As Connecticut celebrated a milestone in UConn history with the football team’s invitation to its first Bowl Championship Series game, reaction to the prospect of a new era in Huskymania beginning at the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Ariz., on Jan. 1 was focused in part on the past.
“To think what the football program was, from the days when the Yankee Conference only had six teams to where it was [Saturday] night with so much at stake, it was really thrilling to see them rise to the occasion,” said Bob Picozzi, who does football play-by-play for college games on ESPN. “It’s tremendous for the state. Football is a sport that is the biggest college sport in the country. We’re still in our infancy here in Connecticut.”
After learning that the Huskies, ranked for the first time in 2010 at No. 25, will face traditional powerhouse No. 9 Oklahoma on New Year’s Day, head coach Randy Edsall said he is reminded each day as he arrives at The Burton Family Football Complex, the Huskies’ state-of-the-art facility across from Memorial Stadium, of how far the program has traveled.
“Having the stadium there is just a reminder each and every day of where we came from and what we’ve achieved,” said Edsall, who took over the program a dozen years ago. “It’s remarkable, and something I dreamed about when I got here and wanted to make a reality.”
As the officials on the field in Tampa, Fla., signaled that place-kicker Dave Teggart’s 52-yard was good and secured UConn’s 19-16 win over South Florida and a share of the Big East Championship, athletic director Jeff Hathaway said his thoughts turned to the people who have long believed UConn could compete at the top level of college football.
“When the ball went through the uprights, my thought was of all the people along the line who made this possible,” Hathaway said. “This BCS bowl bid is for everybody, current and past, who has touched this program. It’s all a catalyst to make the University of Connecticut better and continue striving for excellence in all we do at UConn.”
Edsall and Hathaway each noted the pivotal role played by several individuals in supporting the proposal to elevate the football program to BCS status, including UConn President Philip E. Austin, Board of Trustees members Lewis Rome, the former chairman, and Jerry Lawrence, who chaired the Committee on Division I Feasibility, and former Gov. John Rowland.
“When UConn made the decision to move to Division I in football just a few short years ago, I doubt that any of us expected that we would be appearing in a major bowl game by 2010,” Austin said. “This is truly a tribute to Coach Edsall, his team, and the entire Division of Athletics. It’s also a great point of pride for the University and the state of Connecticut. I can’t think of a better way to begin the New Year than with this trip to Phoenix. I have every expectation that we’ll do well, but however the game turns out, we’ve already achieved a great triumph.”
Hall of Fame women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma said it will take some time for the magnitude of the football team’s accomplishments to be understood and appreciated.
“For people that have been there for a long time that’s just incomprehensible,” he said. “For the kids and for that coaching staff to do what they did, it’s mind-boggling. I just sat there last night staring at the screen and I was just like, ‘Wow, this is unbelievable.’ Now you’re going to turn on the TV on Jan. 1 or Jan. 3 and you’re going to go, `Ohio State’s playing and Auburn’s playing and Oklahoma’s playing and … who?’ It is so unbelievable I just can’t stop saying that. I just can’t stop laughing about it and smiling about it. It is absolutely incredible.’’
Hall of Fame men’s basketball coach Jim Calhoun said: “I could not be happier for Randy, his team, our student body, and for all Husky fans after this incredible achievement. The win over USF was exhilarating, but in my opinion, the back-to-back efforts against West Virginia and Pittsburgh were the two most important wins in UConn Football history. To bounce back with those results in the face of that adversity at 0-2 in the league made all of this possible, and should not be forgotten. Congratulations to Randy, his staff, and team on an unbelievable accomplishment.”
Football alumni who were among the early recruits who helped build the foundation for the move to the Division I-A level of competition said they take pride in seeing a long-term goal met by their successors.
“I think all the people who had a hand in the program in the past can be humbled and smiling because of what they have been able to accomplish,” said Dan Orlovsky, a quarterback for the Houston Texans in the NFL who led the Huskies to its first-ever bowl game in 2004, a 29-10 win over Toledo in the Motor City Bowl in Detroit. “It brings back a lot of memories of a lot of the hard work that was put in by all the guys who were there before that team now. I was thinking the one constant is Coach Edsall and what he preaches and how he coaches. It’s just an awesome feeling to know that along the line you kind of had a small, small part in it.”
Sean Mulcahy, a 2003 UConn co-captain who is now a junior sales trader for Dahlman Rose and a television analyst on SportsNet New York for Big East football games, recalled how Edsall and the assistant coaches used to describe their vision for the future of UConn football.
“I think UConn followed through with their words and their game plan,” Mulcahy said. “When I was first recruited by Randy Edsall in 1999 he went over the plan. It was like a great presentation you would make to a corporate board, but they did it for high school kids. It doesn’t surprise me that they made it this far. It’s pretty awesome they’re playing Oklahoma. All the pressure is on Oklahoma. UConn’s in a great position.”
Colin McDonough, senior sportswriter for The Daily Campus, who covers the football team, said “This team deserves it. They’ve been through a lot in the past two years on and off the field. I know every coach says ‘my team is resilient.’ But after the death of Jasper Howard, the [Cody] Endres situation, I think the football team is the most resilient and inspiring bunch of kids of all of sports. The students have to be ecstatic and inspired by the football team’s win.”
David Mills, professor of music in the School of Fine Arts and director of the Marching Band, Pep Bands, Symphonic Band, and Concert Band, said the success of the men’s and women’s basketball teams, and now of the football team, has provided unique opportunities for his students.
“On the way over [to the XL Center] in the bus, one of our girls who is a senior was talking about all the places she’s been able to go because of the Pep Band,’ he said, “being part of national championships, not just a witness, but being part of it.
“It’s the general interest in the University and the image of strength and quality that is projected through athletics that translates into better academics,” Mills added. “It’s the most amazing ride possible.”
The UConn Huskies will take on Oklahoma in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl on Saturday, Jan. 1, 2011, at 6:30 p.m. at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. For those watching on television in New England, the game, which will be shown on ESPN, will begin at 8:30 p.m. UConn fans can order tickets and travel packages beginning today, Dec. 7, by calling 1-888-GO-UCONN (468-2666) or visiting UConnBowl.com.
For additional alumni and fan information and regional bowl game watch events, go to the UConn Alumni Association website.
