On Rivalry Weekend, UConn and BC Continue to Hinder the Progress of College Football in New England

@MattSchonvisky

“More than an adversary, greater than an enemy, above an opponent, beyond a foe, a RIVAL. Born from repetition and bound from contempt, season’s unto themselves. From two team’s striving to share one region, to two school’s who swear they never will. An annual grudge, a brutal ritual, a furious renewal. Sixty minutes that last 365 days, where there’s more than victory. There’s legacy and misery and history. There is: RIVALRY.” – Tom Rinaldi

UConn travels to Memphis today on rivalry weekend in a game that sparks about as much venom and fury in UConn fans, as a mid-summer Red Sox-Royals game in Major League Baseball. There isn’t one.

The sad part, maddening at times, is there is a school that the above statement, applies. That school and opponent resides 77.7 miles from Storrs, CT. Boston College.

Since the Huskies joined the Big East in 2004, they have played the following teams on Thanksgiving weekend: Rutgers (3), Cincy (3), USF (2), Syracuse (1),  WVU (1) and now Memphis (1). 

Boston College, over that same time period, has played: Syracuse (4), Miami (3), Maryland (2)NC State (1) and had one open week. 

Ever since the Eagles bolted the old Big East, in lying and cheating fashion, there has been a lot of talk, but no action. There were promises such as Jim Calhoun openly saying he would never schedule BC again, threats and lawsuits from then Connecticut attorney general Richard Blumenthal and an all-too giddy former BC athletic director, Gene DeFilippo, who was more than willing to share his successful blockage of the Huskies admittance into the ACC in 2011.

Boston College is a group of pompous, better-than-you, know-it-alls. They think they are in an elite club. The fact? They don’t even scratch the surface of collegiate athletic success. That’s just one writer’s opinion. In other words, scoreboard (athletic department success, top to bottom).

On the other end is UConn. Fans rocked buses when BC came for their lone visit to Rentschler Field in 2003. Huskies fans made it clear, they were not welcome and that is the definition of rivalry, from both ends.

BC is scared of UConn. If the Huskies saw relevance again, the Eagles are fearful, in their already professional sports driven media, that they would become even less relevant in their home market. Their fear? Recruits would bolt. That is laughable. BC has tradition and that tradition will continue, regardless of a result of a game against Connecticut.

A regular game at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, makes too much sense to ignore. When current UConn athletic director Warde Manuel and current BC AD Brad Bates, both former Michigan men, were named to their positions, hope sprang that this would get done. 

It’s been a couple year’s now and only rumors swirled, but never developed. That, in itself, is a shame. For politics, hurt feelings and pride to get in the way of something that could be special for New England football, it’s a complete an utter disgrace and the jobs of both men, UConn’s especially, should be judged on if this game gets scheduled.

UConn sent out a survey to current and former season ticket holders last week asking how to make the fan experience better, how to spark additional interest in the program. The one obvious answer that will come through is win. The other, especially in the tradition starved AAC football conference is to bring in opponents that actually matter to Husky fans. Boston College is an automatic marquee draw, that all of UConn Country would circle on their calendar.

It’s a shame that the Huskies are in Memphis today, rather than East Hartford, Chestnut Hill or Foxboro.

From a Hartford Courant article by Ken Davis on 9/14/03:

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