Ringling, Akron & the ‘Blue Heaven’ Circuit
The Lifespan of a Stadium: The Akron Rubber Bowl
Opened in 1940, the Akron Municipal Stadium — fondly referred to as the Akron Rubber Bowl — was home to 68 years of entertainment and sporting events. From the 1944 Ringling Bros. & Barnum and Bailey circus featured in RINGLING, AKRON & THE ‘BLUE HEAVEN’ CIRCUIT to raucous rock concerts, the Akron Rubber Bowl offered the Greater Akron area a lifetime of memories.
Beginnings
The idea for the stadium was born when the nearby Akron Municipal Airport needed to prevent a swampy hazard from forming where water continually gathered at the end of the runway. Dirt was excavated from a hill adjacent to Derby Downs and the director of the airport, Bain “Shorty” Fulton, began to see the vision for a football stadium.
According to Shorty Fulton’s grandson Mike Fulton, his grandfather traveled the world visiting other stadiums to help inspire the design. Shorty Fulton and Akron Beacon Journal sports journalist James Schlemmer began a campaign asking patrons to donate $1 each to the construction of the stadium.
Eventually, the horseshoe-shaped stadium came together, seating a whopping 35,600 people. In a letter, Shorty Fulton declared the Rubber Bowl “one of the finest recreational areas anywhere in America.”
The Heyday
The inaugural event in June 1940 was a state music and drill competition, but the primary use of the Rubber Bowl was hosting football games. The University of Akron football team, the Akron Zips, played there all 68 years of the Rubber Bowl’s operation and even purchased it from the city in 1971 for just $1. NFL teams including the former Cleveland Rams and Cleveland Browns played preseason games there.
Former Massillon, University of Akron and Ashland University football coach Lee Owens described the endearing, energizing nature of the stadium.
“The fans are right on top of you,” he said. “You’re right there and it’s close, it’s steep, and when it’s full, it’s loud. When the lights would come on and you walked in and you started playing, it just really made it special.”
But Rubber Bowl activities went far beyond touchdowns and field goals — the stadium was also home to track meets, boxing and wrestling matches, Easter services, carnivals, rodeos and more.
A popular music venue, the Akron Rubber Bowl boasts a long line of performances by music greats such as Simon & Garfunkel, Metallica, The Eagles, Tom Petty, Van Halen, Aretha Franklin and Bon Jovi.
The summer of 1972 at the Rubber Bowl was particularly legendary. The Rolling Stones played the venue to a crowd of 50,000 fans crammed in for a glimpse of rock ‘n’ roll royalty. Stevie Wonder was the opening act. Three Dog Night and Alice Cooper were among others booked at the Rubber Bowl that summer. It was a rowdy one — noise complaints, dozens of arrests and numerous injuries occurred. A few of the shows were even cut off early. It was a summer of dreams and nightmares.
Demolition
In 2008, The University of Akron said goodbye to the Akron Rubber Bowl after the construction of the new InfoCision stadium. Over the course of 15 years, various failed plans for the stadium left the Rubber Bowl deserted, attracting vandalism and succumbing to the elements. In its decline, it became a destination for a kind of tourism of abandoned places.
In 2023, the stadium was committed to full demolition under the new Ohio Building Demolition and Site Revitalization Program, which will see 599 blighted buildings and structures torn down.
A beloved local landmark, the Rubber Bowl will live on in the memories of those who once filled its stadium seats, charged the field and performed under the roar of neighboring aircraft.