Two hundred candles on a birthday cake provides a lot of memories to reflect on as we blow them out.
When General Simon Perkins and Paul Williams co-founded Akron in 1825, it’s difficult to picture them having the foresight of their settlement at the summit of the planned Ohio & Erie Canal becoming a globally recognized city.
Though Akron became well known for being the birthplace of rubber tires and Alcoholics Anonymous, and for being the location where Sojourner Truth gave her famous “Ain’t I A Woman?” speech, Akron’s modern reputation is tied to its pop culture influence.
That pop culture influence is itself celebrating a litany of key anniversaries during 2025. As we approach the city’s formal bicentennial celebrations in early July, let’s take a moment to recognize some well-known and lesser-known milestones of Akron’s journey.
Akron’s NFL Championship (1920)
Yes, Akron won an NFL championship. No, this isn’t a joke. In the medieval days of professional football, the NFL (then known as the American Professional Football Association) was concentrated into teams from industrial Midwestern cities, Akron included.
The Akron Professionals, or “Pros,” of the early NFL are most referenced today for featuring Fritz Pollard, the league’s first Black player and Black coach, but the team also won the 1920 NFL championship. However, the championship was not officially awarded until April of the following year due to protests from other teams in the league.
Chrisse Hynde & The Pretenders’ Rock & Roll HOF Induction (2005)
Chrisse Hynde became one of the most important figures in rock ‘n’ roll, and the largest individual figure in Akron’s musical influence, after moving to London the same year Devo was founded (1973). Performing with early versions of the punk bands the Sex Pistols, the Damned and the Clash, Hynde found her own success with forming The Pretenders in 1978, the British band that morphed from punk to innovatively combining rock with new wave. In 2005, Hynde and her band joined Buddy Guy, The O’Jays, Percy Sledge and U2 as inductees into Cleveland’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Brothers by The Black Keys (2010)
By 2010, Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney were Midwestern blues rock royalty. Brothers was the project that launched them into global music stardom. After nearly breaking up the prior year, Auerbach and Carney ventured down to the famous Muscle Shoals Sound Studio to record their sixth studio album as The Black Keys. Three Grammy awards and a platinum RIAA certification later amongst a litany of other accolades, Brothers was the commercial breakthrough that placed the band’s name right next to Hynde’s and Devo’s when the world talks about our city.
‘The Decision’ (2010)
LeBron James’ first departure from the Cavs to join the Miami Heat is often discussed as a referendum on the city of Cleveland, yet Akron likely has the most visceral memories of that summer. Who could forget the city’s LeBron Appreciation Day celebrations, capped by James showing up unannounced to his own hometown party? Though we were all gripped by anxiety over James’ pending announcement, and then grief once the news was shared, it’s hard to not look back fondly on a rare moment when the literal entire world was focused on a kid from our city of all places.
Akron Zip Men’s Soccer NCAA Championship (2010)
As it turns out, 2010 was a very busy year for the city. Akron Zips men’s soccer was fresh off a heartbreaking 2009 season, when the team was undefeated the entire season and postseason before losing the national championship in a penalty shootout. Led by head coach Caleb Porter (who’s since won two MLS Cups, including one with the Columbus Crew) and team captain Darlington Nagbe (a Cleveland native who’s since become arguably the greatest American player in the history of MLS), the Zips capped off Akron’s most memorable pop culture year by winning the city’s first major sports title in 70 years.
This is a far from complete list of the history behind the Rubber City, but it demonstrates how proud we should be to make it this far and why we should continue moving forward.
Christian Collins is a born and raised Akronite who grew up by Copley Road. He currently resides in Washington, DC and works in public policy research.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron celebrates several cultural milestones in 2025. Which do you remember? | Commentary
Reporting by Christian Collins / Akron Beacon Journal
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