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                                                                     EXHIBIT 5.1

                       The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
                             Akron, Ohio 44316-0001

Law Department

                                  June 12, 2001

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
1144 East Market Street
Akron, Ohio  44316-0001

Gentlemen:

         Reference is made to the Registration Statement on Form S-8 (the
"Registration Statement") under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the
"Act"), to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission by The Goodyear
Tire & Rubber Company, an Ohio corporation (the "Company"), relating to 600,000
shares of the Common Stock, without par value, of the Company (the "Common
Stock") which may be issued and sold from time to time upon the exercise of
options granted to employees of the Company and its subsidiaries from time to
time pursuant to and in accordance with the Hourly and Salaried Employees Stock
Option Plan of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (the "Plan"). Each of said
600,000 shares of Common Stock will include (subject to the terms and conditions
of the Rights Agreement, dated as of June 4, 1996, as amended (the "Rights
Agreement"), between the Company and First Chicago Trust Company of New York, as
Rights Agent) one right to purchase one one-hundredth of a share of Series B
Preferred Stock ("Series B Preferred") without par value, of the Company or, in
certain circumstances, shares of Common Stock, other securities, cash or assets
(the "Rights").

         I am an attorney-at-law regularly employed as an Assistant General
Counsel for the Company and, as such, I am familiar with the Amended Articles of
Incorporation and Code of Regulations of the Company, as each is amended to
date, and the proceedings of the Board of Directors of the Company relating to
the adoption and approval of the Plan and to the issuance of up to 600,000
shares of Common Stock pursuant thereto. I have also examined the Plan, the
Rights Agreement, and such other corporate records, agreements, documents and
instruments, and I have made, or caused to be made, such investigations of fact
and law, as in my judgment are necessary or appropriate as a basis for the
opinion expressed below.

         Based upon the foregoing, I am of the opinion that:

         1.       The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing
                  and in good standing as a corporation under the laws of the
                  State of Ohio.

         2.       The Plan has been duly adopted by the Board of Directors of
                  the Company.



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         3.       The 600,000 shares of the Common Stock to which the
                  Registration Statement relates are duly authorized and have
                  been reserved for issuance upon the exercise of options
                  granted pursuant to the Plan.

         4.       In the case of each of the 600,000 shares of Common Stock
                  which may from time to time be issued and delivered pursuant
                  to and in accordance with the Plan, when said shares of the
                  Common Stock shall have been duly issued and sold upon the
                  exercise of stock options duly granted pursuant to, and
                  exercised in accordance with, the Plan, each of the 600,000
                  shares of the Common Stock, when duly executed and delivered
                  by the Company, will be legally and validly issued, fully paid
                  and nonassessable.

         5.       The issuance of one Right with each of the 600,000 shares of
                  the Common Stock which may from time to time be issued
                  pursuant to the Plan has been duly authorized by the Company
                  and the Rights, when duly issued by the Company in accordance
                  with the Rights Agreement with such shares of the Common
                  Stock, will be legally and validly issued, and the issuance of
                  the Series B Preferred upon the proper exercise of the Rights
                  has been duly authorized by the Company and the Series B
                  Preferred, when issued by the Company upon the proper exercise
                  of the Rights, will be legally and validly issued, fully paid
                  and nonassessable.

         I hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as Exhibit 5.1 to the
Registration Statement and to its use in connection therewith. This does not
constitute a consent under Section 7(a) of the Act.

                                            Very truly yours,

                                           /s/ Gerry V. Wittkamper
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                                            Assistant General Counsel

G V Wittkamper
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