The University of Connecticut ...... 174-175 Living The UConn Experience ...... 176-177 A Remarkable Transformation ...... 178-179 Top 10 Reasons To Attend UConn ...... 180-181 President Michael J. Hogan ...... 182-183 Prominent UConn Alumni ...... 184-185 The "State" of UConn ...... 186-187 Close To Storrs ...... 188-189 Storrs Center Project ...... 190 The City of Hartford ...... 191 UConn Athletics ...... 192-193 Director of Athletics Jeffrey A. Hathaway ...... 194-195 Administrative Staff and Head Coaches ...... 196 Husky Traditions ...... 197 Rentschler Field ...... 198-200 Athletic Facilities ...... 201 J. Robert Donnelly Husky Heritage Sports Museum ...... 202 UConn Athletic Development Fund ...... 203 Bowl Games ...... 204 Opponent SID Directory ...... 205 Radio Coverage ...... 206 Television Coverage ...... 207 Media Services ...... 208 T HE U NIVERSITY OF C ONNECTICUT
DISTINCTIONS • For 10 years running, UConn has been rated by U.S. News & World Report as the No. 1 public university in New England – and also ranks among the top 30 public universities in the nation. • UConn is the only public university in New England with its own schools of law, medicine, dental medicine, and social work. • Founded in 1881, UConn is the only public university in Connecticut to be designated a Carnegie Foundation Research University, lauded for breadth and range of research.
• The American Academy of Kinesiology and Physical Education ranks the Neag School of Education’s doctoral program in kinesiology No. 1 in the nation. • 56 UConn Health Center physicians were named in the 2008 Best Doctors list published by Hartford Magazine. • BusinessWeek ranks UConn’s School of Business MBA program in the top 20 among public institutions. • The National Science Foundation ranks UConn in the top 15 percent of public universities in garnering research funding. Research awards to UConn faculty exceeded $194 million in 2008.
174 2009 UCONN FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE T HE U NIVERSITY OF C ONNECTICUT
LOCATION • Main campus is located in Storrs, about 30 minutes from Hartford, the state’s capital city, and within driving distance of Boston, New York City, and Providence. • Campuses statewide in ideal locations at Avery Point, Waterbury, West Hartford, Stamford, and Torrington. • UConn Health Center in Farmington and Schools of Law and Social Work in the greater Hartford area complete the University’s high-quality programs available statewide.
ACADEMIC BREADTH • UConn’s 14 schools and colleges offer seven undergraduate degrees in more than 100 majors. • The University grants 17 graduate degrees in more than 90 fields of study, and provides graduate professional programs in business, dental medicine, law, medicine, pharmacy, and social work.
IMPRESSIVE FACULTY • UConn’s faculty members are world-renowned. Many are recognized as leaders in education, research, and scholarship. • UConn faculty research in regenerative biology produced America’s first cloned calf using non- reproductive cells, creating an international scientific and media sensation. • UConn faculty provided pivotal leadership for the historic UConn-African National Congress Partnership. • Faculty initiative created an unprecedented opportunity for UConn students to study at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. • UConn’s Neag School of Education is home to the renowned National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented, the Accelerated Schools Project, and is one of 11 schools nationwide selected for the Carnegie Corporation’s prestigious Teachers for a New Era initiative. • UConn faculty collaborating across campuses, including at the Health Center, are conducting breakthrough research in such cutting-edge areas as nanotechnology, stem cell research, and fuel cell technology. • Faculty members are dedicated to their roles as teachers, student advisors, and mentors. UConn’s undergraduate summer research program offers students the opportunity to participate in original research or receive a grant to work under the direction of our renowned professors.
175 L IVING T HE UC ONN E XPERIENCE
STUDENT QUALITY • More than 29,000 students enrolled, representing nearly every state in the nation and more than 100 countries. • Average SAT scores for incoming freshmen at Storrs are up 87 points since 1996 and are now 1200. • The 355 students UConn welcomed into its Honors Program in 2008 had an average SAT score of 1390. • Minority freshman enrollment at Storrs and the regional campuses has more than doubled since 1995.
• Since 1995, 1,074 valedictorians and salutatorians have enrolled at all campuses. In fall 2008, 39 percent of freshmen entering the Storrs campus were ranked in the top 10 percent of their high school class and 78 percent were in the top 25 percent of their class. • UConn is among the top 20 public universities in the nation in freshman retention rates; 93 percent of freshmen enrolled at Storrs in 2007 chose to continue their studies here in 2008. • Nearly 50 percent of student-athletes earned a 3.0 or better grade point average last year, and 17 student-athletes had a 4.0 grade point average in the fall and/or spring semesters.
176 2009 UCONN FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE L IVING T HE UC ONN E XPERIENCE
GETTING INVOLVED • UConn offers more than 400 student clubs and organizations. • Students can choose from more than 200 Study Abroad programs in 65 countries. • Cooperative education programs and internships integrate classroom learning and work experience in business, industry, and public service.
ATTRACTIONS • In 2008, more than 45,000 prospective students and their families embarked on tours of the UConn campus from the Lodewick Visitors Center, the gateway to the unique facilities that define the University’s 4,000-acre main campus. • Visitors may enjoy lodging, dining, and relaxing in the Nathan Hale Inn, our on-campus hotel and conference facility. • With more than 3 million volumes, the Homer Babbidge Library is the intellectual hub of the Storrs campus. In fact, the Association of Research Libraries ranks UConn’s library system the top public research library in New England. • UConn’s Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts showcases the region’s most noteworthy dramatic events. It stages professional touring attractions that range from Broadway musicals to intimate cabarets. • The collections of the William Benton Museum of Art include more than 5,500 pieces; the museum features a gallery exclusively dedicated to presenting human rights-oriented visual arts, as well as an outdoor meditation sculpture garden. • Housed in UConn’s Museum of Natural History, the Connecticut Archaeology Center explores the natural and cultural history of southern New England. • The J. Robert Donnelly Husky Heritage Sports Museum features photos, videos, plaques, banners, uniforms, and NCAA National Championship trophies.
177 A R EMARKABLE T RANSFORMATION
A C AMPUS FOR THE 21 ST CENTURY
• UConn continues to renew, rebuild and enhance our campuses through an unprecedented $2.8 billion, 20-year investment in the University’s infrastructure. UCONN 2000 is the most ambitious publicly financed university building program in the country. • Now in its 15th year, UCONN 2000 has invigorated the University’s living and learning environments, helped advance faculty research, and stimulated public and private investment. This transformation revitalizes the state’s future by providing the means for the University to attract high-achieving students, prestigious faculty, and funding from public grants and private donors. Before the landmark program, Connecticut had one of the highest ratios of students attending college out-of-state. Today that trend has been dramatically reversed. • Applications have increased for the 12th consecutive year with more than 23,000 applicants competing for 3,200 seats at the main campus in Storrs and 1,100 seats at the regional campuses. • For the fourth consecutive year, more than half of the applicants are out-of- state students. Nearly 12,000 students applied for no more than 30 percent of new student seats available to undergraduates living outside Connecticut.
178 2009 UCONN FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE A R EMARKABLE T RANSFORMATION
The landmark UCONN 2000 construction program has created more than 9.5 million square feet of new and renovated space for research, teaching, living, and learning. Completed projects include: • An award-winning building for the department of chemistry — the Chemistry Building is one of the best-designed buildings in the world according to the International Architecture Yearbook . • New buildings for the Schools of Business and Pharmacy. • The modern Biology/Physics Building, Information Technologies Engineering Building, and Agricultural Biotechnology Laboratory. • Additions to the William Benton Museum of Art. • Renovations to numerous facilities, including the Homer Babbidge Library, the historic Wilbur Cross Building, the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History, and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. • Construction that includes the latest innovations in student residential communities, ranging from traditional residence halls to suites to apartments. • Revitalized downtown campuses in Stamford and Waterbury, a sophisticated marine facility at our Avery Point campus, and new buildings on our Greater Hartford and Torrington campuses, as well as the UConn School of Law.
Forthcoming projects made possible by UCONN 2000 include: • A $300 million expansion to the UConn Health Center that will include a stem cell research institute, renovations to large lecture halls, and renovations to the dental clinics. • New liberal arts facilities and life sciences buildings at the Storrs campus.
179 T OP 10 R EASONS T O A TTEND UC ONN
RANKED AMONG THE TOP 30 P UBLIC UNIVERSITIES IN THE COUNTRY For the 10th consecutive year, U.S. News and World Report ranked UConn the top public university in New England and among the top 30 public universities in the nation. The Fiske Guide to Colleges declares, “Quality teaching is the trademark of a UConn education.” Bolstered by this national recognition and academic prestige, the value of a UConn degree continues to soar.
21 ST -C ENTURY AMENITIES THE RIGHT FIT WORLD -C LASS FACULTY Now is a tremendously exciting time to attend UConn. With a student/faculty ratio of 17:1, 21,300 From writers and scientists to human rights activists and A $2.8 billion landmark building program is undergraduate students receive personal attention and historians, our more than 1,300 full-time faculty dramatically transforming the places where students live, tailored academic advising. UConn also offers the members are committed to classroom teaching. learn, and enjoy life. Through new construction and opportunities of a premier research university, such as Fostering a dynamic learning environment, they share renovation, UConn offers the latest innovations hands-on experience working in labs with professors who research opportunities with high-achieving nationally in university housing and dining and not only teach our courses, but who also are on the undergraduates. Our faculty include English professor extensive recreational complexes. Classrooms and cutting edge of innovation and discovery. Regina Barreca, whose humor appears in nationally laboratories are being built at a remarkable rate, placing published columns, and professor of pharmacy Ben our facilities at the forefront of public higher education Bahr, whose revolutionary research may unlock the and propelling UConn to a position of national mysteries of Alzheimer’s Disease. Amii Omara-Otunnu, prominence. holder of the first and only UNESCO chair in human rights in the United States, provides pivotal leadership for the UConn-African National Congress Partnership.
180 2009 UCONN FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE T OP 10 R EASONS T O A TTEND UC ONN
UNLIMITED OPPORTUNITIES OUTSTANDING RESIDENTIAL MORE THAN 100 M AJORS FOR INVOLVEMENT FACILITIES Choices abound. Whether it’s education, engineering, English, or environmental science, UConn has Yoga. UConn Student Television. Fraternities and UConn has among the highest percentage of students something for everyone. Students select an established sororities. Film. Marching Band. Finance Society. living on campus of any major public university in the major or design an individualized plan of study to meet Skydiving. Dance Team. Community Outreach. country. Residential life at UConn offers a distinct sense their specific needs. UConn takes pride in offering all Choosing from more than 400 clubs and volunteer of community, as well as many social and cultural students, including those enrolled in our distinctive organizations, UConn students actively participate in opportunities. We offer new students a range of dining Honors Program, the opportunity to pursue a major in campus and community life. Our students make options and accommodations, while offering upper- any of the University’s 100+ programs of study. In governing decisions, plan events, organize intramural division students the latest in suite-style and apartment addition to academic advisers, online study tools, and teams, host their own radio shows – and so much more. living. Fully wired residence halls come complete with tutorial centers, UConn offers career counseling study rooms, computer labs, and lounge areas. workshops, Study Abroad programs, and internships that offer valuable experience. The University of Connecticut offers many academic choices, yet remains committed to providing students with the support needed to help them achieve their goals.
AN EXCEPTIONAL LOCATION , L OCATION , HUSKYMANIA EDUCATIONAL VALUE LOCATION Division I in all sports, we have a variety of men’s and women’s varsity athletics. Home of Huskymania, sports Kiplinger’s Personal Finance ranks UConn in the top 40 With our main campus in Storrs, we’re a major academic at UConn include baseball, basketball, cross country, for best value in public colleges. Whether your long- institution that values its small-town roots. Students field hockey, football, golf, ice hockey, lacrosse, rowing, range goals are preparing for a career, pursuing a graduate enjoy the familiarity of an intimate academic institution, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, indoor degree, or attending medical or law school, “students can while being just a short drive from major cities. UConn’s and outdoor track, and volleyball. Since 1995, UConn receive a stellar education without graduating with a regional campuses are strategically placed across the state athletic teams have captured nine NCAA national mountain of debt”. UConn has a variety of programs to in Avery Point, Farmington, Stamford, Torrington, championships, including unprecedented dual men’s help many students financially, ranging from merit Waterbury, and West Hartford, offering a quality and women’s basketball championships in 2004 —the scholarship opportunities to need-based financial aid education to meet our students’ distinct needs. first University to do so in NCAA Division I history. packages, all designed to support a large number of UConn’s standard of athletic excellence extends to the qualified students. The University also has many part- gridiron, where the Huskies — 2007 BIG EAST time campus jobs with flexible hours that help students Champions — play for sell-out crowds of 40,000 earn extra spending money or build their résumé with roaring football fans at the ultra-modern Rentschler hands-on work experience. Field.
181 P RESIDENT M ICHAEL J. H OGAN
Dr. Hogan hosted UConn students several times during the 2007 and ‘08 seasons on “Mike’s Bus” as the group made their way from the Storrs campus to Rentschler Field. Michael J. Hogan was appointed the 14th president of the University of Connecticut in September, 2007. From the begin - ning, his administration has been marked by broad consultation with the UConn family, including faculty, students, parents, trustees, alumni, donors, staff, legislators, and friends of the University throughout the public and private sectors. Since arriving at UConn, President Hogan has established strategic initiatives that continue to move UConn along an upward trajectory as one of the top public research and teaching universities in the nation. These initiatives include strengthening UConn’s research enterprise and enhancing its portfolio of sponsored research, building more top-notch graduate programs, continuing to advance UConn’s outstanding undergraduate programs, and forg - ing new partnerships with public and private constituents through - out the State of Connecticut, and beyond. President Hogan came to UConn from the University of Iowa where he was the Executive Vice President and Provost and F. Wendell Miller Professor of History. Prior to his appointment at Iowa, he spent 18 years at Ohio State University where he served as President Hogan and members of the UConn Board of Trustees pose for a group photo at chair of the Department of History, as dean of the College of their June, 2009 meeting. Humanities, and as executive dean of the Colleges of the Arts and with minors in history and classics; his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees were Sciences. conferred by the University of Iowa. His career as a History faculty member also included nine years A specialist in the history of American diplomacy, President at Miami University, service at Stony Brook University, and at the Hogan is the author or editor of nine books and a host of scholarly University of Texas in Austin. Born and raised in Waterloo, articles and essays. His publications include The Marshall Iowa, President Hogan earned his B.A. degree at the Plan: America, Britain, and the Reconstruction of Western University of Northern Iowa, where he majored in English
182 2009 UCONN FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE P RESIDENT M ICHAEL J. H OGAN
Europe, 1947-1952 (Cambridge, 1987), which received the Stuart L. Bernath Book Award of the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations, the George Louis Beer Prize of the American Historical Association, and the Quincy Wright Prize of the International Studies Association. His most recent books include A Cross of Iron: Harry S. Truman and the Origins of the National Security State, 1945-1954 (Cambridge, 1998), and his edited volume, Paths to Power: The Historiography of American Foreign Relations to 1941 (Cambridge, 2000). President Hogan has been a fellow at the Harry S. Truman Library Institute and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and has served as Louis Martin Sears Distinguished Professor of History at Purdue University. For 15 years he was edi - tor of Diplomatic History, an international journal of record for spe - Dr. Hogan and members of the UConn student body cheer the Huskies on at Rentschler Field. cialists in diplomacy and foreign affairs. He has served on numer - ous editorial boards and as vice president and president of the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations. three years, and also as a consultant for a number of BBC documen - He has also served on the U. S. Department of State’s Advisory taries and for the PBS special George C. Marshall and the American Committee on Diplomatic Documentation, which he chaired for Century. President Hogan met his wife, Virginia, while in graduate school at the University of Iowa, where she also earned her M.A. degree. They have four children and seven grandchildren, and counting. President Hogan’s sister, Sally, resides with her husband in Farmington, Conn.
(Left) President Hogan meets members of the UConn ROTC program that have served over - seas in Iraq and Afghanistan. (Below) President Hogan congratulates football student-athlete Ellis Gaulden at commencement exercises in May, 2008.
183 P ROMINENT UC ONN A LUMNI
Jim Abromaitis ’79, ’82 Dale R. Comey ’64 Doug Elliot ’82 Edward A. Horrigan, Jr. ’50 Executive Director Former UConn basketball President and Chief Executive President and CEO of R.J. Capital City Economic player Officer Reynolds (retired) Development Authority Executive Vice President Hartford Steam Boiler Former football player Former basketball player ITT Corporation (retired) Inspection and Insurance Company Samuel Jaskilka ’42 Matthew Adiletta ’85 Bill Congdon ’75 Former baseball player Four-Star General (retired) Director of Communication and Publisher of Popular Mechanics Commandant of United States Infrastructure and Architecture magazine Bill Finch ’79 Marine Corps Intel, Inc. Mayor Joe Courtney ’78 Law City of Bridgeport, Conn. Ned Kahn ’82 Rick Baran ’93 Law, United States Congressman Nationally-prominent sculptor Graduate Second District – Connecticut Robert W. Fiondella ’68 and scientist Executive Vice President, Chief Chief Executive Officer Financial Officer Scott Cowen ’68 (Retired) Robert Kaplan ’73 CBS Television Stations Former UConn football player Phoenix Home Life Mutual Editor, Atlantic Monthly President, Tulane University Insurance Co. Andy Bessette ’75 Alan Bennett ’69 Tom Keegan ’84 Marc D’Amelio ’91 Founding Principal Co-producer of Broadway Noted pharmaceutical and JEROB Enterprises, LLC medical device attorney Founder and CEO show “Little Women” Madsoul Clothing, Inc. Mark E. Freitas ’81 Animator, “Blues Clues” Andy Bessette ’75 President and Chief Operating children’s television series Former men’s track and field Dawn Denvir ’81 Chief of Organizational Officer, Frank Crystal and Wally Lamb ’72, ’77 All-American Company, Inc. Executive Vice President and Learning and Development Best-selling author Chief Administrative Officer Division of Human Resources, Patricia Gallup ’79 UNICEF David M. Lee ’55 (Graduate) The Travelers Companies, Inc. Chairman and CEO of PC 1996 Co-Winner of Nobel Connection, Inc. Doug Bernstein ’85 John DeStefano ’77, ’80 Prize for Physics Founder Mayor, City of New Haven, J. Robert Galvin ’96 MPH Connecticut Georgina I. Lucas ’70 Melissa and Doug Toys, LLC Commissioner Former Vice President Robert Diamond ’77 MBA Connecticut Department of Travelers Insurance Company Kevin Bouley ’80 Public Health President and CEO Chief Executive Officer Barclays Bank (England) David P. Marks ’69, ’71 Nerac, Inc. Sam Gejdenson ’71 President and Chief Investment Former United States Roy Brooks ’72 Chris Donovan ’69 Officer Television producer Congressman, MEMBERS Capital Advisors Warren Distinguished Professor 2nd District, Connecticut of Laws Emmy-award nominee for James Calhoun ’89 “Dinner for Five” Myles Martel ’65 University of San Diego Roger A. Gelfenbien ’65 President, Martel and Former Chairman, University Martin Buzas ’58 Jennifer Dorn ’77 (Graduate) Associates, Villanova, Pa. President and CEO of Connecticut Highly-recognized leadership Senior Geologist and Curator Board of Trustee Department of Paleobiology National Academy of Public communication advisor Administration Managing Partner of Andersen National Museum of Natural Consulting, Inc. (retired) Michael Maslin ’76 History Smithsonian Institution Walt Dropo ’48 Cartoonist, New Yorker magazine David Grimaldi ’79 James Calhoun ’89 1950 American League Rookie-of-the-Year with the Curator of Invertebrate Richard Mastracchio ’82 President, Dockers Brand Zoology Mission specialist for NASA A Division of Levi Strauss, Inc. Boston Red Sox Owner of family fireworks Museum of Natural History who flew his second mission, Michael J. Callahan ’95 Law business New York, N.Y. on the Space Shuttle Endeavor Executive Vice President, in August of 2007 Kathleeen Dudzinski ’89 Eunice Groark ’65 General Counsel and Secretary First female Lieutenant Governor Anita Bevacqua McBride Yahoo!, Inc. Founder, Dolphin Communication Project of Connecticut (1991-95) ’81 Franklin Chang-Diaz ’73 Former Assistant to the Charles Duelfer ’74 Richard J. Grossi ’57 President of the United States Retired NASA astronaut who is President and CEO a veteran of seven space flights Noted United Nations and Chief of Staff for the First Lady CIA Weapons Inspector United Illuminating (Ret.) Executive Director Aaron Ment ’58 Doug Elliott ’82 Robert Cizik ’53 Former Chairman of the Herb Dunn ’61 Science Park Development Chief Court Administrator Board/Chief Executive Officer Senior Vice President, Smith- Corporation (retired) of the Connecticut of Cooper Industries Inc. Barney Co. (retired) Judicial System
Mark E. Freitas ’81 Patricia Gallup ’79 Wally Lamb ’72, ’77 Irina Moore ’04 MBA Denis J. Nayden ’76 184 2009 UCONN FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE P ROMINENT UC ONN A LUMNI
Irina Moore ’04 MBA Carolyn Runowicz ’73 Vice President of Risk Management Director, Carole and Ray Neag UC ONN ALUMNI IN PROFESSIONAL AND GE Money, Inc. Comprehensive Cancer Center COLLEGE ATHLETICS University of Connecticut Christopher Murphy ’02 Health Center A number of UConn alumni, some of who are former student-athletes, Law Former President, American have established prominent careers working in the sports industry. United States Congressman Cancer Society Fifth District – Connecticut Glenn Adamo ’77 Karl Hobbs ’85 Harriet Sanford ’79 (Master’s) Kathleen Murphy ’87 J.D. Vice President of Media Head Men’s Basketball Coach President/Chief Executive Operations NFL George Washington University Chief Executive Officer Officer ING US Wealth Management National Education Association Mike Aresco ’76 Law Dan Iassogna ’91 Randal Nardone ’80 Foundation Senior Vice President of Major League Baseball Umpire Programming CBS Sports CEO and Co-Founder John C. Severino ’59 Matt Kenny ’97 Fortress Investment Group, LLC Former UConn football player Celia Bobrowsky ’80 Vice President, Field Sales Former President of CBS Director of Community Disney and ESPN Media Denis J. Nayden ’76 Li-Chyi Wen ’93, ’96 Managing Partner Television Stations Affairs Major League Baseball Networks Oak Hill Captial, Inc. Mark R. Shenkman ’65 Janna Blais ’93 Leigh Montville ’65 Member of University of President, Shenkman Capital Associate Athletic Director Nationally known Connecticut Board of Trustees Management, Inc. Senior Women’s Administrator sportswriter and author Kevin O’Connor ’92 Law Bowling Green St. University Patrick J. Sheehan ’67 Former softball player Rebecca Lobo ’95 Former Associate Attorney Vice President, A.G. Edwards Former women's basketball General of the United States & Sons Leigh Ann Curl ’85 All-American and Academic Head Team Orthopedic All-American Ron Paolillo ’72 Peter Tesei ’91 Accomplished actor, best Surgeon Baltimore Ravens ESPN Announcer First Selectman Former UConn women’s Member, UConn Board of known in role of “Horshack” in City of Greenwich, Conn. the hit TV series “Welcome basketball student-athlete Trustees Back Kotter” Huw Thomas ’86 (Pd.D.) John Dorsey ’84 Dave Ogrean ’74 Dean, University of Alabama- Former UConn Football All- Executve Director Les Payne ’64 Birmingham Nationally-known columnist American and NFL standout USA Hockey School of Dentistry with the Green Bay Packers Pulitzer Prize Award Recipient Tom Penders ’67 William Trueheart ’66 Director of College Scouting Joseph W. Polisi ’69 for the Packers Head Basketball Coach Former President of Bryant University of Houston President of the Juilliard School College, Smithfield, R.I. New York City Charlie Eshbach ’74 David Ushery ’89 President and General Steve Pikiell ’90 Paige Turco ’88 Head Basketball Coach Narissa Ramdhani ’90 M.A. Television and Film Actress Manager Portland (Maine) Chief Executive Officer Sea Dogs (Double-A Affiliate Stony Brook University Ifa Lethu Foundation David Ushery ’89 of Boston Red Sox) Jim Reynolds ’91 Groenkloof, South Africa Anchor and Reporter Former President, Eastern Major League Baseball Umpire WNBC-TV, New York League William Ratchford ’56 Jennifer Rizzotti ’96 Former United States Li-Chyi Wen ’93, ’96 Bill Geist ’92 MBA Head Women’s Basketball Congressman Deputy Director Senior Vice President, Coach University of Hartford Energy and Environmental Finance Programming and Gen. Robert RisCassi ’58 Research Center Ad Sales – ESPN, Bristol, Chris Sienko ’88 Retired Vice Chief of Staff of Taiwan World Trade Conn. General Manager, the United States Army Organization Connecticut Sun, WNBA Bill Holowaty ’67 Thomas D. Ritter ’77 John Yearwood ’86 Head Baseball Coach Michael Soltys ’81 Former Speaker of the House World Editor, Miami Herald Eastern Connecticut State Vice President for Domestic of Representatives University Network Communications State of Connecticut Dona D. Young ’80 Law Four-time NCAA Division ESPN Member of University of Chairman, President and III National Champions Connecticut Board of Trustees Chief Executive Officer Judy Walden Scarafile ’71 President The Phoenix Companies, Inc. Kirk Ferentz ’78 Paige Turco ’88 William P. Robinson ’71 (Ret.) Head Football Coach Cape Cod Baseball League (Master’s) University of Iowa Associate Justice Rhode Island Supreme Court Lewis B. Rome ’54, ’57 LLB Former Chairman University of Connecticut Board of Trustees Partner, Rome Smith & Assoc. David Rudman ’85 Voice of many characters on TV’s Sesame Street
Les Payne ’64 Thomas D. Ritter ’77 Carolyn Runowicz ’73 Mark R. Shenkman ’65 185 T HE “S TATE ” OF UC ONN
CONTRIBUTING TO THE ECONOMIC HEALTH OF CONNECTICUT • The University of Connecticut contributes every day to Connecticut’s economic vitality and to the quality of life of state residents through research, teaching, public service, and a broad range of programs and initiatives. • Ongoing operations at UConn add $2.3 billion to Connecticut’s gross domestic product annually. • More than 29,000 jobs are generated in the state by the University. • Every state dollar allocated to UConn results in a $5.05 increase in Connecticut’s gross domestic product — a 505% return on investment. • As a result of UConn and the UConn Health Center’s combined operations, Connecticut’s state coffers realize a net financial gain of more than $76 million annually.
PARTNERING WITH BUSINESSES • Through mutually beneficial collaborations, Fortune 500 corporations, business owners, UConn faculty, and students are coming together to raise Connecticut’s competitiveness to an unprecedented level. • More than 5,000 UConn alumni hold senior executive positions in Connecticut businesses. • Connecticut’s businesses experience $3.2 billion in new sales as a result of UConn’s ongoing operations.
186 2009 UCONN FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE T HE “S TATE ” OF UC ONN
ADVANCING RESEARCH AND INNOVATION • Faculty research at UConn provides direct benefits to the Connecticut economy in the form of job creation, new business development, and an enhanced quality of life for its citizens. • In 2008, UConn received nearly $200 million in sponsored research grants and awards. • At the School of Engineering, current and former faculty members have amassed more than 240 patents representing innovative tools and technologies that are changing the technological landscape. • More than 100 research centers and institutes serve UConn’s teaching, research, diversity, and outreach missions.
SUPPORTING THE COMMUNITY • Through hundreds of outreach programs and alliances with agencies on the local, state, and federal levels, the University makes a profound and positive impact on the lives of Connecticut residents. • Students contribute thousands of hours through unpaid internships, providing free services to those in need. • Faculty researchers volunteer their expertise in finding solutions to society’s environmental, technological, and health concerns. • Funding from federal and private sources sponsors valuable scholarly studies of important civic issues.
PROMOTING ARTS , C ULTURE AND HUSKY PRIDE • State residents derive benefit from exciting, culturally rich attractions through the University’s remarkably diverse range of museums, performing arts venues, and recreational programs. At the same time, unified pride in UConn athletics — “Huskymania” — has drawn fans from across the state and region to attend games, boosting demand for UConn-branded products and encouraging corporate support. • Since 1986, worldwide licensing of Husky products has generated more than $200 million in retail sales. • More than 1 million people attended public events on UConn campuses statewide in 2008. • More than 2/3 of Connecticut’s general population believes that having a strong UConn is vital to the future of Connecticut’s economy.
187 C LOSE TO S TORRS
In addition to all that the city of Hartford and the state of Connecticut has to offer, the region within two hours of Storrs is ripe with cultural and entertainment possibilities.
SPRINGFIELD (47 miles)
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is located less than an hour from Storrs in Springfield, Mass., just minutes from the YMCA where Dr. James Naismith invented the game in 1891. A must-see for any fan of the hardwood, the Hall of Fame reopened in the fall of 2002 in a brand new $45 million home just off of Interstate 91 in Springfield. The pinnacle of any basketball career, the hall’s long list of inductees now includes UConn men’s basketball coach Jim Calhoun, a 2005 inductee, and women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma, a 2006 inductee. Once you finish your tour of the Hall of Fame, Springfield’s neighboring suburb of Agawam is the home of Six Flags New England, the region’s largest amusement park.
NEW YORK CITY (142 miles)
The United States’ largest city and “the media capital of the world,” New York City is located approximately two hours from Storrs and offers a wide array of cultural opportunities. From the glitter of Times Square, to the vast expanse of Central Park, to the majestic skyline, New York City is an incomparable destination and one that can be easily reached by the Metro-North train lines that run into southern Connecticut. UConn students also enjoy the city’s active sporting landscape. The BIG EAST Conference men’s basketball tournament, played every March at fabled Madison Square Garden, is one of the country’s premier collegiate conference championship events. The New York metro area also boasts 10 major professional sports franchises, including the NFL’s New York Jets and Giants, Major League Baseball’s New York Mets and Yankees, the NBA’s New York Knicks and New Jersey Nets, the NHL’s New York Islanders, New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils and the WNBA’s New York Liberty.
188 2009 UCONN FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE C LOSE TO S TORRS
BOSTON (86 miles)
The birthplace of the American Revolution, Boston’s historic Freedom Trail is a living history textbook, covering everything from the Battle of Bunker Hill to the midnight ride of Paul Revere. Meanwhile, the city blends its old world charm with a cosmopolitan new world attitude that is evidenced by some of the trendier shops and restaurants that line both historic Faneuil Hall Marketplace and the Back Bay’s Newbury Street. One of the world’s foremost centers of education, Boston is home to over 50 colleges and universities; perhaps the entire world’s most concentrated collection of colleges. The greater Boston area also includes the summer beach resorts on Cape Cod and the islands of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard. A hub of sporting activity, the 2004 and 2007 World Series Champion Boston Red Sox have called fabled Fenway Park home since 1912. The 2008 NBA Champion Boston Celtics ad the NHL’s Boston Bruins also call Beantown home while the 2002, 2004 and 2005 Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots and MLS’ New England Revolution play outside of the city in Foxboro’s Gillette Stadium.
PROVIDENCE (51 miles)
Rhode Island’s capital city shows that one of the nation’s smallest states also has plenty to offer its visitors. The multi-cultural capital city, which dates back to 1636, is the Ocean State’s centerpiece. The best known hamlet on the Rhode Island shore, the ocean town of Newport is world famous for its mansions and is a popular vacation destination for those seeking aquatic activities. Newport’s renowned music festival is also a well-attended annual event.
189 T HE S TORRS C ENTER P ROJECT
STORRS CENTER – CREATING A “MAIN STREET ” FOR MANSFIELD Main Street is the heart and the soul of a community, a place to meet friends for With major approvals in hand and a significant amount of grant monies dinner before the game, to run daily errands, to enjoy the local music scene, or received, the Partnership and LeylandAlliance are continuing to prepare for the to buy a newspaper to read while sipping your morning coffee. Main Street is beginning of construction. Negotiations between LeylandAlliance and the magic that can transform a street into a neighborhood, buildings into a village prospective tenants are on-going. In addition to leasing agreements, other pre- or a small town into a regional destination. requisites to construction include parking commitments for the first phase and financing commitments, both private and public. In 2001, the Town of Mansfield teamed with UConn to form the Mansfield Downtown Partnership and set about creating its own “Main Street” area, Storrs For more information, please visit www.storrscenter.com or contact the Mansfield Center. Storrs Center will be a mixed-use town center and main street corridor Downtown Partnership at 860-429-2740 or [email protected]. A list of at the crossroads of the Town and the University. Located along Storrs Frequently Asked Questions is available on the Partnership’s website, Road/Route 195 adjacent to the University, the Town Hall, E.O. Smith High www.mansfieldct.org. School, and the Mansfield Community Center, Storrs Center will include a town square, pedestrian-oriented streets, small lanes, and public spaces. There will be a variety of shops, restaurants, cafés, and residential options, which will attract all ages and interests and provide spaces for the community to gather. The Mansfield Downtown Partnership and master developer LeylandAlliance have worked diligently to make the vision of Storrs Center a reality. Some of their recent progress includes the receipt of major pre-construction approvals from the Mansfield Planning and Zoning Commission, the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the State Traffic Commission. As progress continues, excitement about the project has steadily grown. The Partnership has garnered support from a variety of Mansfield residents, as evidenced by its 400 members. Another sign of the broad support this project enjoys is the over $18 million in state and federal funding the Storrs Center project has received. Mansfield residents, local, state, and regional officials, and proponents of sustainable development, such as 1,000 Friends of Connecticut and CT Main Street Center, all recognize the value the new downtown will bring to the town, region, and state. 190 2009 UCONN FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE T HE C ITY OF H ARTFORD
It has long been known as the “Insurance The newest attraction in downtown Capital of the World” and it serves as a daily busy Hartford is the Connecticut Science Center, hub for some of the most dynamic corporations in which opened in the spring of 2009. The the nation. It also serves as the home for UConn 144,000-square foot facility has 150 hands-on football at Rentschler Field and a home-away- exhibits, a state-of-the-art 3D digital theater, from-home for the UConn men’s and women’s four educational labs, plus daily programs and basketball teams at the XL Center. events. The City of Hartford, Connecticut’s state The Connecticut Convention Center capital, and the Greater Hartford region are ranked opened in 2005. The $230 million, 1.6 million- highly for workforce productivity, accessibility, square-foot convention facility is another one of income levels, technology, education, the arts and a series of projects that is bringing new life to the heritage. Hartford is resource-rich with desirable city. residential real estate, communications, Hartford ranks among the top six percent infrastructure, parkland and nature trails, health of North American regions for the arts. Greater care and pubic safety. Hartford is home to nearly 200 arts, cultural and The city serves as the headquarters for several heritage organizations, including the Bushnell Fortune 500 companies, including United Center for the Performing Arts, the Hartford Technologies Corporation, The Hartford Financial Stage company, the Connecticut Opera, the Services Group, Aetna, Inc., and Northeast Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art and the Utilities. Hartford employs seven times more Mark Twain House and Museum Center. people in the insurances field than the average One of the hubs of downtown activity in metropolitan area. Among those employers are Hartford is the XL Center, which is also the home Aetna, Hartford Steam Boiler, ING, CIGNA, facility for the Hartford Wolfpack of the American Travelers and The Phoenix Companies. Hockey League. Each year, the finest golfers in the Hartford has also attracted many significant world compete at The Travelers Championship, businesses in other industries including aerospace, which is played at Cromwell’s Tournament Players precision machinery, information technology and Club at River Highlands and is part of the PGA health and medical. Four of the nations Top 25 Tour’s FedEx Cup. Companies For Executive Women, as recognized by Executive Female, are located in Hartford.
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All-American Renee Montgomery and the women’s basketball team went 39-0 to win the NCAA Championship and then were honored by President Barack Obama at the White House.
The UConn Division of Athletics sponsors 24 sports that compete on the NCAA Division I level and is a member of the BIG EAST Conference. UConn has won nine NCAA Championships since 1990 and has won 88 BIG EAST regular season or tournament championships.
All-American Mike Rutt helped lead the men’s indoor track and field team to the All-American Carin Knight and the 2009 BIG EAST Championship. women’s indoor track and field team won the 2009 BIG EAST title.
192 2009 UCONN FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE UC ONN A THLETICS
Photos listed clockwise from top left: All-American Hasheem Thabeet led the men’s basketball team to an appearance in the 2009 NCAA Final Four and was later the second pick of the NBA Draft. George Springer was a Freshmen All-American for the Husky baseball team. All-American Renee Montgomery led the women’s basketball team to the NCAA Title. All-American Donald Brown was the MVP of UConn’s win in the 2009 International Bowl and was the school’s first-ever NFL Draft First Round pick. All-American Lauren Aird and the Husky field hockey team won the BIG EAST regular season championship and played in the NCAA tournament. Stephanie Labbe and the women’s soccer squad advance to the champi - onship game of the BIG EAST tournament. All-American O’Brian White led the UConn men’s soccer team to its 11th- straight NCAA tournament appearance in 2008.
193 D IRECTOR OF A THLETICS J EFFREY H ATHAWAY
UConn Director of Athletics Jeffrey Hathaway talks to a group of Husky supporters in Toronto before last season’s International Bowl.
five-year term in 2007-08 on the prestigious NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Jeffrey A. Hathaway has played a vital role in the success story of athletics at the University Committee representing the BIG EAST Conference. As a member of the ten- of Connecticut for 18 of the past 20 years. person committee, Hathaway takes part in the selection and administration of Hathaway is in his seventh year as Director of Athletics at UConn and he the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship and the administration of the CBS was the Executive Associate Director of Athletics at the school from 1990-2001. television contract. He is only the fourth individual in the history of the BIG In his only two years away from the Storrs campus, Hathaway enjoyed a EAST Conference to serve on the committee, joining Dave Gavitt, Jake successful tenure as the Director of Athletics at Colorado State University from Crouthamel and Mike Tranghese. 2001-03. Hathaway is a member of the Division I-A Athletic Directors Association His first six years as UConn’s Director of Athletics have arguably been the Board of Trustees and on the Executive Committee of the National Association most successful in school history. of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA). During the 2008-09 academic year, the women’s basketball team won the Some significantly historic achievements have occurred during Hathaway’s NCAA Championship with a spotless 39-0 record, the men’s basketball team time as Director of Athletics. UConn became the first school to win the NCAA advanced to the NCAA Final Four and the football team won the International Division I men’s and women’s basketball championships in the same year (2004) Bowl as the team made its first-ever consecutive bowl appearance. The field and the football team was victorious in its first ever bowl game - the 2004 Motor hockey team won the BIG EAST Championship and advanced to the NCAA City Bowl. tournament and the men’s soccer team also made NCAA play while the men’s Private fundraising for UConn athletics continues to provide exceptional and women’s indoor track and field teams each won BIG EAST Championships. academic and athletic opportunities for student-athletes as more than $85 Hathaway also directed UConn to reach an agreement with IMG College, million has been raised during Hathaway’s tenure as Director. a division of IMG Worldwide, during the 2008-09 academic year. This 10-year UConn secured a gift of $2.5 million from alumnus Mark Shenkman in athletics multi-media rights partnership is worth more than $80 million in 2004 for the building of the Mark R. Shenkman Training Center, an guaranteed payments to the University. intercollegiate and recreational services facility that serves the entire university In 2007-08, UConn successfully completed the NCAA certification community. process. The institution was previously certified, once every 10 years as set forth Under Hathaway’s guidance, the Division of Athletics received the by the NCAA, in 1998. Hathaway provided leadership for a comprehensive, University’s Environmental Leadership Award for the construction of The year-long self study of the operations in the Division of Athletics, a site visit by a Burton Family Football Complex and the Mark R. Shenkman Training Center. peer review team, a NCAA certification committee’s review of the self-study and The two buildings are the University’s first projects certified as meeting the a report by the peer review team. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards for “green” The Division also reached new long-term agreements with two of its media buildings. At its 13th annual awards ceremony in March of 2008, the partners in recent years – Connecticut Public Television for women’s basketball Connecticut Real Estate Exchange presented UConn with the “Green Building and WTIC radio for football and men’s and women’s basketball. UConn also Award” for these environmentally-friendly facilities. completed a landmark ten-year, $46 million corporate partnership In his role as Director, Hathaway also oversees UConn’s agreement with Nike, Inc. to exclusively provide footwear, apparel and Recreational Services program. Serving the entire University equipment for Husky athletics. community, approximately 580,000 individual uses were logged last In addition to his leadership role at UConn, Hathaway began a year, reflecting the popularity of the diverse health and fitness offerings 194 2009 UCONN FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE D IRECTOR OF A THLETICS J EFFREY H ATHAWAY to students, faculty and staff. Hathaway leads a head coaching staff that is one of the most experienced in the country. UConn has 13 head coaches that have been in their current position 10 or more years as of the 2009-10 academic year, including women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma (25th year in 2009-10), men’s basketball coach Jim Calhoun (24th) and football coach Randy Edsall (11th). The University recently completed long term contract extensions with Auriemma and Edsall. UConn has the distinction of being the only school in the nation with two active Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame coaches in Calhoun (Class of 2005 inductee) and Auriemma (Class of 2006 inductee). Hathaway was also a key factor in the opening of Rentschler Field in 2003 – the country’s newest and most modern BCS college football facility. During Hathaway’s career, he has always made the student-athlete the top priority. In the spring and fall semesters of the 2008 calendar year, UConn’s student- athletes excelled in the classroom as nearly 50% of the 650 student-athletes achieved a 3.0 “B-or better” semester grade point average. In addition, the Division of Athletics has consistently maintained a 99 percent retention rate UConn Director of Athletics Jeffrey Hathaway and All-American Donald Brown celebrate last among its student-athletes. season’s International Bowl win. “My focus is on the student-athlete,” says Hathaway. “That’s the most important part of our program. Our primary mission is the continued academic involving postseason football competition and the certification of bowl games. success of our student-athletes. The challenge is to identify people early in the On the conference level, Hathaway is the chair of the BIG EAST Athletic process and assist them in charting a career path. In addition, we want to provide Directors Executive Committee through November of 2009. He is also past a quality experience in intercollegiate athletics for our student-athletes.” chairman of the BIG EAST Championship and Competition Committee as well The University of Connecticut was saluted for its community service efforts as the league’s Finance Committee. by the National Consortium for Academics and Sports (NCAS) for the third Hathaway has served as a guest presenter at both the NACDA and consecutive year for its community service efforts. UConn was also honored by NACMA (National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators) the NCAS in 2006 and ’07 for its efforts to assist former student-athletes in conventions in the past. In addition, he has also served as a lecturer at the IA earning their college degree. Institute sponsored by the Division I-A Athletic Directors’ Association, held In the 2006-07 academic year, Hathaway served on University search annually in Dallas. committees to hire President Michael J. Hogan, Vice President/Chief Operating Hathaway originally came to Connecticut in November of 1990 as Senior Officer Barry Feldman and Executive Director of the Alumni Association Lisa Associate Athletic Director. In that role, he oversaw the day-to-day operations of Lewis. the Division of Athletics. Hathaway’s leadership has earned him respect and recognition both on the He served internally as a program administrator for several sports, including national and local levels. men’s and women’s basketball and men’s and women’s soccer at UConn as the He was one of four finalists for the “Athletic Director of the Year” in the Huskies won four national championships in those sports during his tenure - two spring of 2008 at the inaugural Sports Business Awards by Street and Smith’s in women’s basketball (1995 and 2000) and one each in men’s basketball (1999) Sports Business Journal. and men’s soccer (2000). In the summer of 2007, Hathaway was honored by NACDA as the Hathaway was also the program administrator for football. He played a AstroTurf Athletic Director of the Year for Division I-A in the Northeast region critical role in the upgrade of the football program to Division I-A status as (which includes the New England states and New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and UConn became the first ever school to transition from the I-AA level to a BCS New Jersey). football conference. In 2004, The Sporting News named Hathaway to its “Power 100 List” - During Hathaway’s tenure at Colorado State, he oversaw a 15-sport comprised of the 100 most powerful people in sports. He received the Joseph J. program - nine women’s teams and six men’s. The Ram football team made a pair Fontana Distinguished Service Award from the Connecticut High School of bowl appearances while Hathaway was at CSU. The men’s basketball team Coaches Association in the spring of 2005. In the winter of 2006, Hathaway won the Mountain West Conference tournament in March of ‘03 and advanced received the General Robert R. Neyland Outstanding Athletic Director Award to the NCAA tournament for the first time in 13 years. The women’s basketball from the All-American Football Foundation. team advanced to postseason play twice, including a trip to the second round of During his tenure at both Colorado State and UConn, he was a member the NCAA tournament in 2002 and the semifinals of the 2003 Women’s NIT. of the NCAA Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet, as well as the Hathaway was an extremely successful fundraiser during his time in Fort Postseason Football Licensing Subcommittee, which is responsible for issues Collins. The school drew national attention for a $15.2 million gift from the Bohemian Foundation and president Pat Stryker for football stadium renovations and expansion. Prior to his first stint at UConn, Hathaway served in a number of capacities at his alma mater - the University of Maryland - from 1982-90, including Assistant Athletics Director for Marketing and Promotions, Acting Assistant Athletics Director for Business Affairs, Athletics Business Manager and men’s basketball trainer. Hathaway earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Athletic Administration from the University of Maryland in 1981. He later received a Master’s Degree in General Administration (1991) from the University of Maryland and is currently continuing work on a PhD in Educational Leadership from the University of Connecticut. He attended The Sports Management Institute at the Universities of Notre Dame and Southern California. Hathaway also completed the Management Development Program at Harvard University. Born June 20, 1959, in Cheverly, Md., Hathaway and his wife Paula have two children: Meghan (October 15, 1991) and Michael (June 11, 1995). UConn Director of Athletics Jeffrey Hathaway and members of the 1958 Yankee Conference championship team last year at its 50th anniversary reunion. 195 A DMINISTRATIVE S TAFF AND H EAD C OACHES
Dr. Jeffrey Anderson Pat Babcock Patti Bostic Dr. Scott Brown Jim Donohue Ron Dubois Mike Enright Director of Sports Medicine Associate Director of Athletics/ Executive Director of NCAA Faculty Athletics Assistant Director of Athletics Director of Special Projects Associate Director of Athletics/ Services Senior Women’s Administrator Recreational Services Representative of Development/ Executive Communications Director of the UConn Club
Neal Eskin Dave Evan Dan Glinski Bob Howard Dave Kaplan Kyle Kravchuk Executive Associate Director of Assistant Director of Athletics/ Director of Equipment Head Athletic Trainer Director of Video Services Assistant Director of Athletics Marketing and Corporate Relations Services Athletics/Ticket Operations
Jerry Martin Dino Mattessich Paul McCarthy Kyle Muncy Maureen O’Connor Dee Rowe Tim Tolokan Strength and Conditioning Senior Associate Director of Senior Associate Director of Assistant Director of Athletics/ Assistant Director of Athletics/ Special Adviser for Athletics Special Assistant to the Coordinator Athletics/Internal Operations Athletics/Administration Communications Business Services Director of Athletics
Vaughn Williams Marielle VanGelder Geno Auriemma Jim Calhoun Randy Edsall Bob Goldberg Heather Linstad Associate Director of Athletics/ Assistant Director of Women’s Basketball Men’s Basketball Football Men’s and Women’s Swimming Women’s Hockey Facilities Management and Athletics/Compliance Services Planning
Bruce Marshall Glenn Marshall Angela McMahon Bill Morgan Karen Mullins Jim Penders Dave Pezzino Men’s Hockey Director of Tennis Women’s Lacrosse Women’s Track and Field Softball Baseball Men’s Golf
Ray Reid Greg Roy Jennifer Sanford-Wendry Nancy Stevens Holly Strauss-O’Brien Len Tsantiris Men’s Soccer Men’s Track and Field/ Women’s Rowing Field Hockey Volleyball Women’s Soccer Cross Country 196 2009 UCONN FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE H USKY T RADITIONS
A number of presentations are made during Husky home football games. Here, Director of Athletics Jeffrey Hathaway presents 2007 BIG EAST Championship rings to Meineke Car Care Bowl Executive Director Will Webb (left) and Meineke CEO and Chairman Ken Walker.
“THE HUSKY WALK ” A new pregame tradition was started in 2007 at Rentschler Field as UConn fans got a chance to greet the Huskies as they arrive at the stadium. “The Husky Walk” takes place about two-and-a-half hours before each game as the UConn buses pull up to Gate D of the stadium and the players make their way to Gate C. JONATHAN THE HUSKY MASCOT The official mascot of the University of Connecticut is a Siberian Husky dog named Jonathan. Jonathan XIII made his debut on the Storrs campus in the winter of 2008 and made his Rentschler Field debut at the 2008 Blue-White Spring Football Game. He will be on hand for the ’09 season. The first Husky dog came to UConn in 1934 and the puppy was named for Jonathan Trumbull, the Governor of Connecticut during the Revolutionary War. The pedigree of Jonathan I was traced back to include a great-grandfather who traveled to the North Pole with Admiral Bryd in 1909. Jonathan III was with Admiral Byrd when he under - took “Operation High Jump” to the Antarctic in 1946-47. A costumed mascot has also gained popularity over the past several decades.
UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT ALMA MATER Once more, as we gather today When time shall have severed us far To sing our alma mater’s praise And the years their changes bring, “UCONN HUSKY ” FIGHT SONG And join in the fellowship strong The thought of the college we love “UConn Husky” is the fight song of the school. It was written in the mid-1930’s by Herb That inspires our college days. In our memories will cling. France, who was UConn’s Director of Music until the mid-1950’s. The song is widely known We’re backing our teams in the strife For friendships that ever remain for its playing at different sporting events, but got “out of this world” attention in October Cheering them to victory. And associations dear 1989 when it was played aboard NASA’s Space Shuttle to wake up the shuttle astronauts. We pledge anew We’ll raise a song Among those astronauts on the mission was Franklin Chang-Diaz, a 1973 UConn graduate. To old Connecticut, To old Connecticut UConn Husky So go, go, go, go, Connecticut, Our steadfast spirit of loyalty. And join our voices in our long cheer Symbol of might to the foe. Connecticut U. Fight, fight Connecticut, C-O-N-N-E-C-T-I-C-U-T, Connecticut Connecticut, Connecticut Connecticut, Connecticut It’s victory, let’s go! Connecticut Husky, Connecticut Husky, Thy sons and daughters true Thy sons and daughters true Connecticut UConn Husky, Connecticut C-O-N-N-U. Fight! Unite to honor thy name Unite to honor thy name Do it again for the white and blue, (Repeat first verse) Our fairest white and blue. Our fairest white and blue. VICTORY BELL An enduring tradition of UConn football is the ringing of the Victory Bell after each UConn score. The bell was moved from the previous home of UConn football, Memorial Stadium, to its new home – Rentschler Field. After each score, the bell is rung once for each point UConn has scored in the game.
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seating, outdoor chairback seating, fully enclosed club seats and lux - Some college football teams play in stadiums that put fans so close ury suites. to the action that the spectators feel like they can reach out and The tower at Rentschler Field includes levels for suites, club touch the players. These stadiums are intimate and are part of what seating and media/game management facilities. has made college football special. There are 38 suites in the stadium and more than 600 seats in Other stadiums are ultra-modern edifices that feature the latest the club area, which also includes a 12,000-square foot function in facilities such as luxurious suites and spacious locker rooms. area, which is used by club patrons on gameday and is available for The home of University of Connecticut football — Rentschler meetings and social events the remainder of the year. Field — happens to be both. The stadium is the newest and most The outdoor seating area of Rentschler Field includes nearly modern BCS college football stadium in the country. 4,000 chairback seats with the rest being bleacher seating. Rentschler Field, located in East Hartford, opened on Aug. 30, Rentschler Field is unique in the fact that it has handicap accessible 2003, as the Huskies defeated Big Ten Conference member Indiana, seating on the field level. 34-10. The media facilities are some of the most modern in the coun - UConn has now played 39 games in the facility over the past try with seating for 125 media members in the main press area. six seasons and has posted an impressive 29-10 record at Rentschler There are also separate booths for television and radio broadcasts. Field – including a perfect 7-0 mark in 2007 to set a UConn single- That level also includes booths for coaching staffs, security, public season record for home wins. address announcer, scoreboard operation and other gameday facili - The Huskies have sold out 25 of their 39 Rentschler Field ties. games, including a streak of 12 in a row. UConn has played to a 96 The concourses at Rentschler Field provide generous, open and percent of capacity during its time there before a total of 1,504,584 barrier-free circulation for entering and exiting the facility. The con - fans. course also provides easy access to various concession and novelty The building of the facility and its management is the result of stands and restrooms. incredible teamwork and dedication between the state’s Office of The stadium features state-of-the-art facilities for members of Policy and Management, the town of East Hartford, United the UConn football team, including an incredible locker room area. Technologies Corporation and the assistance from numerous public The main UConn locker room is 3,750 square feet and has and private sector organizations. The result of this cooperation gives space for 125 players. There is also a coaches locker room, equip - the people of Connecticut the opportunity to view college football ment area and medical training rooms. at its highest level in a world-class facility. There is also a spacious visiting team locker room area The natural grass playing surface of Rentschler Field is with similar amenities. 26 feet below grade at the stadium, which features stadium The audio and video facilities at Rentschler Field are
198 2009 UCONN FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE R ENTSCHLER F IELD
Rentschler Field is a facility that was built for Connecticut, by Connecticut. Through a concerted effort, the stadium project far outpaced the state’s requirements to help small, women and minor - ity-owned companies grow with ongoing economic development. This means contractors and individuals that may never before have been able to benefit from projects of this scale helped build their skills, their companies and their careers while they help build their RENTSCHLER FIELD community. The various East QUICK FACTS Hartford area non- profit groups that Owner: State of Connecticut staffed the concession Developer: State of Connecticut Office stands on game days are of Policy and Management (OPM) able to generate Architects: Ellerbe Becket approximately $65,000 Construction Manager: Hunt/Gilbane on an annual basis Joint Venture through their work at Facility Manager: Northland Investment the games. Corp. and AEG Facilities Rentschler Field is Primary Tenant: University of also the home of the Connecticut Athletics (football) some of the most advanced in the country. The sound system is de- Connecticut High Budget: $91.2 million centralized with approximately 300 digital-quality speakers provid - School Coaches Hall of Stadium Footprint: 8.5 acres ing the audio. Fame, which is located Stadium Building: 595,596 square feet, The west end of the stadium features a scoreboard that has a on the southwest con - including field and seats 24-foot by 32-foot video replay screen. course. All parking for the stadium is located within the footprint of The stadium was Capacity: 40,000 the stadium site – which makes it unique for a college football facil - developed by the State Total Site: 75 acres ity. In total, there are 10,600 parking spaces at the Rentschler Field of Connecticut Office Parking: Approximately 10,600 spaces at site. of Policy and the stadium and on the Pratt & Rentschler Field features lighting with four towers in each cor - Management. The Whitney campus. ner of the stadium and a bank of lights on top of the press box. facility was designed by Site History: Pratt & Whitney Airfield, named for Pratt & Whitney founder Frederick Rentschler and donated to the State of Connecticut by UTC in 1999.
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the United States and China on Aug. 1, 2004; a men’s World Cup qualifying match between the United States and Trinidad and Tobago was played on Aug. 17, 2005; the United States men’s national team playing their final tuneup before 2006 World Cup against Latvia on May 28, 2006; and an exhibition women’s soccer match between the United States and Norway on July 14, 2007. UConn received the Governor’s Leadership Award in December of 2003 for its efforts in the first year of play at Rentschler Field. The annual award is given to an individual or group that has done an outstanding job in bringing together a wide spectrum of people and resources to bear on a significant develop - ment issue in Connecticut. UConn was cited for working hard to assure that Rentschler Field was a significant economic resource for The “original” Rentschler Field, an airfield which later saw the likes of Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart, was dedicated on May 24, 1931. Those taking part in the ceremonies were (left to the greater Hartford region and a point of pride for the high quali - right): Donald Brown, President of Pratt & Whitney Aircraft; United States Senator Hiram ty of life in the area that business leaders seek. Bingham of Connecticut; Edward A. Deeds, United Aircraft Board of Directors; F. Trubee Davison, Assistant Secretary of War; Frederick B. Rentschler, Founder of Pratt & Whitney Aircraft and The 75-acre site for the stadium was donated by United Chairman of United Aircraft Corporation (now United Technologies Corporation). Technologies and sits on a former airfield — Rentschler Field — which opened in 1931 and saw the likes of Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart. In addition to the donation of the land for the sta - the architectural firm Ellerbe Becket and the construction manager dium, UTC is allowing another 100 acres of its land to be used for was Hunt/Gilbane joint venture. The primary tenant at Rentschler gameday parking. Field, which is managed by Northland Investment Corp. and AEG There is a display on the history of the site as an airfield in the Facilities, is the UConn football program. stadium. In addition to UConn football, the stadium also played host to The “original” Rentschler Field was dedicated on May 24, a pair of Bruce Springsteen concerts on Sept. 16 and 18, 2003, a 1931. The company air field served as a base for experimental flight concert by the Rolling Stones on Aug. 26, 2005 and the Police on tests of airplanes, engines and propellers and was also used for serv - July 31, 2007. It also serves as the home of the annual Governors’ icing and overhauling engines. In later years the airfield was used for Cup High School All-Star game between Connecticut and Rhode general aviation for United Aircraft Corporation — now United Island. Technologies Corporation. The field was de-commissioned as an International rugby matches have been played at Rentschler active airport in the 1990s. Field in the summers of 2004, ’05 and ‘08. The facility is becoming a mainstay in soccer. An exhibition soccer game between the British teams of Liverpool and Glasgow Celtic was played on July 26, 2004; an exhibition women’s soccer match between
200 2009 UCONN FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE UC ONN A THLETIC F ACILITIES
XL CENTER RENTSCHLER FIELD Home of men’s and women’s basketball Home of football
MARK R. SHENKMAN THE BURTON FAMILY HARRY A. GAMPEL PAVILION TRAINING CENTER FOOTBALL COMPLEX Home of men’s and women’s basketball and women’s volleyball
THE BURRILL FAMILY FIELD AT THE MARK EDWARD FREITAS ICE FORUM J.O. CHRISTIAN FIELD CONNECTICUT SOFTBALL STADIUM Home of men’s and women’s ice hockey Home of baseball Home of softball
GEORGE J. SHERMAN FAMILY SPORTS COMPLEX Home of men’s and women’s outdoor JOSEPH J. MORRONE STADIUM HUGH GREER FIELD HOUSE track and field, field hockey and women’s lacrosse Home of men’s and women’s soccer Home of men’s and women’s indoor track
COVENTRY LAKE Home of rowing
WOLFF-ZACKIN NATATORIUM Home of men’s and women’s UCONN TENNIS COURTS swimming and diving Home of men’s and women’s tennis 201 J. R OBERT D ONNELLY H USKY H ERITAGE S PORTS M USEUM
The sights and sounds of more than a century of intercollegiate athletics competition National Championship Men’s Soccer trophies; the 1981 and 1985 NCAA come alive during a visit to the J. Robert Donnelly Husky Heritage Sports Museum. National Championship Women’s Field Hockey trophies; the 1950s era baseball Located in the new and expanded UConn Alumni Center in the heart of gloves belonging to Connecticut’s three Dropo brothers-including Walt Dropo’s the University of Connecticut’s main campus in Storrs, the Husky Heritage first baseman’s mitt when he was the American League Rookie of the Year with Sports Museum is the ultimate library documenting the wide-ranging successes the Boston Red Sox in 1950; the 1935 Ramnapping Trophy, awarded annually of Connecticut’s athletic programs. to the winner of the Connecticut-Rhode Island football game; a 1931 football The state-of-the-art design and layout of the 2,700 square foot Husky signed by the entire Connecticut squad; team photos of Connecticut’s first men’s Heritage Sports Museum, named after benefactor and 1940 Connecticut basket - (1901) and women’s (1902) basketball squads; and the Waterford Crystal NCAA ball and football captain J. Robert (Bob) Donnelly (shown above with wife M.J.), National Championship trophies won by UConn Women’s Basketball (1995, vividly captures all of the energy, excitement and enthusiasm that is associated 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2009) and UConn Men’s Basketball (1999, 2004). with “Huskymania”. Donnelly passed away on Sept. 26, 2005. The pinnacle achievement of UConn’s eight NCAA National The visitors’ UConn experience begins with the University of Connecticut Championships in both men’s and women’s basketball is preserved and promot - “National Champions” Gallery. This unique museum addition, located in the ed in a unique circular sanctuary—-the Connecticut Basketball Rotunda, a gift entrance foyer of the Husky Heritage Sports Museum, was unveiled in of Herb and Marcia Dunn. December of 2004 and will serve as a permanent tribute to all University of Championship trophies and related artifacts that chronicle UConn’s men’s Connecticut varsity teams that climbed to the mountaintop and earned the right and women’s national titles are prominently featured in the rotunda, as are life- to be called National Champions. size cutouts of Husky All-American stars Ray Allen and Rebecca Lobo. Currently, a total of 13 national champion squads, representing four differ - Celebratory paintings of head coaches Jim Calhoun and Geno Auriemma are on ent UConn sports, have team photos and national championship logos on dis - display along with a one-of-a-kind watercolor team photo of the 25-member play in the National Champions gallery. UConn Men’s Basketball All-Century team. Included in the National Champions Gallery is the unbeaten 1948 men’s Also within the Husky Heritage Sports Museum experience is a video wall soccer team of Coach John Squires, the 1981 and 1985 UConn women’s field featuring a 65-inch high definition television. Visitors can view numerous histor - hockey teams of Coach Diane Wright, the 1981 men’s soccer team of Coach Joe ical moments in UConn history as captured on a variety of highlight films and Morrone, the 2000 men’s soccer team of Coach Ray Reid, the six national cham - documentaries. pionship women’s basketball teams of Coach Geno Auriemma (1995, 2000, Each display case of memorabilia and every historical photograph located 2002, 2003, 2004, 2009), and the 1999 and 2004 UConn men’s basketball within the walls of the J. Robert Donnelly Husky Heritage Sports Museum teams of Coach Jim Calhoun. describe a portion of a truly remarkable story. Upon entering the Husky Heritage Sports Museum, visitors are greeted by That story of the teams, the coaches, and student-athletes who have been a full figure statue of Jonathan, the legendary mascot of all Husky athletic teams. part of the rich history that constitutes the University of Connecticut athletic Oversized banners proudly hang from the ceiling, displaying action images experience is now being told on a daily basis at UConn’s Husky Heritage Sports that feature 88 of Connecticut’s All-American stars representing 17 different Museum. intercollegiate sports. The J. Robert Donnelly Husky Heritage Sports Museum is open free of A tour of the various sections of the Husky Heritage Sports Museum is a charge to the general public during regular business hours (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) of walk down memory lane for long-time followers of Connecticut athletics. For the UConn Alumni Center. fans just becoming acquainted with UConn’s tradition of excellence, the various Since the Husky Heritage Sports Museum opened in January of 2002, sev - themes and areas of the museum, when woven together, narrate a complete and eral important artifacts have been donated from UConn loyalists to help expand compelling sport-by-sport story line. The growth and development of the scope of the Connecticut Athletics storyline. Connecticut athletics is traced via text, photographs and select artifacts from its The University of Connecticut Division of Athletics continues to seek addi - humble beginnings in the 1890s to its present day ranking among the tional memorabilia/artifacts to help expand the story of the UConn Huskies. elite major college athletic programs in the nation. Anyone wishing to donate specific Connecticut Athletics items to the J. Included among the “must see” memorabilia in the Husky Robert Donnelly Husky Heritage Sports Museum should contact: Tim Heritage Sports Museum main concourse are the 1981 and 2000 NCAA Tolokan, Phone: (860) 486-9097, e-mail: [email protected]. 202 2009 UCONN FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE UC ONN A THLETIC D EVELOPMENT F UND
The UConn Athletic Development Fund is extremely grateful to our Endowed Scholarship Donors. For more information on the UConn Athletic Development Fund, please call (860) 486-3863.
The Aero-Med Scholarship Fund The Harry A. and Edith D. Gampel Athletic The Omar Coffee Company Scholarship The Peter Antonez Memorial Baseball Scholarship Endowment Fund The Samuel J. Orr, Jr. Fund The Baum Family Scholarship The Seymour Gavens Scholarship The Lawrence R. Panciera Scholarship The Baum, Cion and Newberg Families Scholarship The Gelfenbien Family Athletic Scholarship The Pappanikou Scholarship Fund The Baum Grandchildren Scholarship Fund The Marty Gilman Memorial Scholarship The Pappanikou Family Scholarship Fund The Arthur W. Beckius Memorial Scholarship The Robert W. Gordon Scholarship The People’s Bank Athletic Scholarship The Peter Behuniak, Sr. Scholarship Fund The Hugh S. Greer ’26 Scholarship The Perrachio Family Football Scholarship The Harold and Helen Benson Family Scholarship The John M. Hall Memorial Athletic Scholarship Fund The Raymond and Marilyn Peracchio Basketball The Bessette Family Men’s Track & Field Scholarship The Haviland Family Baseball Scholarship Fund Scholarship Fund Fund The John and Bette Herr Men’s Basketball Managers The Isadore and Minnie Pinsky Scholarship The Boudreau Family Scholarship Scholarship Fund The Polo Family Scholarship The John J. Brennan Memorial Scholarship Fund The Raphael “Ray” Hoffenberg Memorial Scholarship The Julius “Puggy” Roth Scholarship The Joseph B. Burns Scholarship The Samuel W. and Diane P. Holdridge Family The Dee Rowe Athletic Scholarship Fund The Barbara and Bob Burrill Family Athletic Athletic The Coach Donald E. Rowe Endowed Men’s Scholarship Scholarship Fund Basketball Scholarship Fund The Michael G. Burton Endowed Scholarship Fund The Paul N. Ippedico and Mary E. Berube Scholarship The Robert T. and Renee P. Samuels Scholarship Fund The Robert G. Burton Endowed Scholarship Fund The Ronald D. and Mary C. Jarvis Athletic The Robert T. and Renee P. Samuels Women’s The Ronald J. Bushwell Scholarship Scholarship Fund Basketball The Susan K. Butterworth Scholarship The Robert E. Kennedy Memorial Scholarship Award Endowed Scholarship The M. Jeffrey Cariglia Memorial Golf Scholarship The John and Diane Kim Endowed Women’s The SBM Charitable Foundation, Inc. Scholarship The Peter J. & Patricia J. Cathey Scholarship Swimming Scholarship The Schilberg Family Men’s Basketball Scholarship The J.O. Christian Scholarship The Max Kotkin Athletic Scholarship Fund The Herbert Tryon Clark, Sr. Class Of 1897 Endowed The Nihla and Bob Lapidus Football Scholarship The Schwartz Family Women’s Athletics Scholarship Memorial Endowment Fund Fund Soccer Scholarship The Leandri Family Scholarship The Schwartz Scholarship The Herbert T. Clark, Jr. Memorial Class Of 1934 W. Peter ’50 and Carolun Lind Men’s Basketball Fund The Shoprite Supermarkets of Connecticut Women’s Men’s Soccer Endowment Fund The Maher Family Scholarship Endowed Basketball Scholarship Fund The Connecticut Dunkin’ Donuts Franchisees The Richard D. Mangiarelli Scholarship The Sinatro Family Scholarship Scholarship Fund The Marks Family Scholarship Fund The Jennifer C. Smith Athletic Endowment Fund The Robert T. Crovo Family Scholarship The Donyell Marshall Men’s Basketball Endowed The Dr. John Y. Squires Endowed Soccer Scholarship The Jack Dennerley Memorial Soccer Scholarship Scholarship The Tamer Family Endowment For Women’s The C. Preston Donaldson Softball Endowment Fund The McFadden Family Scholarship Fund Basketball The Bob Donnelly Football Scholarship The Joe McGinn Memorial Men’s Basketball National The Allen and Mary Tracy Women’s Basketball Championship Endowment Fund Scholarship Fund The Bob Donnelly Men’s Basketball Scholarship The Dr. John F. And Carol L. Mele Scholarship The Treibick Family Crew Team Endowment Fund The Dropo Family Scholarship The Men’s Soccer Lettermen Scholarship The Treibick Family Endowment For Women’s Tennis The Herbert and Marcia Dunn Men’s Basketball And Women’s Crew Scholarship Fund The Men’s Track Letterwinner Scholarship Fund The Treibick Family Women’s Volleyball Endowment The Herbert and Marcia Dunn Women’s Basketball The Joseph Merritt Company Athletic Scholarship Fund Scholarship Fund Fund The Tremaine Scholarship Fund The Eblens/Leonard Seaman Scholarship The Michaels Jewelers Foundation Scholarship Endowment Fund The Walter J. Trojanowski Football Scholarship Fund The Irma K. And Alvin L. Evans Endowed Scholarship Fund The Bill Mitchell Endowed Soccer Scholarship The UConn Club General Athletic Scholarship Fund The Faculty/Staff Men’s Soccer Scholarship The Monaco Family Men’s Soccer Scholarship Fund The United Abrasives, Inc. Scholarship Fund The Fiondella Family Women’s Basketball Endowed The Mooradian Family Endowed Football Scholarship The United Abrasives, Inc. Football Scholarship Scholarship The Joseph J. Morrone Endowment Fund The United Technologies Research Center Scholarship The Fleet Bank General Athletic Scholarship Fund The Joseph J. Morrone Endowed Soccer Scholarship Fund The Robert Foster Family Scholarship The Janis C. And Rocco A. Murano Scholarship Fund The Kenneth N. Vernon Memorial Scholarship The Robert and Audrey Foster Family Football The Charles and Jacquelyn Nagy Endowed Baseball The Sherwood C. Waldron Scholarship Fund Scholarship Fund Scholarship The Edward L. Waltman Memorial Scholarship Fund The Robert and Audrey Foster Family Softball The J. Peter Natale Track And Field Scholarship Fund The Dr. Charles E. Waring Scholarship Scholarship Fund The Kevin P. Newman Athletic Scholarship The Dr. Charles E. Waring Football Scholarship Fund The Mark E. Freitas Athletic Scholarship Fund The Frank and Alice Niederwerfer, Sr. Family The Willett Family Women’s Softball Endowed The Friends Of Soccer Endowed Scholarship Scholarship Fund Scholarship The Barbara “Bobbie” K. Galchus Memorial Athletic The Anna Noske Scholarship The Bette and Tom Wolff Scholarship Fund Scholarship The John Noske Scholarship The Wolff-Davis Swimming Scholarship The Timothy L. and Anne B. Gallagher Women’s The William H. O’Brien Ice Hockey Endowment The Wolff Family Scholarship Award Basketball The Oleksiw Family Scholarship For Football The Wolff-Zackin and Associates, Inc. Scholarship Scholarship Fund The David And Cheryl Olender Women’s Basketball The Charlene and Bob Wright Women’s Basketball The Harry A. Gampel Scholarship Fund Scholarship Fund Scholarship Fund The Diane Wright Field Hockey Scholarship Fund
203 B OWL G AMES
Division I conferences and football bowl partners, the with the International Bowl in Toronto, Ontario, and The BIG EAST has always aligned itself with presti - BIG EAST and Big 12 Conferences — along with the PapaJohns.com Bowl in Birmingham, Ala., begin - gious bowl games. The league is one of the original Notre Dame — forged a bowl partnership beginning ning in 2006. In the International Bowl, the BIG founders of the Bowl Championship Series and continues in 2006. This agreement assures both BCS confer - EAST representative faces a team from the Mid- to be one of only six conferences that receives an automat - ences’ or Notre Dame’s participation in the Konica American Conference. In the PapaJohns.com Bowl, ic annual bid. Minolta Gator Bowl and Brut Sun Bowl over a four- the opponent is from the Southeastern Conference. The BIG EAST Conference champion earns the year period. The Konica Gator Bowl or Brut Sun Bowl The 2008 season saw another addition to the league’s automatic BCS bid. The BCS – which enters can pick a BIG EAST team after the league’s represen - BIG EAST’s bowl picture with the introduction of the its 11th season in 2009-10 – is a five-game arrange - tative to the Bowl Championship Series has been St. Petersburg Bowl at Tropicana Field. The St. ment for postseason college football that is designed to determined. The Atlantic Coast Conference will pro - Petersburg Bowl will be televised on ESPN and will match the two top-rated teams in a national champi - vide the opposition in the Konica Minolta Gator Bowl pair the BIG EAST representative against an opponent onship game and to create exciting and competitive (CBS) and the Pac-10 Conference will participate in from Conference USA. matchups between eight other highly regarded teams the Brut Sun Bowl (CBS). The addition of the St. Petersburg Bowl gives in four other BCS games. The Konica Minolta Gator Bowl has the first BIG EAST teams access to at least six postseason If the BIG EAST champion finishes No. 1 or selection at the conclusion of each season. During the games each year. No. 2 in the final BCS standings, then that team will four years of the deal, the BIG EAST (or Notre Dame) earn a spot in the BCS National Championship Game. will send a team to both the Gator Bowl and the Sun Otherwise, the league champion will compete in one Bowl twice. of the four remaining BCS bowl games – the Tostitos The Meineke Car Care Bowl is now in its eighth Fiesta Bowl, FedEx Orange Bowl, Allstate Sugar Bowl year with the BIG EAST Conference. The Meineke or the Rose Bowl. Each bowl hosts two games once Car Care Bowl, which is played in Bank of America every four years - its traditional game plus the National Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., picks after the Konica Championship Game approximately one week later. Minolta Gator Bowl or Brut Sun Bowl. In a first-of-its-kind collaboration among The BIG EAST Conference also aligned itself
Date / Time (ET) TV Bowl Matchup Site Dec. 19 / 2:30 p.m. ESPN New Mexico Mountain West vs. WAC Albuquerque, N.M. Dec. 19 / 8 p.m. ESPN St. Petersburg BIG EAST vs. Conference USA St. Petersburg, Fla. Dec. 20 / 8 p.m. ESPN R+L Carriers New Orleans Conference USA vs. Sun Belt New Orleans, La. Dec. 22 / 8 p.m. ESPN Maaco Bowl Las Vegas Mountain West vs. Pacific-10 Las Vegas, Nev. Dec. 23 / 8 p.m. ESPN San Diego Co. Credit Union Poinsettia Mountain West vs. Pacific-10 San Diego, Calif. Dec. 24 / 8 p.m. ESPN Sheraton Hawaii Conference USA vs. WAC Honolulu, Hawaii Dec. 26 / 1 p.m. ESPN Motor City Big Ten vs. Mid-American Detroit, Mich. Dec. 26 / 4:30 p.m. ESPN Meineke Car Care ACC vs. BIG EAST Charlotte, N.C. Dec. 26 / 8 p.m. ESPN Emerald ACC vs. Pacific-10 San Francisco, Calif. Dec. 27 / 8:15 p.m. ESPN Gaylord Hotels Music City ACC vs. SEC Nashville, Tenn. Dec. 28 / 5 p.m. ESPN2 AdvoCare V100 Independence Big 12 vs. SEC Shreveport, La. Dec. 29 / 4:30 p.m. ESPN Eagle Bank ACC vs. Army Washington, D.C. Dec. 29 / 8 p.m. ESPN Champs Sports ACC vs. Big Ten Orlando, Fla. Dec. 30 / 4:30 p.m. ESPN Roady’s Humanitarian Mountain West vs. WAC Boise, Idaho Dec. 30 / 8 p.m. ESPN Pacific Life Holiday Big 12 vs. Pacific-10 San Diego, Calif. Dec. 30 / 8 p.m. NFL Texas Big 12 vs. Conference USA/Navy Houston, Texas Dec. 31 / TBA ESPN Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Mountain West vs. Conference USA Fort Worth, Texas Dec. 31 / 12 p.m. CBS Brut Sun Pacific-10 vs. BIG EAST/Big 12 El Paso, Texas Dec. 31 / 6 p.m. NFL Insight Big Ten vs. Big 12 Tempe, Ariz. Dec. 31 / 7:30 p.m. ESPN Chick-fil-A ACC vs. SEC Atlanta, Ga. Jan. 1 / 11 a.m. ESPN Outback Big Ten vs. SEC Tampa, Fla. Jan. 1 / 1 p.m. ABC Capital One Big Ten vs. SEC Orlando, Fla. Jan. 1 / 1 p.m. CBS Konica Minolta Gator ACC vs. BIG EAST/Big 12/Notre Dame Jacksonville, Fla. Jan. 1 / 5 p.m. ABC Rose presented by Citi BCS (Big Ten) vs. BCS (Pacific-10) Pasadena, Calif. Jan. 1 / 8:30 p.m. FOX Allstate Sugar BCS At-Large vs. BCS At-Large New Orleans, La. Jan. 2 / 2 p.m. FOX AT&T Cotton Big 12 vs. SEC Arlington, Texas Jan. 2 / 2 p.m. ESPN Papajohns.com BIG EAST vs. SEC Birmingham, Ala. Jan. 2 / 5:30 p.m. ESPN AutoZone Liberty Conference USA vs. SEC Memphis, Tenn. Jan. 2 / 9 p.m. ESPN Valero Alamo Big Ten vs. Big 12 San Antonio, Texas Jan. 2 / 12 p.m. ESPN2 International BIG EAST vs. Mid-American Toronto, Ont. Jan. 4 / 8 p.m. FOX Tostitos Fiesta BCS (Big 12) vs. BCS At-Large Glendale, Ariz. Jan. 5 / 8 p.m. FOX FedEx Orange BCS (ACC) vs. BCS At-Large Miami, Fla. Jan. 6 / 7 p.m. ESPN GMAC ACC vs. Mid-American Mobile, Ala. Jan. 7 / 8 p.m. ABC BCS Championship Game presented by Citi BCS No. 1 vs. BCS No. 2 Pasadena, Calf.
BOWL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES - When not having a conference champion participating in the BCS National Championship Game, the BCS will have the following conference champions serve as host teams: Rose Bowl - Big Ten and Pac-10; FedEx Orange Bowl - ACC; Allstate Sugar Bowl - SEC; Tostitos Fiesta Bowl - Big 12.
204 2009 UCONN FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE 2009 O PPONENTS
Ohio Bobcats Rutgers Scarlet Knights September 5 October 31 Peden Stadium • Athens, Ohio Rentschler Field • East Hartford, Conn. Football SID: Jason Corriher Football SID: Jason Baum Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Office: 740-593-1298 Office: (732) 445-7885 Cell: 740-331-1497 Cell: (201) 966-6338 Website: OhioBobcats.com Website: ScarletKnights.com GAME 1 GAME 8 North Carolina Tar Heels Cincinnati Bearcats September 12 November 7 Rentschler Field • East Hartford, Conn. Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, Ohio Football SID: Kevin Best Football SID: Ryan Koslen Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Office: (919) 962-8916 Cell: 513-497-3132 Cell: (919) 619-7020 Website: UCBearcats.com Website: TarHeelBlue.com GAME 2 GAME 9 Baylor Bears Notre Dame Fighting Irish September 19 November 21 Floyd Casey Stadium • Waco, Texas Notre Dame Stadium • Notre Dame, Ind. Football SID: Heath Nelson Football SID: Brian Hardin Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Office: 254-710-3538 Office: 574-631-9471 Cell: 254-709-4237 Cell: 574-532-4134 Website: BaylorBears.com Website: UND.com GAME 3 GAME 10 Rhode Island Rams Syracuse Orange September 26 November 28 Rentschler Field • East Hartford, Conn. Rentschler Field • East Hartford, Conn. Football SID: Tom Symonds Football SID: Sue Edson Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Office: 401-874-2409 Office: (315) 443-2608 Cell : 330-283-8581 Cell: (315) 952-4787 Website: GoRhody.com Website: SUAthletics.com GAME 4 GAME 11 Pittsburgh Panthers South Florida Bulls October 10 December 5 Heinz Field • Pittsburgh, Pa. Rentschler Field * East Hartford, Conn. Football SID: E.J. Borghetti Football SID: Chris Freet Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Office: (412) 648-8240 Office: (813) 974-4086 Cell: (412) 491-5110 Cell: (813) 625-6075 Website: PittsburghPanthers.com Website: GoUSFBulls.com GAME 5 GAME 12 Louisville Cardinals BIG EAST Conference October 17 222 Richmond Street, Suite, 110, Providence, R.I. 02903 Rentschler Field • East Hartford, Conn. Football Contact: Chuck Sullivan Football SID: Rocco Gasparro Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Office: (401) 453-0660 Office: (502) 852-0102 Cell: (401) 641-8760 Cell: (502) 262-2258 Website: BigEast.org Website: UofLSports.com GAME 6 West Virginia Mountaineers CollegePressBox.com October 24 Mountaineer Field At Milan Puskar Stadium CollegePressBox.com is the official media website for BIG EAST football. Football SID: Mike Montoro Access and download weekly game notes, quotes, statistics, media guides Email: [email protected] and more for the conference and each of its eight member schools through - Office: (304) 293-2821 out the season. Login information will be distributed to accredited media or you can apply for a password by sending an e-mail to pass - Cell: (304) 276-2605 [email protected] Website: MSNSports.net GAME 7 205 R ADIO C OVERAGE
The UConn football radio team For the 18th consecutive year, Connecticut football will be broadcast on the includes: Kevin Nathan (front row) WTIC/UConn Radio Network. Anchoring the network will be WTIC AM-1080 in with Bob Joyce, Joe D’Ambrosio and Hartford, the state’s only 50,000 watt AM station. Wayne Norman in the back row. Other stations that will join WTIC on the network in 2009 are: WILI 1400- AM in Willimantic, WXLM 104.7 FM in New London, WINE 940-AM in Danbury and WPUT-1510 AM in Brewster, N.Y. For the eighth consecutive season, WTIC AM-1080 will air the “Randy Edsall Show,” featuring UConn head coach Randy Edsall and broadcaster Joe D’Ambrosio. The show will air on Thursday evenings of Saturday game weeks. Veteran sportscasters Joe D’Ambrosio and Wayne Norman will handle play- by-play and color commentary, respectively, for Husky football during the 2009 sea - son. Kevin Nathan will once again provide sideline reports. The station offers 10 hours of Husky football talk on home game Saturdays on his role as sports director, WTIC’s powerful signal. Ray Dunaway, the popular host of WTIC’s morning drive, program director and and veteran sportscaster Scott Gray start things off at 5:30 a.m. live on Saturdays morning personality at from Rentschler Field. WILI, a station which is That tandem then yields to the duo of Arnold Dean and Kevin Nathan at 9:30 part of the a.m. prior to the contest with “The Tailgate Show,” which runs for one hour fol - WTIC/UConn Radio Network for football and Wayne Norman interviewed former heavyweight champion George lowed by UConn Football Magazine with Bob Joyce from 10:30 a.m. until kickoff. Foreman at halftime of the 2007 Meineke Car Care Bowl. Nathan will also serve as a features producer for “UConn Football Magazine,” the basketball. He is the halftime show, and also play host to a post-game call-in show after home games with longest tenured morning Joyce filling that role for road contests. man in the state, working mornings at WILI since November 1, 1971. D’Ambrosio will be calling UConn football and men’s basketball on WTIC Kevin Nathan is in his fourth year as the sideline reporter and his sixth year and the UConn Radio Network for the 18th-straight year. He also called UConn overall on the broadcasts. The former Division III All-America defensive back at women’s basketball games from 1995 thru 1998 and again from 2000 thru 2006. Dickinson College has been sports director at NBC Connecticut since 1997 and was He is an anchor at NBC Connecticut, works as a host and anchor heard nationwide named Connecticut Sportscaster of the Year in 2005, ’07 and ‘08. on ESPN Radio and joined the New Britain Rock Cats radio broadcast team for the Bob Joyce will begin his seventh season as part of the broadcast team and after 2009 Eastern League season. D’Ambrosio was named Connecticut Sportscaster of serving many years as the network coordinator in the studio, he is currently the pre the Year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association for the sixth and post game host. Joyce, a Bloomfield High School graduate, has been part of the time in 2006. UConn women’s basketball team broadcast team since the 2001-2002 season and Celebrating his 43rd year in broadcasting, Norman began covering has been the play-by-play voice of the women since the 2006-2007 season. Connecticut Athletics as a UConn student in the mid-60’s and has since Eric Davis returns for his second-straight year and fourth overall as the on site called close to 1,400 UConn athletic events. He has been UConn’s radio producer. Robby Joyce is in his second season as spotter and Joey Bourgoin analyst for football and basketball since 1981. A member of the broadcast is back for his second season as the producer in the network studios in staff at WILI Radio (Willimantic, Conn.) since 1970, Norman continues Farmington, Conn.
206 2009 UCONN FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE T ELEVISION C OVERAGE
The 2009 college football season will mark the second year of a six-year arrangement with ESPN that gives the BIG EAST unrivaled exposure on ABC television and the ESPN family of networks. ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC will carry a minimum of 19 BIG EAST home games each season, marking the highest guaranteed total on ESPN and ABC in league history. Championship Saturday in December will include one game either on ESPN and another on ESPN2. At least four BIG EAST games will be featured on ESPN’s Thursday-night package each year. In addition, ESPN Regional will continue to produce and distribute its BIG EAST Network Game of the Week package to a nationally syndicated audience, reaching more than 30 million homes. Most of these games also will be available as part of the ESPN GamePlan subscription service. Finally, a minimum of five home games will be carried on ESPNU. Extensive television exposure and the BIG EAST have been synonymous terms. For football, the league established its own regional television package in 1991 before it had played a game. The BIG EAST Television Network immediately was the largest regional college football network in the country. THE NATIONAL SCHEDULE BIG EAST G AME OF THE WEEK The BIG EAST will have an extensive schedule of games on national television. The Numerous BIG EAST contests will be broadcast by ESPN Regional Television as part of following telecasts were known at press time. Other games will be added via the 12- its BIG EAST Network Game of the Week package. The following dates and games day and 6-day advance selection process. were scheduled prior to the season. Many picks will be made later in the season as 12- day selections (schedule subject to change). ABC Sat. Nov. 14 Notre Dame at Pittsburgh * TBD Sat. Sept. 26 Fresno State at CINCINNATI Fri. Nov. 27 PITTSBURGH at WEST VIRGINIA * TBD Sat. Oct. 3 USF at SYRACUSE Fri. Nov. 27 RUTGERS at LOUISVILLE * TBD Sat. Oct. 10 CONNECTICUT at PITTSBURGH or Fri. Nov. 27 Illinois at Cincinnati * TBD WEST VIRGINIA at SYRACUSE Sat. Dec. 5 CINCINNATI at PITTSBURGH * TBD Sat. Oct. 17 LOUISVILLE at CONNECTICUT Sat. Dec. 5 USF at CONNECTICUT * TBD Sat. Oct. 24 TBD Sat. Dec. 5 WEST VIRGINIA at RUTGERS * TBD Sat. Oct. 31 CINCINNATI at SYRACUSE or RUTGERS at CONNECTICUT NBC Sat. Nov. 7 TBD Sat. Nov. 21 Connecticut at Notre Dame 2:30 p.m. Sat. Nov. 14 SYRACUSE at LOUISVILLE Sat. Nov. 21 LOUISVILLE at USF or ESPN RUTGERS at SYRACUSE Mon. Sept. 7 CINCINNATI at RUTGERS 4 p.m. Sat. Nov. 28 SYRACUSE at CONNECTICUT Sat. Sept. 19 West Virginia at Auburn * 7:45 p.m. Thu. Oct. 1 Colorado at West Virginia 7:30 p.m. The affiliate list for the ESPN Regional/BIG EAST Game Thu. Oct. 15 CINCINNATI at USF 7:30 p.m. of the Week includes stations in 10 of the top 25 American Fri. Oct. 16 PITTSBURGH at RUTGERS 8 p.m. television markets. Locally, the games are shown on WCTX Thu. Nov. 12 USF at RUTGERS 7:30 p.m. MyTV9 in the Hartford-New Haven market. Sister stations Sat. Nov. 14 Notre Dame at Pittsburgh * TBD WTNH and WCTX are the exclusive local homes for Fri. Nov. 27 PITTSBURGH at WEST VIRGINIA * TBD UConn football and men’s basketball broadcasts. Its month - Fri. Nov. 27 RUTGERS at LOUISVILLE * TBD ly show, Huskies All-Access , received a local Emmy Award in Fri. Nov. 27 Illinois at Cincinnati * TBD 2008. The BIG EAST Game of the Week is also seen on Sat. Dec. 5 CINCINNATI at PITTSBURGH * TBD some households in Connecticut on SportsNet New York Sat. Dec. 5 USF at CONNECTICUT * TBD (SNY). Sat. Dec. 5 WEST VIRGINIA at RUTGERS * TBD ESPN2 Sat. Sept. 5 Minnesota at Syracuse Noon Sat. Sept. 19 West Virginia at Auburn * 7:45 p.m. Fri. Oct. 2 PITTSBURGH at LOUISVILLE 8 p.m. Fri. Oct. 23 Rutgers at Army 8 p.m. Fri. Oct. 30 WEST VIRGINIA at USF 8 p.m. Sat. Nov. 12 WEST VIRGINIA at CINCINNATI 8 p.m. Sat. Nov. 14 Notre Dame at Pittsburgh * TBD Fri. Nov. 27 RUTGERS at LOUISVILLE * TBD Fri. Nov. 27 Illinois at Cincinnati * TBD Sat. Dec. 5 CINCINNATI at PITTSBURGH * TBD Sat. Dec. 5 USF at CONNECTICUT * TBD Sat. Dec. 5 WEST VIRGINIA at RUTGERS * TBD All times Eastern and subject to change. BIG EAST Games in CAPS. * Selected games will air either on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2
ABC’s Dr. Jerry Punch and Terry Bowden have been recent visitors to Rentschler Field. 207 UC ONN S PORTS I NFORMATION
The 2009 University of Connecticut Football Media Guide/Yearbook has been prepared to provide pertinent information concerning Connecticut’s football program and to assist the media members in their continuing coverage of the Huskies. We at Connecticut appreciate your interest in our football program, and we are always available to be of assistance to all media members in their coverage of the Huskies. RADIO POLICY PRESS BOX SERVICES WEEKLY FOOTBALL LUNCHEONS Requests to broadcast must be obtained in The UConn Athletic Communications staff Media members covering the University of writing or by phone at least two weeks in advance of will be on hand to assist all media members covering Connecticut Football program meet on a weekly the game by contacting the University of Connecticut football. All working media members basis for Tuesday luncheons with head coach Randy Connecticut Athletic Communications Office, 2095 will be provided with Connecticut’s up-to-date team Edsall and various Husky players. The weekly lunch - Hillside Road, U-1173, Storrs, CT 06269-1173. and individual statistics, game depth chart and a eons will be held at the Burton Family Football The phone number is (860) 486-3531. game program. At halftime and at the end of the Complex on the UConn campus in Storrs. The The University of Connecticut has radio lines game, media members will be provided with com - media luncheon will begin at 11:30 a.m. each week available for all football opponents for the 2009 sea - plete statistics (both individual and team) as well as with head coach Randy Edsall’s comments, followed son in the visiting radio booth and they cost $75 per a play-by-play summary. by lunch and interviews with select Husky players. line. ALL CALLS ON THESE RADIO LINES Post-game interviews will be held on the field Media members interested in attending the weekly MUST EITHER BE CREDIT CARD CALLS OR level on Rentschler Field. UConn head coach Randy luncheon should contact Mike Enright. COLLECT CALLS. THERE WILL BE NO Edsall will be available, after a cooling off period, in EXCEPTIONS. the main interview room next to the Husky locker TELECONFERENCES Visiting radio stations must reserve the phone room in the east end zone. Requested UConn play - ers will be available at the press conference as well, UConn head coach Randy Edsall will hold a lines by contacting Mike Enright in the UConn teleconference-style press conference each Sunday at Athletic Communications Office. while arrangements for the visiting coach and players will be made through the visiting school’s sports 4:00 p.m. to review the previous week’s contest. information department. The audio/video of press Edsall will hold another teleconference on Thursdays MEDIA FACILITIES conferences held at the interview room’s main dais at 1:00 p.m. to discuss the upcoming week’s contest. Media members interested in gaining access to either The press box at Rentschler Field in East will be available on the television monitors in the teleconference should contact Mike Enright. Edsall Hartford is located on level five of the press box main press box. will also participate on the weekly BIG EAST coach - tower above the south stands and can be reached via es teleconference on Mondays at 11:40 a.m. the elevator located in the southeast corner of the PHOTOGRAPHERS press box tower. The media will call window is locat - ed beside the elevator. The press box is for working Still photographers and film crews with hand- WEEKLY PRACTICE & INTERVIEW media members only. held equipment may work the sidelines from each end zone to the respective 25-yard lines. Sideline cre - SCHEDULE Included in the press box are a television broad - dentials will only be issued to accredited representa - UConn football practice is open to all mem - cast booth, radio booths, home and visiting coaches’ tives of daily newspapers, wire services, magazines bers of the media for the first 25 minutes on booths, a camera deck and a working press area. and television stations. Photography space also is Tuesdays. In addition, still and video photographers Professional scouts will be admitted to the press box. available atop the Renstchler Field press box but will may shoot the first 25 minutes of practice on Requests for home game media passes, photograph - be issued on a priority basis to television stations and Wednesdays. er’s passes and broadcasting accommodations should to the film crews of the two teams in competition. A be made at least two weeks in advance of the date of Interviews with UConn players should be photo transmission room is available for photogra - the game to the Athletic Communications Office. made at least one day in advance and can be done on phers at field level through the main operations tun - Media parking, if requested in advance of the game, Tuesdays (after press luncheon), Wednesdays before nel in the southeast corner of the stadium. is available at the stadium. practice of a standard game week. There are no play - er interviews on standard Thursdays or Fridays. Players will normally be available from 12:30 p.m. to UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS STAFF 1:30 p.m. but, please contact the Athletic Communications Office to verify times and avail - ability. For all media arrangements, photographs, or other information concerning the University of Connecticut football team please contact: Mike Enright University of Connecticut 2095 Hillside Road, U-1173 Mike Enright Kyle Muncy Randy Press Associate Athletic Director/ Assistant Athletic Director/ Assistant Director Athletic Storrs, CT 06269-1173 Communications Communications Communications Phone: (860) 486-3531 FAX: (860) 486-5085 Enright Cell: (860) 208-4756 EMail: [email protected] Website: UConnHuskies.com
Luanne Dunstan Kristen Altieri Betsy Devine Elizabeth Mayer Secretary Athletic Communications Athletic Communications Athletic Communications Assistant Assistant Assistant
208 2009 UCONN FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE