The University of Akron has finalized the sale of the Rubber Bowl, and the new owner is poised to begin gutting the facility for its new life.
Sean Mason, president of Team 1 Marketing, said the company will invest as much as $35 million to remake the bowl for what he hopes will be a U.S. Football League franchise.
“It will go down to a shell — seats, everything,” Mason said Thursday. “Everything will be new and updated.”
The Canton company paid $38,000 for the bowl that covers 6.8 acres next to the home of the All-American Soap Box Derby and Akron-Fulton International Airport in southeast Akron.
The nearly 73-year-old bowl first was owned by the city, then UA. The university used it for football games until it opened the on-campus InfoCision Stadium in 2009.
Mason hopes the bowl’s new incarnation will include a dome, for which he’s waiting on lender approval. If the dome isn’t funded, the construction price will drop to $16 million to $18 million.
Mason also said the company has approached the city of Akron about buying 5 to 10 acres of city land for parking. Mason said Team 1 wants to pave enough land for 5,000 to 8,000 parking spaces.
Team 1 continues to be interested in the nearby John W. Heisman Lodge, a 14,000-square-foot building with stone fireplaces the university has used for pregame receptions. UA still owns the lodge, and the city has the first right of refusal on a sale, Mason said.
If all goes as Team 1 hopes, the bowl will be home to a U.S. Football League franchise called the Akron Fire in spring 2014. The Akron team would be one of eight teams in the fledgling league.
The facility no longer will be known as the Rubber Bowl, as Team 1 doesn’t own that name. So the company will be selling naming rights, Mason said.
“We’re hoping that we’ll get a local company, but right now it looks like it will be out of state,” he said.
Carol Biliczky can be reached at cbiliczky@thebeaconjournal.com or 330-996-3729.