UConn football head coach Randy Edsall was honored with the 2010 Leadership Award of the Connecticut Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Commission during the commission’s 24th Annual National Liberty Bell Celebration in Hartford on Jan. 18.

The commission was formed in 1986 to ensure that the commemoration of King’s birthday is meaningful to the spirit with which he lived and the struggles for which he died.

Edsall led the Huskies to their second consecutive and third overall post-season bowl victory on Jan. 2 with a 20-7 win over the University of South Carolina in the Papajohns.com Bowl in Birmingham, Ala.

The Huskies were the focus of national attention following the tragic death of starting cornerback Jasper Howard. The team’s conduct and performance following the loss of their teammate was honored with the 2009 FedEx Orange Bowl-FWAA Courage Award, created by the Football Writers Association of America to honor teams or individuals who display courage on or off the field.

The team also was recognized in 2009 by the American Football Coaches Association for its outstanding graduation rate. The Huskies have graduated student-athletes at a rate of 90 percent or better for the freshman student-athlete class in five of the past seven years and for three consecutive years.