Diaco, UConn Return to Familiar Place

@MattSchonvisky

Bob Diaco returns to a place he knows well on Saturday, an area where he’s spent a significant amount of time over the years, as he leads the Huskies to Yankee Stadium, where they take on Army, tomorrow afternoon.

“I’ve just enjoyed the ballpark and being there with my family and my dad, brothers and uncles,” Diaco recalled during Tuesday’s media availability. “The family had four seats and we still do. They rotated through a very large family, so I wasn’t at Yankee Stadium for every home game, but I’ve spent some time in there.”

Diaco, obviously a Yankee fan (which we won’t hold against him), couldn’t help, but talk about the legend that just retired.

“Growing up, there are so many names that you just love, but it’s hard not to get excited about [Derek] Jeter and follow his career,” Diaco noted. “You talk about your favorite Yankee, it’s hard not to just identify with him and everything he stood for, as long as he did it, with the class that he had.”

This will not be the first time Diaco is at this facility coaching football. He was a member of the Notre Dame staff when the Irish defeated Army, 27-3, in 2010.

“One of my favorite memories is going there and playing a football game,” Diaco said. “That’s what’s so cool about this organization right now. The Yankees tap into college football, they have the New York High School playoffs there. It’s a service to those Burroughs and the community outreach they have, to open it up to all kinds of sporting events.” 

Defensive tackle Mikal Myers, a native of nearby Newburgh, NY, is excited to get a chance to play at a place he admires.

“It’s a privilege to be able to go and play there,” Myers said on Tuesday. “It’s an awesome opportunity. I’m a big-time Yankee fan, so it’s going to be really fun.”

This will not be the first time being involved in a college football game, in a baseball stadium, for starting quarterback Chandler Whitmer.

“As a redshirt, when I was a freshman at Illinois, we played at Wrigley Field against Northwestern,” Whitmer said. “I remember how cool that was, just the nostalgia, how awesome it was and the tradition in that place. I know Yankee Stadium is one of the best venues that there is, so we’re looking forward to it. It will be a lot of fun.”

There will be a number of UConn fans making the short trip from Connecticut, who are playing their first athletic event in the city, since the memorable run through the East regional semis and final on the path to last year’s NCAA Championship, by the men’s basketball team.

“The people in the state of Connecticut already have a template for going to New York and watching the Huskies,” Diaco said. “I know the basketball teams go down there, have a great relationship with New York and they’ve had great followings. The fans have watched a lot of success there in the City, so we look forward to continuing that.”

Something the Huskies are also hoping to continue, is the outside chance of becoming bowl eligible, at the conclusion of 2014. What better opportunity than to get another step forward to that goal, at a legendary venue, in front of a hungry fan base?

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