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The Un i v e r s i T y of Ak r o n • 2008 fo o T b A l l Me d i A GU i d e COACHES AND STAFF J.D. Br o o k h a r t Head Coach Fifth Season Colorado State, 1988 J.D. Brookhart enters his fifth season as Akron’s head football coach. His philosophy towards college football is much like the approach taken by a CEO to a Fortune 500 company, viewing success on the field in the same context as the bottom line in the board room. It is that philosophy which led the Brookhart to be a 2007 Distinguished Sales and Marketing Honoree, as given by the Akron chapter of Sales & Marketing Executives International. He has additionally used his salesmanship to land the top-rated recruiting classes in the Mid-American Conference in 2005, ’06 and ’07 by various publications — all of which produced Freshman All-Americans as season’s end. The mood around the Akron football program is similar to what is found in corporate America, where constant productivity and forward progress is a must and employees are held to the highest level of accountability. The 43-year-old Brookhart, who has a career record of 22-26, views himself not only as a coach and teacher, but also as a manager of people. The role of a manager and the parallels between business and the gridiron come easy to Brookhart, because prior to his move to the coaching ranks he was a highly successful member of the corporate community from which the UA program is modeled. The philosophy was put to use in spring 2004, shortly after his hiring, when he and the coaching staff put the players through a grueling eightweek workout regimen prior to spring practice. The sessions were not only fitness-based, but also a test of wills, to see who would buy into Brookhart’s team-first philosophy which is built around commitment, responsibility and attention to detail. The payoff of the teamwork concept was no more evident than on December 1, 2005, when, after an up-and-down season the team hoisted the Mid-American Conference Championship trophy above its collective heads after a 31-30 triumph over Northern Illinois at Ford Field in Detroit. That thrilling come-from-behind win on national television gave the Zips their first league title in school history and sent them to their first-ever Division I-A bowl game. Akron, which ended the year at 7-6, faced Memphis in the 2005 Motor City Bowl and nearly duplicated the come-from-behind feat again before falling, 38-31. Most importantly, Akron sold out its full allotment of 10,000 tickets for the game and had an estimated 15,000 fans at the game - an indication that Akron football is on the rise. While Brookhart has great business acumen, he could be considered a bit of a gambler. However, like all the world’s top gamblers, they do not rely on luck. They calculate all the possibilities and make the appropriate moves based on experience in order to maximize the odds to his favor. His first “gamble” came in his first year, 2004, moving ‘03 tackles leader Domenik Hixon from defensive back to wide out in order to give recordbreaking quarterback Charlie Frye a big-play target. Hixon responded by tying a UA record with 66 receptions. The following year, another recordsetting QB, Luke Getsy, found Hixon over and over — including a TD in the final seconds to win the MAC title — as the wideout set UA season records for receptions (75) and yards (1,210), the latter which still stands as a school mark. His second “gamble” came in 2005, as Getsy established himself as one of the top quarterbacks in the MAC, Brookhart moved backup QB Jabari Arthur to wide receiver. Over his final three years, thanks to a phenomenal 2007, Arthur left Akron as the UA record holder for receptions in a game, season and career, among others. With that high-powered offense, nearly every record in UA history has fallen during Brookhart’s tenure. Another impressive feat in Brookhart’s four years is the fact that at least one Zip has been selected within the first four rounds of the NFL draft from 2005-08, including Frye, Hixon, offensive line- 54 The J.D. BrookharT File Collegiate Coaching Record: • 22-26 - four seasons at Akron (6-5 in ‘04; 7-6 in ‘05; 5-7 in ‘06; 4-8 in ‘07)) Coaching Experience: • Denver Broncos: coaching assistant, 1995-96 • University of Pittsburgh: assistant coach, 1997-2003 - 2001-03: offensive coordinator/wide receivers - 2000: offensive coordinator/wide receivers/special teams assistant - 1999: wide receivers/special teams assistant - 1997-98: tight ends/special teams assistant • The University of Akron: head coach, 2004-present College Coaching Accomplishments: • At least one Zip has been selecting within the first four rounds of the NFL draft in each of Brookhart’s first four years as Akron. • Zips wide receiver Jabari Arthur set nearly every UA record during the 2007 season, including catches and yards in a game, catches in a season and catches and yards for a career. • Akron claimed its first win over a BCS-member in 2006, defeating North Carolina State, 20-17. • Led the Zips to a number of firsts in 2005: MAC East Division title, MAC Championship game victory and Division I-A bowl appearance. • 2004 Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year, leading Akron to a 6-5 record in 2004, including six league wins, the most since entering the MAC in 1992-93 • Zip quarterbacks Charlie Frye and Luke Getsy dominate the Akron record book for passing and total offense. • Zip receivers under Brookhart, Jabari Arthur and Domenik Hixon, own nearly every record for receivers in the UA annals. • While at Akron, 15 players have signed professional contracts, including Rickey McKenzie (CFL), Chase Blackburn (NFL), Charlie Frye (NFL), Dwayne LeFall (CFL), Cam Teow (CFL), Domenik Hixon (NFL), Andy Alleman (NFL), Luke Getsy (NFL), Kiki Gonzalez (NFL), Jason Nedd (CFL, Jermaine Reid (CFL), Reggie Corner (NFL), Jabari Arthur (NFL), Nate Robinson (NFL) and Davanzo Tate (NFL). • While offensive coordinator at Pittsburgh, 2000-03; coached wide receivers, tight ends and worked with special teams • Coached 2003 Heisman Trophy runner-up and Biletnikoff Award winner Larry Fitzgerald • Coached 2000 Biletnikoff Award winner Antonio Bryant, now with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. • Has coached in five bowl game appearances, including the 2005 Motor City Bowl with Akron and each of his last four seasons at Pittsburgh. • His list of players coached at Pitt includes NFL signees Latef Grim (Detroit Lions, 2001), Darcey Levy (Pittsburgh Steelers, 2001) and R.J. English (Atlanta Falcons, 2002) Playing Career: • Three-year starting wide receiver at Colorado State • Ranks seventh in CSU history with 1,873 career receiving yards and 10th in career receptions with 111 • Sixth in career touchdown receptions with 13 • 1987 GTE Academic All-American • 1987 NCAA GTE Post-Graduate Scholarship Birthdate: • October 17, 1964 in Pueblo, Colo. High School: • Cherry Creek, 1983 College Degree: • B.S., Colorado State, 1988 Family: • Wife, Jami. Sons Joseph (9), Jamison (6), John (3) and Jake (born May 2008). Akron’s 66th and Final Season at the Rubber Bowl

The Un i v e r s i T y of Ak r o n • 2008 fo o T b A l l Me d i A GU i d e COACHES AND STAFF man Andy Alleman and cornerback Reggie Corner. Coming off a 6-5 season in 2004, which saw the Zips competing for the MAC East Division title in the final game, the question was would this team be able to match or go beyond that feat? Gone was team captain Frye (now a lead signal caller for the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks), holder of 54 school records and the undeniable heart and soul of the group. The prognosticators had picked the Zips to finish no better than fourth in the East Division. Enter transfer quarterback Getsy, who would set or tie 25 UA records in his two years under center, and Akron surprised many by opening the 2005 campaign at 2-1. After a season-opening loss at Purdue, the Zips snatched a road win at Middle Tennessee State, and then silenced the critics with a thrilling 48-42 overtime victory over MAC power Northern Illinois at UA’s Rubber Bowl. It looked as though the Zips were well on their way. Thanks to a little help from its friends, Akron found itself in the position of controlling its own postseason destiny in the ‘05 season finale versus Kent State. Not only was the Wagon Wheel trophy on the line, but also a MAC East Division crown and the program’s first-ever appearance in the MAC Championship game. When the final seconds ticked off the clock and the MAC East Champion plaque was presented to the team, it was clear that Brookhart’s vision, and the precedent that was set with the 2004 squad, had become a reality. The 2005 season turnaround was oddly reminiscent of what happened in 2004. After an 0-3 start, the players responded to Brookhart in resounding fashion with a thrilling 24-19 road win over arch rival Kent State on Sept. 23. That victory brought the Wagon Wheel back to Akron and re-energized the Zips’ season. UA reeled off wins in three of its next four games, setting up a showdown with perennial MAC power Marshall. The game was nationally televised by ESPN2 and the Zips, led by the heroics of Frye, stunned the Thundering Herd by coming back from a 21-point, third-quarter deficit to win 31-28 on a last-second field goal by Jason Swiger. That triumph, coupled with a win over Ohio the following week, moved the Zips to 6-4, including a 6-1 mark in the league, and placed UA within one game of its first-ever MAC East Division title. The Zips fell the next week to Miami, 37-27, in the season finale, but it was evident that Brookhart had raised the bar for the program. Akron posted its then-highest league win total (6) as a member of the MAC in 2004, and was within an eyelash of the program’s first-ever Division I-A bowl berth - two feats which were surpassed in 2005. The 6-5 mark was tops among the five first-year head coaches in the league, and was tied for second most nationally among 14 new head coaches, trailing only Mike Price of UTEP (8-3). For his efforts Brookhart was tabbed as MAC Coach of the Year, the first such honor for a UA coach in the program’s 13 years in the league. The Zips were not ranked among the top offensive or defensive teams in the league in terms of total yards, but they did all the little things necessary to win. They led the league in both punt and kickoff returns, were second in fewest penalty yards and third in turnover margin, each an ingredient in a recipe for football success. In a nutshell, the Zips did not beat themselves during 2004, a mantra preached by Brookhart since his arrival at Akron. Under Brookhart’s leadership, the Zips also had their first-ever Vern Smith Leadership Award winner, honoring the top player in the league, when Frye was anointed after the season. Frye, who ended his career among the alltime leaders in NCAA Division I-A history in passing yards and total offense, was also tabbed second-team All-MAC, along with running back Brett Biggs, a first-year junior-college player. The Zips received a number of individual accolades in 2005. Hixon, running back Brett Biggs, defensive lineman Kiki Gonzalez, and linebackers Jay Rohr and Brion Stokes were named to the All-MAC team. In addition, linebacker Kevin Grant, a member of Brookhart’s first recruiting class in February 2004, was named a third team freshman All-American. Brookhart was also tabbed MAC Coach of the Year by CollegeFootball- News.com. The 2006 season did not live up to preseason expectations, as the Zips went 5-7. However, there were a number of highlights from the season. After making a solid showing at Penn State in the season opener, Akron went to North Carolina State the following week and pulled out a victory on the They SaiD iT..... “Coach Brookhart was great to play for. He was a big reason why I stayed one more season (at Akron). I’m disappointed we only had one year together because I learned a lot from him. He taught me so much about the technical aspects of the game. Off the field, he’s also great to be around every day.” - Charlie Frye former Zips and current Seattle Seahwaks quarterback “The University of Akron scored big with the hiring of coach Brookhart. He is a player’s coach. He makes football fun, while bringing topnotch preparation, intensity and a winning attitude to the players and team. He has been a great coach and mentor to me and always made me feel part of his family.” - Larry Fitzgerald former Pittsburgh and current Arizona Cardinals wide receiver “J.D. is an outstanding coaching who grew tremendously during his time on my staff at Pittsburgh. He developed a pair of Biletnikoff Award winners and a runner-up for the Heisman Trophy. His intelligence, expertise and championship drive will lead UA to the top of the Mid-American Conference.” - Walt Harris, former head coach at Stanford and Pittsburgh “Over the course of my career, at both the collegiate and professional levels, I have coached with a lot of different coaches and there are only a handful I would recommend without reservation and J.D. Brookhart is one of them. He is a class guy who does everything in a professional manner and will experience great success at The University of Akron.” - Mike Shanahan, head coach of the Denver Broncos “J.D. Brookhart is one of the outstanding young minds in college football. He did an excellent job at Pittsburgh and I see him having great success at Akron.” - Pete Carroll, head football coach at USC “J.D. Brookhart is one of the best young recruiters in the country. He helped Pittsburgh move up the recruiting ranks and will do the same at Akron. Players, alums and fans will like his positive, hardworking and exciting style of play.” - Tom Lemming, ESPN.com game’s last play to record the program’s first victory over a BCS team. The list of honors for Brookhart players, in particular at wide receiver, continued as David Harvey was named first team Freshman All-American. Also, quarterback Luke Getsy and Andy Alleman were both selected to participate in the NFL Combine with Alleman being snatched in the third round of the draft by the New Orleans Saints. In 2007, the Zips opened the year by beating Army in the first Patriot Bowl at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Akron would then produce five turnovers and only trailed eventual national champion runner-up Ohio State 3-2 at halftime before losing 20-2. The first of the Zips’ dramatic finishes came in week four as UA senior Davanzo Tate picked off a pass in the endzone as time expired allowing Akron to win back the Wagon Wheel with a 27-20 victory — the last time the Wagon Wheel would be fought for in the Rubber Bowl. That was a prelude to one of the top plays in college football in 2007 as Akron, down 38-24 at Western Michigan in the fourth quarter, scored 15 unanswered points, including a miraculous return of a free kick following a safety as time expired for the 39-38 decision. Arthur would earn fourth team All-American honors, catching a UA record 86 passes for 1,171 yards. Corner led the MAC and ranked fourth nationally with seven interceptions. Defensive end Almondo Sewell was tabbed honorable mention Freshman All-American. Also, with Brookhart taking over as special teams coordinator full time, Bryan Williams finished second in the NCAA in kick returns while Andre Jones was 11th in the NCAA in punt returns as Akron was the only team in the nation with two players among the top 15 in both categories. Arthur and Corner would both be named first team All-MAC in 2007, becoming just the sixth and seventh Zips to earn such a distinction. In all, a school-record eight players were named All-MAC with second team picks Stokes, Chris Kemme and Sewell as well as third team selections John Mackey, Grant and Williams (both as a running back and return specialist). Akron’s 66th and Final Season at the Rubber Bowl 55

The Un i v e r s i T y <strong>of</strong> Ak r o n • 2008 fo o T b A l l Me d i A GU i d e<br />

COACHES AND STAFF<br />

J.D. Br o o k h a r t<br />

Head Coach<br />

Fifth Season<br />

Colorado State, 1988<br />

J.D. Brookhart enters his fifth season<br />

as Akron’s head football coach. His philosophy<br />

towards college football is much<br />

like the approach taken by a CEO to a<br />

Fortune 500 company, viewing success<br />

on the field in the same context as the<br />

bottom line in the board room.<br />

It is that philosophy which led the<br />

Brookhart to be a 2007 Distinguished<br />

Sales and Marketing Honoree, as given<br />

by the Akron chapter <strong>of</strong> Sales & Marketing<br />

Executives International. He has additionally used his salesmanship to<br />

land the top-rated recruiting classes in the Mid-American Conference in<br />

2005, ’06 and ’07 by various publications — all <strong>of</strong> which produced Freshman<br />

All-Americans as season’s end.<br />

The mood around the Akron football program is similar to what is found<br />

in corporate America, where constant productivity and forward progress is<br />

a must and employees are held to the highest level <strong>of</strong> accountability.<br />

The 43-year-old Brookhart, who has a career record <strong>of</strong> 22-26, views himself<br />

not only as a coach and teacher, but also as a manager <strong>of</strong> people.<br />

The role <strong>of</strong> a manager and the parallels between business and the gridiron<br />

come easy to Brookhart, because prior to his move to the coaching<br />

ranks he was a highly successful member <strong>of</strong> the corporate community from<br />

which the UA program is modeled.<br />

The philosophy was put to use in spring 2004, shortly after his hiring,<br />

when he and the coaching staff put the players through a grueling eightweek<br />

workout regimen prior to spring practice.<br />

The sessions were not only fitness-based, but also a test <strong>of</strong> wills, to see<br />

who would buy into Brookhart’s team-first philosophy which is built around<br />

commitment, responsibility and attention to detail.<br />

The pay<strong>of</strong>f <strong>of</strong> the teamwork concept was no more evident than on December<br />

1, 2005, when, after an up-and-down season the team hoisted the<br />

Mid-American Conference Championship trophy above its collective heads<br />

after a 31-30 triumph over Northern Illinois at Ford Field in Detroit.<br />

That thrilling come-from-behind win on national television gave the Zips<br />

their first league title in school history and sent them to their first-ever Division<br />

I-A bowl game.<br />

Akron, which ended the year at 7-6, faced Memphis in the 2005 Motor<br />

City Bowl and nearly duplicated the come-from-behind feat again before<br />

falling, 38-31. Most importantly, Akron sold out its full allotment <strong>of</strong> 10,000<br />

tickets for the game and had an estimated 15,000 fans at the game - an<br />

indication that Akron football is on the rise.<br />

While Brookhart has great business acumen, he could be considered a<br />

bit <strong>of</strong> a gambler. However, like all the world’s top gamblers, they do not rely<br />

on luck. They calculate all the possibilities and make the appropriate moves<br />

based on experience in order to maximize the odds to his favor.<br />

His first “gamble” came in his first year, 2004, moving ‘03 tackles leader<br />

Domenik Hixon from defensive back to wide out in order to give recordbreaking<br />

quarterback Charlie Frye a big-play target. Hixon responded by<br />

tying a UA record with 66 receptions. The following year, another recordsetting<br />

QB, Luke Getsy, found Hixon over and over — including a TD in the<br />

final seconds to win the MAC title — as the wideout set UA season records<br />

for receptions (75) and yards (1,210), the latter which still stands as a school<br />

mark.<br />

His second “gamble” came in 2005, as Getsy established himself as one<br />

<strong>of</strong> the top quarterbacks in the MAC, Brookhart moved backup QB Jabari<br />

Arthur to wide receiver. Over his final three years, thanks to a phenomenal<br />

2007, Arthur left Akron as the UA record holder for receptions in a game,<br />

season and career, among others.<br />

With that high-powered <strong>of</strong>fense, nearly every record in UA history has<br />

fallen during Brookhart’s tenure. Another impressive feat in Brookhart’s four<br />

years is the fact that at least one Zip has been selected within the first four<br />

rounds <strong>of</strong> the NFL draft from 2005-08, including Frye, Hixon, <strong>of</strong>fensive line-<br />

54<br />

The J.D. BrookharT File<br />

Collegiate Coaching Record:<br />

• 22-26 - four seasons at Akron<br />

(6-5 in ‘04; 7-6 in ‘05; 5-7 in ‘06; 4-8 in ‘07))<br />

Coaching Experience:<br />

• Denver Broncos: coaching assistant, 1995-96<br />

• University <strong>of</strong> Pittsburgh: assistant coach, 1997-2003<br />

- 2001-03: <strong>of</strong>fensive coordinator/wide receivers<br />

- 2000: <strong>of</strong>fensive coordinator/wide receivers/special teams assistant<br />

- 1999: wide receivers/special teams assistant<br />

- 1997-98: tight ends/special teams assistant<br />

• The University <strong>of</strong> Akron: head coach, 2004-present<br />

<strong>College</strong> Coaching Accomplishments:<br />

• At least one Zip has been selecting within the first four rounds <strong>of</strong> the NFL draft in<br />

each <strong>of</strong> Brookhart’s first four years as Akron.<br />

• Zips wide receiver Jabari Arthur set nearly every UA record during the 2007 season,<br />

including catches and yards in a game, catches in a season and catches and<br />

yards for a career.<br />

• Akron claimed its first win over a BCS-member in 2006, defeating North Carolina<br />

State, 20-17.<br />

• Led the Zips to a number <strong>of</strong> firsts in 2005: MAC East Division title, MAC Championship<br />

game victory and Division I-A bowl appearance.<br />

• 2004 Mid-American Conference Coach <strong>of</strong> the Year, leading Akron to a 6-5 record<br />

in 2004, including six league wins, the most since entering the MAC in 1992-93<br />

• Zip quarterbacks Charlie Frye and Luke Getsy dominate the Akron record book<br />

for passing and total <strong>of</strong>fense.<br />

• Zip receivers under Brookhart, Jabari Arthur and Domenik Hixon, own nearly every<br />

record for receivers in the UA annals.<br />

• While at Akron, 15 players have signed pr<strong>of</strong>essional contracts, including Rickey<br />

McKenzie (CFL), Chase Blackburn (NFL), Charlie Frye (NFL), Dwayne LeFall<br />

(CFL), Cam Teow (CFL), Domenik Hixon (NFL), Andy Alleman (NFL), Luke Getsy<br />

(NFL), Kiki Gonzalez (NFL), Jason Nedd (CFL, Jermaine Reid (CFL), Reggie Corner<br />

(NFL), Jabari Arthur (NFL), Nate Robinson (NFL) and Davanzo Tate (NFL).<br />

• While <strong>of</strong>fensive coordinator at Pittsburgh, 2000-03; coached wide receivers, tight<br />

ends and worked with special teams<br />

• Coached 2003 Heisman Trophy runner-up and Biletnik<strong>of</strong>f Award winner Larry<br />

Fitzgerald<br />

• Coached 2000 Biletnik<strong>of</strong>f Award winner Antonio Bryant, now with the Tampa Bay<br />

Buccaneers.<br />

• Has coached in five bowl game appearances, including the 2005 Motor City Bowl<br />

with Akron and each <strong>of</strong> his last four seasons at Pittsburgh.<br />

• His list <strong>of</strong> players coached at Pitt includes NFL signees Latef Grim (Detroit Lions,<br />

2001), Darcey Levy (Pittsburgh Steelers, 2001) and R.J. English (Atlanta Falcons,<br />

2002)<br />

Playing Career:<br />

• Three-year starting wide receiver at Colorado State<br />

• Ranks seventh in CSU history with 1,873 career receiving yards and 10th in career<br />

receptions with 111<br />

• Sixth in career touchdown receptions with 13<br />

• 1987 GTE Academic All-American<br />

• 1987 NCAA GTE Post-Graduate Scholarship<br />

Birthdate:<br />

• October 17, 1964 in Pueblo, Colo.<br />

High School:<br />

• Cherry Creek, 1983<br />

<strong>College</strong> Degree:<br />

• B.S., Colorado State, 1988<br />

Family:<br />

• Wife, Jami. Sons Joseph (9), Jamison (6), John (3) and Jake (born May 2008).<br />

Akron’s 66th and Final Season at the Rubber Bowl

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