Officials announced Thursday that UNA Head Football Coach Terry Bowden will leave the Lions to become the head football coach at the University of Akron in Ohio.

Bowden, who was an assistant coach at Akron in 1986, led the Lions to a 29-9 record and three consecutive playoff appearances in his three seasons at UNA.

“We’re thrilled to have Terry join the Akron Athletics family,” said Tom Wistrcill, athletic director at Akron. “It’s great for our student athletes, fans and community to bring in a head coach with his track record of success.”

UNA Athletic Director Mark Linder was not available for comment about Bowden’s departure since Akron’s announcement Thursday afternoon.

The University of Akron will hold a press conference to formally introduce Bowden as their head coach on Wednesday, Dec. 28 at 5 p.m. The press conference will be streamed live on GoZips.com.

“I’m so excited to be a Zip,” Bowden said in a statement released by Akron. “With the great resources and the commitment to winning by the administration and community, it’s just a matter of time until we build a championship program.”

Bowden will replace former Akron coach Rob Ianello, who was fired Nov. 26 after a dismal record of 2-22 in two seasons with the Zips. He will take over a program that hasn’t qualified for a bowl game since 2005, which was also their last winning season. The team overall has lost 31 of their last 36 games.

Look for more details about Bowden’s departure later on The Flor-Ala website and a more thorough story about the future of UNA football in the Jan. 12 edition of The Flor-Ala.

Sports Editor Tommy Bolton and Executive Editor Lucy Berry contributed to this report.