UConn Football Names Honorary Coaches For Spring Game
Former University of Connecticut assistant coaches Sam Rutigliano and Dave Adolph along with former players Dave Lalima and Stan Rajczewski will serve as honorary coaches for the UConn Blue-White Spring Football Game on Saturday, April 20, 2013, at Rentschler Field.
Admission and parking are free with a noon kickoff, parking lots opening at 9:30 a.m. and stadium gates opening at 10:30 a.m. with a FanFest inside.
Rutigliano was the defensive backs coach at UConn in 1964 and 1965 and went on to a successful career in professional football. Rutigliano was also an assistant coach at Tennessee and Maryland before joining the staff of the Denver Broncos of the American Football League in 1967. He was an assistant coach in the professional ranks until he became the head coach of the Cleveland Browns in 1978. Rutigliano was the NFL Coach of the Year in 1980 as the Browns won the AFC Central title. He later served as the head coach at Liberty University from 1989-99. Adolph was on the UConn staff from 1965-68 and worked with both the offensive and defensive lines.
Adolph also served as an assistant coach at Ohio State, Illinois, Kentucky and Akron. He spent his entire pro coaching career (21 years) in the AFC, including 14 years as a defensive coordinator and 12 seasons in the AFC West, making 11 career playoff appearances in the process. Prior to joining the Chiefs, Adolph spent two years (’97-98) as linebackers coach for the Oakland Raiders. He signed on with Oakland after a two-year stint (’95-96) as defensive coordinator for the San Diego Chargers. During his three-year tenure as Kansas City’s defensive coordinator from ’92-94, the Chiefs made three straight playoff appearances.
Adolph originally came to Kansas City after spending three seasons (’89-91) as defensive coordinator for the L.A. Raiders. He spent the ’86-88 seasons as defensive coordinator of the Cleveland Browns. Adolph began his NFL career as the Browns defensive line coach in 1979. He took over the club’s linebackers in ’81 before assuming duties as defensive coordinator midway through the ’84 season when Marty Schottenheimer was named head coach. He then spent one season (’85) as an assistant for San Diego before rejoining the Browns in ’86. He later returned to the college ranks as an assistant coach at the University of San Diego.
Lalima, a native of East Longmeadow, Mass., was a halfback and defensive back, who lettered for the Huskies in 1964 and ’66. After graduating from UConn, Lalima earned a law degree from Boston College. He served as regional counselor for social services in the state of Massachusetts during his career. In retirement, Lalima spends two week a year in Uganda working with a medical team to provide care to poverty-stricken residents of that country.
Rajczewski, a native of Stamford, Conn., was an offensive lineman for the Huskies and was an All-Yankee Conference selection in 1968. He lettered from 1966-68. Rajczewski had a long English teaching career from 1972-2003 at Mount Vernon (N.Y.) High School, the same high school that former UConn men’s basketball start Ben Gordon attended. Rajczewski was an assistant football coach at Mount Vernon and also was the strength and conditioning coach. He currently resides in Newtown, Conn.
Reprinted from UConnHuskies.com with permission
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