bowl and the Zips' first win over KSU since 1941. The two teams next played in 1981 and again from 1983–1990. 1991 was the last interruption in the rivalry before Akron began MAC competition the following year. Since 1992, the game has been played every year. ^{[1] [2]}

Beginning with the 1997 meeting, the Zips won six in a row and 11 of 13. Kent State's only wins in that span came in 2003 with a 41–38 victory at the Rubber Bowl led by Joshua Cribbs, and a 37–15 win at Dix Stadium in 2006. The 2009 game in Akron, the teams' first meeting at InfoCision Stadium – Summa Field, resulted in a 28–20 Akron win, which tied the Wagon Wheel series at 19 wins each. Since then, the series remained tied through 2019. ^{[1] [2]}

Conference affiliations

Since 1992, both Kent State and Akron have been members of the Mid-American Conference, and when the MAC divided into divisions in 1997, both schools were placed in the East Division. From 1932–1935 and 1944–1950, both schools were members of the Ohio Athletic Conference. Akron joined the OAC in 1915 but left in 1936 only to rejoin in 1944. Kent State joined the OAC in 1932 and remained a member until joining the MAC in 1951. ^{[1] [2]}

In 1956, the NCAA divided its membership into two divisions: the University Division for larger schools and the College Division for smaller schools. Kent State, with other MAC schools, played in the University Division, which became Division I in 1974 and Division I-A in 1978. Akron and the OAC played in the College Division, which eventually became Divisions II and III. After leaving the OAC in 1966, the Zips played as an independent. When the NCAA changed the divisions again to create three, the Zips played one season, 1973, in Division III before moving to Division II in 1974, where they continued to compete as an independent until joining the Mid-Continent Conference for the 1978 and 1979 seasons. The following year, 1980, Akron moved to Division I-AA, and began play in the Ohio Valley Conference. In 1987, the Zips left the OVC in football and transitioned to Division I-A, becoming the first team to do so since Division I had been divided. From 1987 through the 1991 season, the Zips were again independent in football until they joined the MAC for the 1992 season. ^{[1] [2]}

Game results

Akron victories

Kent State victories

Tie games

No. Date Location Winner Score 1 October 6, 1923 Akron, OH Akron 32–0 2 October 20, 1928 Akron, OH Akron 8–6 3 October 5, 1929 Akron, OH Akron 25–0 4 October 11, 1930 Akron, OH Akron 12–6 5 October 10, 1931 Akron, OH Akron 12–7 6 October 22, 1932 Akron, OH Tie 0–0 7 October 7, 1933 Kent, OH Akron 19–6 8 October 5, 1934 Akron, OH Akron 26–0 9 October 11, 1935 Akron, OH Akron 3–0 10 October 9, 1936 Akron, OH Akron 6–0 11 November 9, 1940 Akron, OH Akron 23–7 12 November 15, 1941 Akron, OH Akron 41–13 13 November 14, 1942 Akron, OH Kent State 23–6 14 November 15, 1946 Kent, OH Kent State 13–6 15 November 14, 1947 Akron, OH Kent State 6–0 16 November 12, 1948 Akron, OH Kent State 31–0 17 November 12, 1949 Kent, OH Kent State 47–0 18 November 11, 1950 Akron, OH Kent State 19–7 19 November 10, 1951 Kent, OH Kent State 48–7 20 November 7, 1952 Akron, OH Kent State 34–14 21 November 7, 1953 Kent, OH Kent State 54–19 22 November 6, 1954 Akron, OH Kent State 58–18 23 September 9, 1972 Akron, OH Tie 13–13 24 October 26, 1974 Kent, OH Kent State 51–14 25 September 15, 1979 Akron, OH Akron 15–13 26 September 19, 1981 Kent, OH Kent State 17–6 27 September 3, 1983 Akron, OH Akron 13–6 28 September 1, 1984 Kent, OH Kent State 24–17 29 September 14, 1985 Akron, OH Akron 24–0 30 September 13, 1986 Kent, OH Akron 17–7 31 September 12, 1987 Akron, OH Kent State 27–23 32 September 10, 1988 Kent, OH Kent State 32–12 33 September 9, 1989 Akron, OH Akron 40–7 34 September 8, 1990 Kent, OH Akron 38–10 No. Date Location Winner Score 35 October 10, 1992 Kent, OH Kent State 20–16 36 September 11, 1993 Akron, OH Akron 42–7 37 September 17, 1994 Kent, OH Kent State 32–16 38 October 28, 1995 Akron, OH Akron 14–6 39 October 5, 1996 Kent, OH Kent State 32–17 40 November 8, 1997 Akron, OH Akron 45–35 41 October 10, 1998 Kent, OH Akron 45–16 42 November 13, 1999 Akron, OH Akron 37–34 43 November 18, 2000 Kent, OH Akron 34–6 44 September 29, 2001 Akron, OH Akron 14–10 45 November 23, 2002 Kent, OH Akron 48–10 46 August 28, 2003 Akron, OH Kent State 41–38 47 September 23, 2004 Kent, OH Akron 24–19 48 November 24, 2005 Akron, OH Akron 35–3 49 September 30, 2006 Kent, OH Kent State 37–15 50 September 22, 2007 Akron, OH Akron 27–20 51 October 4, 2008 Kent, OH Akron 30–27 52 November 7, 2009 Akron, OH Akron 28–20 53 October 9, 2010 Kent, OH Kent State 28–17 54 November 12, 2011 Akron, OH Kent State 35–3 55 November 3, 2012 Kent, OH Kent State 35–24 56 November 2, 2013 Akron, OH Akron 16–7 57 November 28, 2014 Kent, OH Kent State 27–24 58 November 28, 2015 Akron, OH Akron 20–0 59 October 1, 2016 Kent, OH Akron 31–27 60 November 21, 2017 Akron, OH Akron 24–14 61 October 20, 2018 Kent, OH Akron 24–23 62 October 12, 2019 Akron, OH Kent State 26–3 63 November 17, 2020 Kent, OH Kent State 69–35 64 November 20, 2021 Akron, OH Kent State 38–0 65 October 22, 2022 Kent, OH Kent State 33–27 66 November 1, 2023 Akron, OH Akron 31–27 67 November 19, 2024 Kent, OH Series: Akron leads 36–28–2

Wagon Wheel Challenge

In 2011, the two schools began the Wagon Wheel Challenge, which counts all athletic contests in the sports where they compete head-to-head. Initially, the challenge involved 15 sports, but was reduced to 14 from 2015 to 2019 after Akron eliminated their baseball program. Following the reinstatement of Akron's baseball team and the addition of Women's Lacrosse at Akron in 2019, the challenge grew to 16 sports, but was reduced back to 14 after UA discontinued its men's cross country, men's golf, and women's tennis teams in 2020. ^[5] From 2011 to 2015, through a sponsorship agreement with PNC Financial Services it was known as the "PNC Wagon Wheel Challenge". Beginning in 2016, it became sponsored by Crystal Clinic Orthopaedic Center. Each sport is worth one point, awarded to the winning team. In sports with multiple meetings per season, whichever team wins the most games takes the full point. If the teams split the season's meetings, each school gets a half-point. For sports that only compete against each other as part of the conference championship meet, such as cross country, golf, and track and field, whichever team finishes higher in the championship meet is awarded the point. Games in the respective conference tournaments can also factor in to which school receives the point if the teams split their regular-season meetings, with the conference tournament meeting acting as a deciding game. The first 10 years of the challenge have seen a split between the two schools. Kent State took victory in the first four seasons, followed by Akron in the next five, including the abbreviated 2019–20 season, and Kent State has won the next three through the 2022–23 season. ^{[6] [7]}

Legend

Akron victories

Kent State victories

Ties

Not contested

Year	Winner	Total score	Baseball [lower-alpha 1]	Men's basketball	Women's basketball	Men's cross country [lower-alpha 2]	Women's cross country	Football	Men's golf [lower-alpha 2]	Women's golf	Women's soccer	Softball	Men's track and field (indoor)	Women's track and field (indoor)	Men's track and field (outdoor)	Women's track and field (outdoor)	Women's volleyball	Women's Lacrosse [lower-alpha 3]
2011–12	Kent State	9–6	3–1	3–0	1–1	KSU	UA	KSU	KSU	KSU	KSU	2–0	UA	KSU	UA	KSU	1–1
2012–13	Kent State	8–7	3–0	2–1	2–0	UA	UA	KSU	KSU	KSU	KSU	2–0	UA	KSU	UA	KSU	2–0
2013–14	Kent State	8.5–6.5	3–1	1–1	2–0	UA	UA	UA	KSU	KSU	KSU	2–0	UA	KSU	UA	KSU	2–0
2014–15	Kent State	8–7	2–1	2–1	2–0	UA	KSU	KSU	KSU	KSU	KSU	2–1	UA	UA	UA	UA	2–0
2015–16	Akron	7.5–6.5		1–1	2-0	UA	KSU	UA	KSU	KSU	KSU	2–1	UA	UA	UA	UA	2–0
2016-17	Akron	7.5–6.5		2–1	2–0	UA	UA	UA	KSU	KSU	KSU	2–1	UA	UA	UA	UA	1–1
2017–18	Akron	7.5–6.5		1–1	1–1	UA	UA	UA	KSU	KSU	KSU	2–1	KSU	UA	UA	UA	1–1
2018–19	Akron	7.5–6.5		1–1	2–0	UA	UA	UA	KSU	KSU	KSU	2–0	UA	UA	UA	UA	2–0
2019–20	Akron	5–4	[lower-alpha 4]	1–1	2–0	UA	UA	KSU	[lower-alpha 4]	[lower-alpha 4]	KSU	[lower-alpha 4]	UA	UA	[lower-alpha 4]	[lower-alpha 4]	1–1	[lower-alpha 4]
2020–21	Kent State	8–6	3–1	2–0	1–0		UA	KSU		KSU	1–1	4–0	UA	UA	UA	KSU	2–0	1–1
2021–22	Kent State	8–6	2–2	2–1	2–0		UA	KSU		KSU	KSU	2–1	UA	UA	KSU	UA	2–0	1–1
2022–23	Kent State	11.5–2.5	4–0	2–1	2–0		KSU	KSU		KSU	KSU	2–1	KSU	KSU	UA	UA	1–1	2–0
2023–24	tbd	tbd	tbd	3–0	2-0		UA	UA		tbd	KSU	tbd	KSU	KSU	tbd	tbd	2–0	tbd

1. Baseball was discontinued at UA after the 2014–15 season; resumed in 2019–20
2. Men's cross country and men's golf were discontinued at UA after the 2019–20 season
3. Women's lacrosse added by Kent State in the 2018–19 season; added at UA in 2019–20
4. Seven remaining contests canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic

References

1. "Year-by-Year Results" (PDF). 2013 Akron Football Media Guide. University of Akron. 2013. Retrieved October 13, 2013.
2. "Record Book" (PDF). 2011 Kent State Football Media Guide. Kent State University. 2011. Retrieved October 13, 2013.
3. Gilgenbach, Cara; Walton, Theresa (2008). Kent State University Athletics. Arcadia Publishing. p. 98.
4. "Flashes-Zips Cut Grid Play". Daily Kent Stater. Vol. 1, no. 14. October 13, 1954. p. 4. Retrieved May 5, 2017. Red Cochran, athletic director at Akron, has announced that the Zips are dropping the Flashes from its football schedule. "Kent's football program has outgrown ours," stated Cochran.
5. Sloop, Hope (May 14, 2020). "University of Akron discontinuing men's cross country, men's golf, and women's tennis in new budget cuts". WKYC . Retrieved May 9, 2021.
6. "PNC Wagon Wheel Challenge". WagonWheelChallenge.com. 2019. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
7. "NCAA Cancels Competition due to COVID-19". 2020. Retrieved Mar 12, 2020.