Engaging Weekend for UCONN Football, Part I (Friday, August 8th)
Head coach Bob Diaco keeps on surprising. Just when it may have been possible to think about repetitiveness and the long daily grind of summer camp potentially setting in, there was the young and innovative coach, keeping the team focused, driven and ready for anything on a dime.
Friday night, the Huskies had a chance to listen to an amazing story from Dewey Bozella, a man who was imprisoned for twenty-six years, for a murder he did not commit. Six years in, he refused to sign a plea agreement, confessing to the murder that would have set him free, after six additional months in prison for time served. Instead, he let his fate rest in the hands of a jury for a second time, where he was found guilty, again.
Twenty years later, after additional evidence was found, his case was dismissed, making him a free man. In prison, Bozella developed a skill in boxing. The rest of the story, it seems one that came straight out of a fairy tale, is chronicled in the following video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bfZhmTu9uk
Bozella had a clear message that struck all players to begin the second weekend of camp, something that was very appreciated by the team; perseverance, will-power, faith and a motto he shares with groups he speaks with on a regular basis, ‘Never Give Up.’
“It was a great opportunity for us to learn from a man that has seen the struggles of life,” LB Marquise Vann expressed after practice on Monday. “Sometimes you don’t understand what’s going on, sometimes you don’t understand why things are happening to you and sometimes you have to have faith. For me, I have faith in God that he will allow me to get through, that he will allow me to become a better man, become a better person, so I can become a better teammate, a better son and hopefully down the road a great husband, a great father.”
“It was just a great opportunity for us to sit down and learn how to better ourselves, to look within ourselves,” Vann added. “Hearing him speak really allowed a lot of us, especially myself, to really see a different aspect of life and I really did enjoy it. The passion in that man’s voice, the want to, the desire, the persistence, the faith, the commitment he had was just so special and I just really, really enjoyed that opportunity.”
This was the second speaker that Coach D has brought in to talk to the team, an indication that he is taking it upon himself to instill in each of his players a belief that they were put on this Earth for a reason and that, that reason was for something good, something positive.
“It was always a priority for the staff to work to build on people, to allow us to become better people, but what Coach Diaco brings is he really, really emphasizes that,” Vann continued. “He wants us to understand that it’s not all about football; we really have to become better men, better people overall, so we can help our society, help the world to be fair and loving. I really appreciate that as well.”
On Saturday, the Huskies unexpectedly boarded buses and headed for what they have termed ‘their house,’ Rentschler Field. The staff attempted to recreate a game day atmosphere by holding a scrimmage and from all accounts, the players responded.
[You will see Part II of this story tomorrow on The Boneyard Blog]
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