Sinisa Ubiparipovic (2018) - Hall of Fame - University of Akron Athletics

Sinisa Ubiparipovic

Induction:
2018
Class:
2010

2004-06
Midfielder

A two-time All-American midfielder, Sinisa Ubiparipovic played two seasons (2004, 2005) under Ken Lolla and one for Caleb Porter (2006) after transferring from University of Illinois-Chicago. In 2004 he started in 12 games action and scored his first goal in a UA uniform to give the Zips a 1-0 lead in an eventual 3-1 win over Ohio State.

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As Akron was enjoying one of its all-time best seasons with an 18-1-4 record, the 5-9 Ubiparipovic exploded for a team-leading and career-high 17 goals and seven assists to aid the Zips in capturing the MAC regular-season and tournament titles. UA then advanced to the quarterfinals in the NCAA Tournament before falling to Maryland by penalty kicks. Ubiparipovic’s performance earned him first-team All-MAC and All-Great Lakes and second-team All-America on the National Soccer Coaches (NSC) team. Although scoring only seven goals and seven assists, Ubiparipovic again led UA in scoring in 2006 as UA compiled a 13-5-1 record en route to MAC co-champions.

Named the 2006 MAC Player of the Year and second-team All-American by both the NSC and College Soccer News, Ubiparipovic was selected in the third round by the New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer, where he played until 2011. He retired from the Indy Eleven in 2017.

A native of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ubiparipovic earned a bachelor’s degree from Akron in sociology and criminology.

Ubiparipovic, who resides in Willoughby, Ohio, became an assistant coach at Cleveland State in 2018.

“Coming to the University of Akron I had high expectations for myself. In the beginning, it was not easy to make my mark on the team and I quickly realized that talent alone was not enough. I had two choices, either roll up my sleeves and adapt to the demands required of me or simply get lost in the mix. I chose to roll up my sleeves and put all my energy into working hard and succeeding. Not only for myself, but for my family and teammates. Those years of hard work and dedication were the building blocks of my career and helped me transition into the professional that I became, on and off the field.”