{"id":25970,"date":"2010-12-07T11:03:32","date_gmt":"2010-12-07T16:03:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=25970"},"modified":"2010-12-10T10:02:59","modified_gmt":"2010-12-10T15:02:59","slug":"celebrating-a-milestone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2010\/12\/celebrating-a-milestone\/","title":{"rendered":"Celebrating a Milestone"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"<p>Fullback<\/a>
Fullback Anthony Sherman (#49) embraces place kicker Dave Teggart (#38) following his successful kick that sealed UConn's victory over South Florida. Photo by Bob Stowell\/Division of Athletics<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As Connecticut celebrated a milestone in UConn history with the football team\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo 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,\u201d said Bob Picozzi, who does football play-by-play for college games on ESPN. \u201cIt\u2019s tremendous for the state. Football is a sport that is the biggest college sport in the country. We\u2019re still in our infancy here in Connecticut.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u2019s Day, head coach Randy Edsall said he is reminded each day as he arrives at The Burton Family Football Complex, the Huskies\u2019 state-of-the-art facility across from Memorial Stadium, of how far the program has traveled.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving the stadium there is just a reminder each and every day of where we came from and what we\u2019ve achieved,\u201d said Edsall, who took over the program a dozen years ago. \u201cIt\u2019s remarkable, and something I dreamed about when I got here and wanted to make a reality.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the officials on the field in Tampa, Fla., signaled that place-kicker Dave Teggart\u2019s 52-yard was good and secured UConn\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

\"<p>Dave<\/a>
Dave Teggart (#38), who kicked the winning field goal against South Florida, and Chad Christen (#13), the punter who holds for place kicks. Photo by Bob Stowell\/Division of Athletics<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWhen the ball went through the uprights, my thought was of all the people along the line who made this possible,\u201d Hathaway said. \u201cThis BCS bowl bid is for everybody, current and past, who has touched this program. It\u2019s all a catalyst to make the University of Connecticut better and continue striving for excellence in all we do at UConn.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen 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,\u201d Austin said. \u201cThis is truly a tribute to Coach Edsall, his team, and the entire Division of Athletics. It\u2019s also a great point of pride for the University and the state of Connecticut. I can\u2019t think of a better way to begin the New Year than with this trip to Phoenix. I have every expectation that we\u2019ll do well, but however the game turns out, we\u2019ve already achieved a great triumph.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hall of Fame women\u2019s basketball coach Geno Auriemma said it will take some time for the magnitude of the football team\u2019s accomplishments to be understood and appreciated.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor people that have been there for a long time that\u2019s just incomprehensible,\u201d he said. \u201cFor the kids and for that coaching staff to do what they did, it\u2019s mind-boggling. I just sat there last night staring at the screen and I was just like, \u2018Wow, this is unbelievable.\u2019 Now you\u2019re going to turn on the TV on Jan. 1 or Jan. 3 and you\u2019re going to go, `Ohio State\u2019s playing and Auburn\u2019s playing and Oklahoma\u2019s playing and \u2026 who?\u2019 It is so unbelievable I just can\u2019t stop saying that. I just can\u2019t stop laughing about it and smiling about it. It is absolutely incredible.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Hall of Fame men\u2019s basketball coach Jim Calhoun said: \u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI 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,\u201d 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. \u201cIt 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\u2019s just an awesome feeling to know that along the line you kind of had a small, small part in it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think UConn followed through with their words and their game plan,\u201d Mulcahy said. \u201cWhen 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\u2019t surprise me that they made it this far. It\u2019s pretty awesome they\u2019re playing Oklahoma. All the pressure is on Oklahoma. UConn\u2019s in a great position.\u201d<\/p>\n

Colin McDonough, senior sportswriter for The Daily Campus,<\/em> who covers the football team, said \u201cThis team deserves it. They\u2019ve been through a lot in the past two years on and off the field. I know every coach says \u2018my team is resilient.\u2019 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\u2019s win.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u2019s and women\u2019s basketball teams, and now of the football team, has provided unique opportunities for his students.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn 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\u2019s been able to go because of the Pep Band,\u2019 he said, \u201cbeing part of national championships, not just a witness, but being part of it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the general interest in the University and the image of strength and quality that is projected through athletics that translates into better academics,\u201d Mills added. \u201cIt\u2019s the most amazing ride possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

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<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

For additional alumni and fan information and regional bowl game watch events, go to the UConn Alumni Association website<\/a>.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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