This is no way to start — and end — your collegiate career as an offensive coordinator.
Akron held a contest this offseason to have a season-ticket holder serve as the honorary OC for the first offensive possession of Saturday’s game against Robert Morris, but the Zips turned the ball over on a fumble with fan Marty Whims II wearing the headset.
Redshirt sophomore wide receiver Marcel Williams fumbled on a third-and-11 play on the Zips’ opening drive, ending the play-calling duties for Whims, a 46-year-old financial officer for a Cleveland real estate company.
Whims, an Akron alumnus, helped head coach Joe Moorhead script plays for the first series of the Week 2 matchup.
“It’s super cool,” Whims said on the team’s website after he was announced as the winner of the contest in mid-August. “My boss shared it on LinkedIn, so business contacts are reaching out, friends, family.
“I mean, everybody’s just super excited about it, wishing me good luck. It’s been awesome.”
The Zips announced the contest on social media on Aug. 4, and their initial post generated more than 23 million views.
According to the athletic department, all season-ticket holders would be automatically entered into a random drawing, spurring several new purchases of ticket packages, including ESPN’s Pat McAfee and Barstool Sports’ Dan Katz.
