Abandoned - Rubber Bowl Stadium 

The bizarrely pristine astroturf just accentuates the steadily increasing decay around it.

Man that looks like a really cool venue for sports and concerts. Such a shame it was left abandoned and left in disrepair.

When I was 14 my older brother took me to the Rubber Bowl on a sweltering summer day to see the Monsters of Rock tour. He was there for Van Halen and I was there for Metallica. What a day.

Ohio seems to have some of the best-known abandoned places.

I saw the Monsters of Rock concert there sometime around 1991. The lineup was Kingdom Come, Metallica, Dokken, Scorpions, and Van Halen (in that order).

I find it bizarre that they haven’t utilised the hill as some form of amphitheater, that’s perfect for concerts or a festival, low running costs if they were to bring in temporary staging and amenities. It’s perfect for that

Akronite here. And fan of the channel. I was there many times. I marched in the north Akron high-school band. Akron high-schools played games there. Notably homecoming games as we didn't have a home field for our school.

I love the satellite imagery showing what the location used to look like, compared to what it looks like now. It's a shame it never got rehabbed. Great video!

Honestly never thought I’d see another video about Akron since the Rolling Acres video. Such a shame that this stadium went to waste, especially considering its history.

honey wake up bright sun films dropped

I drive past the hill where this once stood every day.

This is such a niche topic to cover for an abandoned place, but I am always glad you cover these type of niche places. Makes me excited to see a random abandoned place I looked up months/years ago getting covered and making me want to search it up again

I live 5 minutes away from the site and like many people from Akron, the rubber bowl holds tons of memories! I went to a lot of high school football games there in the 90's and I even got to work with the officiating crew holding the first down markers for a few games. Winter games were the worst! the way the wind whipped around in that bowl, every bit of that chill hit you to the bone!! Thanks so much for this video!!

I was there back in 2021. So cool from an exploration standpoint. I'm happy I brought my camera because I had no clue how close the full demolition greenlight was at that time.

Man, Akron must not be a strong tourist destination if its places of interest keep falling apart. But thanks for the video!

Saw the Rolling Stones there in 1973! Saw many, many concerts that summer...Alice Cooper, Humble Pie, Stevie Wonder with the Rolling Stones, J Geils band :-)

Last summer I was going to see the USAF museum and stopped by the airfield to look at the blimp hangar. Ran into that bowl and the soap box hill and was Left wondering what was it's history. Really happy to see a video on it

warms my heart to see a youtuber whose art i enjoy, talking about a place so close to my hometown. i grew up in mogadore, a little town about a mile from the rubber bowl, and it was always the spot to go if you wanted to feel like a real urban explorer. tons of history and memories on those grounds

This is right in my backyard. It was really a great place to go for live music and football. So sad how it all ended.

Hey Jake, I'm not sure if you still take audience requests, but the art deco design of the Rubber Bowl reminded me of a stadium in my area from the same time period that I think could be an interesting topic. It's Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson, NJ. It opened in the 30s, was abandoned in the 90s, and was recently remodeled and reopened. There's a lot of interesting history to it, and I think it could make for a good episode.

I miss playing high school football playoff games on that field

I grew up right down the road from that stadium. That would be a crazy prospect of having 30,000 people down in the derby downs. thanks for covering this. I enjoyed it and learn more about that iconic stadium.

My grandfather used to coach at Akron before they left the Rubber bowl, I remember going to a few games there as a kid but what I remember most about it is that it was a very popular albeit creepy place to go explore in high school

The last NFL game played in the Rubber Bowl was on Thanksgiving Day 1952. The hapless Dallas Texans in their only season, became nomads after they got booted from the Cotton Bowl. George Halas decided to sit his starters, even though his Bears team didn't have a good record. The Texans in their only Rubber Bowl game beat the Bears for their one and only win in franchise history. The assets of the Texans were sold, and would be reorganized as the Baltimore Colts in 1953. Colts legends Art Donovan and Gino Marchetti were members of the 1952 Texans.

Nice video! BTW, on the theme of sports, can you make a video of Abandoned about the Winter Olympics of Sarajevo 1984? It's incredibbly eerie to see the Bobsled track, the Ski Jump Slope, and vacant stadium, all because of the Bosnian War. I totally recommend to check those Olympics.

Went to U of A. Freshman year was fall of 08. Went to one of the last games there (against Toledo). I think we won. It was a really cool place. I have yet to go to a game at the new stadium all these years later 😂. Another terrific video my man! Thanks for sharing history about my little corner of the globe.

Been watching your videos for months and only now just realize that I wasn't subscribed. You were just always at the top of my recommended so I never realized. SUBBED!

Rolling Acres, Chapel Hill and Quaker Square just to name a few of Akron Ohio downfalls and decline. Great informative video and Keep em Rolling!

I saw ozzfest 98 there. It was actually a good venue for it.

I remembered the Rubber Bowl advertised on highway signs on I-76. If I were the City, I'd plant perennial flowers in 3 seasons. They can last for at least a dozen years and make the Rubber Bowl Hill quite wonderful.

the SPEED at which i clicked on this‼ I actually got to explore this in 2020 before it got torn down and I grew up like MINUTES away! Literally gasped so hard when I saw this notification!

My grandparents both grew up in Akron in the 30s… love thinking of them enjoying their youths here. Thank you for this one!

Thank you for the vid like always Jake!

Great job as always Jake!

Awesome! Thanks for the new video!

The Rubber Bowl had lighting masts mounted at field-level and blocking views right up until the end. I assume the lights could never be moved higher because it's so close to the runway. That becomes even more interesting after learning that the stadium's origin is directly linked to the airport. The Goodyear Airdock is also located next to the runway. For most of a century few people would have expected to see the gigantic blimp hangar last while the stadium was the one to become obsolete and be demolished

Was at the final game, grandstand seats broke in 3rd OT when students were jumping on it. It was so run down then it was unbelievable. What's missing in this was the countless issues it had going back to the 70s. I've heard stories you couldn't get hot water in the locker rooms ever and the visitors locker room was the smallest in college football. It was an unique stadium, however it far outlived its use. University of Akron really put itself in financial troubles since Infocision and the Football team (love Coach Moorhead) will just never be consistently good to be worth that spending. Great video!

I love all your videos and movie. Awesome work and keep going :) 😊

My freshman year at the University of Akron was the final season at the Rubber Bowl. By then, it was already over. A lot of the metal grandstands were already missing and replaced with wood. Bathrooms were small and frequently out of order. Parking for students was chaos, especially for the conference games. It was a mess. Their current stadium on campus isn't amazing by any means, but it at least serves many more functions and need for the teams and the fans than the Rubber Bowl could at the end. I miss the stadium in the hill but its not something I'd ever wish to experience again.

Really enjoyed this. There is an abandoned football stadium in Downtown Atlanta. I believe it even hosted an Olympic event. I’m sure you know about it but I would be highly interested in the history and why it’s in the state it is now. Great content!

There is a mall I used to go to as a kid named Exton Square Mall (Exton, PA). It was doing good for a while. But when Sears went bankrupt in 2018, the mall started a very small decline that was not much to worry of at first. When covid was still ramping up, I went there for the last time before the pandemic. I remember in one of the big areas of the mall, I remember seeing a small kids playground with numerous weird animal structures that I loved as a kid. After the pandemic went into full swing, I went back to the mall for the first time since 2019 in 2022 to get a COVID booster shot in the massive area that used to be the big Sears mart. After all was said and done I went to the food court to grab some stuff and I remember there being so many empty and closed store lots. I was shocked at how many there were. The old play place hadn’t opened up at all since the beginning of the pandemic and I also saw that the old Lego store I went to as a kid had closed down. When I got to the food court, only 2 tenants were open. As of recently it has closed (or will soon close) permanently. It made me so sad to see the sad and slow decay of one of my favorite places as a child. This might be a selfish ask driven by nostalgia, but I would love to see a video on my dear old Exton Square Mall one day. It deserves recognition for the countless childhood memories it gave me and my friends. I last went there in 2023.

I visited the glass bowl back in 2020, it was probably a few months before the city started the tear down. It was a cool stadium and its honestly one that I wished that Akron would stay with all of the history and the layout of place was one of a kind. Gonna miss it

It’s crazy seeing all this old footage of something I see everyday. I grew up right by the Rubber bowl. I still leave really close to it. Great video. Thanks for the history lesson on something I grew up with.

These videos are always a pleasure to watch, Jake.

Enjoyed the video. Sent it to a colleague that attended Akron in the early 1970s, and he said "I remember it well. Saw both football and college and HS soccer games there. I refed an international soccer match there. Canadian National team vs. Akron U. Saw a Browns pre season game there and a Simon & Garfunkel concert there."

I grew up racing at the derby track. My grandmother’s house was within walking distance. My friends and I knew every way to sneak into that stadium. Saw a few future NFL players play for/against the Zips. Sat in the track bleachers and listened to a Bon Jovi show with my Mom. Saw Ozzfest 98’ there. So many good memories. 🥲

Excellent video, fascinating history! This was perfectly covered!

love the show! thanks my friend, always a joy

really cool to see you cover the rubber bowl! i never got to see it myself even tho its close to where i’m from, but i enjoyed learning its history. love your content :)

I live in Akron Ohio this was kool as hell to watch thank you

Thank you for making this film.

CLOSED FOR STORM was featured on my American Airlines international flight!! 😮

Went to U of A. My freshman year was the fall of 08. Went to one of the last games there (against Toledo). I think we won. It was a really cool place. I have yet to go to a game at the new stadium all these years later. Another terrific video my man! Thanks for sharing history about my little corner of the globe. CLOSED FOR STORM was featured on my American Airlines international flight!! My hometown! Nice video! BTW, on the theme of sports, can you make a video of Abandoned about the Winter Olympics of Sarajevo 1984? It's incredibly eerie to see the Bobsled track, the Ski Jump Slope, and the vacant stadium, all because of the Bosnian War. I totally recommend checking those Olympics. Enjoyed the video. Sent it to a colleague who attended Akron in the early 1970s, and he said "I remember it well. Saw both football and college and HS soccer games there. I refereed an international soccer match there. Canadian National team vs. Akron U. Saw a Browns pre-season game there and a Simon & Garfunkel concert there." I miss playing high school football playoff games on that field I grew up right down the road from that stadium. That would be a crazy prospect of having 30,000 people down in the derby downs. thanks for covering this. I enjoyed it and learned more about that iconic stadium. wake up babe new Abandon episode just dropped It’s crazy seeing all this old footage of something I see every day. I grew up right by the Rubber Bowl. I still live really close to it. Great video. Thanks for the history lesson on something I grew up with. Went to U of A. Freshman year was the fall of 08. Went to one of the last games there (against Toledo). I think we won. It was a really cool place. I have yet to go to a game at the new stadium all these years later. Another terrific video my man! Thanks for sharing history about my little corner of the globe. 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Man, Akron must not be a strong tourist destination if its places of interest keep falling apart. But thanks for the video! My grandparents both grew up in Akron in the 30s… love thinking of them enjoying their youths here. Thank you for this one! I was there back in 2021. So cool from an exploration standpoint. I'm happy I brought my camera because I had no clue how close the full demolition greenlight was at that time. Last summer I was going to see the USAF museum and stopped by the airfield to look at the blimp hangar. Ran into that bowl and the soap box hill and was left wondering what was its history. Really happy to see a video of it This is right in my backyard. It was really a great place to go for live music and football. So sad how it all ended. As an Ohian thank you for covering so many abounded places some parts of my childhood greatly or like this place part of my adulthood as a cool place to explore and skate in thank you for the SPEED at which I clicked on this I actually got to explore this in 2020 before it got torn down and I grew up like MINUTES away! Literally gasped so hard when I saw this notification! I saw Ozzfest 98 there. It was actually a good venue for it. Rolling Acres, Chapel Hill, and Quaker Square are just a few of Akron Ohio's downfalls and decline. Great informative video and Keep them Rolling! was nonstop talking and playing now it's here now wake up babe new Abandon episode just dropped and is out now in the top 1 spot left live-action.

Thanks and Keep em Rolling!

Great video Jake, I grew up in Cleveland and got to see many concerts here, sorry to see it in such a sad state

I toured University of Akron for one of my college visits in 2011. They were very proud of new stadium and you could tell, it was beautiful. They took us around the entire facility and it was game day as a bonus. I had no idea the Rubber Bowl even existed but it doesn’t really surprise me, Ohio has a ton of abandoned places. I didn’t end up going to Akron for college either, I wound up at Ohio University instead.

great video! hope your having a good friday so far

Excellent job on the commentary and the video!! Thank you !!

Another great video!! I’d love to see you do a video on Idora Park in Youngstown, OH.

wake up babe new abandon episode just dropped

Another great video sorry to see how it came to an end

I grew up in Akron! Lived in Triplett blvd. just down the road. Our high school got to play one football game a year at the Rubber Bowl, every Akron school did and I remember going there so many times for Akron U games with my grandma as well! It’s so surreal to see it in this condition. We also went to Rolling Acres mall frequently, even until the Dillards and JC Penney outlets were all that was left.

I’m subscribed to over 600 channels, but yours is the only one I get excited about when I see a new upload ❤

Got to go watch a game at Akron as a kid. I hated the lights. They blocked the view annoyingly bad. But this was a good reflection to a childhood spot. Thank you!

Excellent video very well done the historic photos really made this flow very well.

Always a good friday when you guys upload, thanks for the video!

Yet another excellent video!

My hometown!

Another awesome abandoned video😊

This was a pretty cool history lesson. I love this kind of stuff. Just think, *everything* will eventually be abandoned. *Everything!* From the *dust* we came from, to the *dust* we return. That house you're in while watching this, yup it will also become abandoned. Just saying.

Enjoyed as always Jake!! 💯

Thank you so much for showing history in Ohio. Really great content you always put out

Thank you for showing the good of Akron and what the city used to be My hometown ❤ from Akron Ohio

I watched my brother play one of the last football games ever played in this stadium. It was a highschool rivalry football game between Akron STVM and Hoban

Only recall watching Akron Kent St on TV on a Maction Wednesday when nothing else on TV to watch. Quite a few NFL players played at that field.

So sad. All the memories created there are just gone.

Love all the Ohio content on this account, as an Ohioan i love getting these videos

Went for Ozzfest there in 1998, many great bands but TOOL was the standout for me. Wild to see it wiped completely clean now.

Wow that’s amazing

That's really sad :(

Yay! New video!

Played a game there in 2007. I liked the way the sun hit the field in the late afternoon. Lockers kinda sucked but it was pretty dope for a MAC school. I like the bowl stadiums. This what happens when a lot of people just do not give a shit about doing something hard.

I live about 30 minutes from the Rubber Bowl and once went to a game there when I was real little. It’s a travesty that the university and city did nothing to help it. My dad’s an Akron alum, and he has countless stories of the stadium, including Gerry Faust’s first nationally televised game in 1986

I remember playing my first grade flag football playoff there and it was so cool as a kid. Immediately went to get ice cream after also.

Another great video

Love your videos. 😁❤️🤙🏻

It’s always a good day when BSF uploads!!!!

Can’t wait to see the bankrupt red lobster episode 😮‍💨

Yay! New BSF video! 😎

I think this is the first time I have seen an abandoned video come full circle in a good way.

Such a great loss why why why do we let these historical treasures slip away so easily

Coldest football game I’ve ever been to was when I worked the parking lot gate on a thanksgiving day in the 1990s for the Akron/Kent game at the Rubber Bowl

Great Video

Great content

Really good video there.

Yooo, I played here in highschool, it was around 07-08 I believe, we might have been close to the last people to play music there.

I love the Rubber Bowl. Watched so many high school games there

I grew up minutes from the Rubber Bowl. Only watched a few football games there, but heard of its legendary concerts.

I love your Videos

I went to an Archbishop Hoban vs. St. Vincent St Mary football game at the Rubber Bowl in 2001. It would be the last time I’d be inside. Also went to derby downs a few times to watch the races, which was right next door to the Rubber Bowl. Pretty cool memory, and sad they were unable to use the stadium for other things.