The View From Section 241

[huskyrob1]

Let me help...

How the Patriots Almost Became Connecticut’s Team

Robert Kraft was on the verge of moving his team out of Massachusetts in the late 1990s. At the last minute, an NFL executive on the rise—Roger Goodell—stepped in and helped get a new stadium built in Foxborough

www.si.com

I don't think I need your help by posting one reporters version of events, but if you a have point to make please enlighten me. You should not believe everything you read. I thought you knew everything? Rowland didn't go after Kraft as the article "reportedly" states, Kraft came to Hartford first.

 

[CTMike]

I don't think I need your help by posting one reporters version of events, but if you a have point to make please enlighten me.

You are truly helpless.

 

[huskyrob1]

You are truly helpless.

Get lost idiot. If you only knew.

 

[Exit 4]

 

[huskymedic]

You should not believe everything you read.

I don’t - that’s why I responded to your posts.

 

[huskyrob1]

I don’t - that’s why I responded to your posts.

You responded with a bull snow article. That's not quite the way it went down. You don't know what you are talking about.

 

[huskymedic]

You responded with a bull snow article. That's not quite the way it went down. You don't know what you are talking about.

Yup... just a dumb ambulance driver. Why would I know what happened in the hallways of the LOB and Capital in the mid to late 90’s.

Sleep tight Rob.

 

[CTBasketball]

We had a really good tailgate, housed about 200 beers, and then screamed at Lovie Smith for 3 hours.

What the hell else are you gonna do in CT on a fall Saturday? Talk about the Fasttrak? USF will be a fun one especially if we can steal a game at Indiana.

 

[huskyrob1]

Yup... just a dumb ambulance driver. Why would I know what happened in the hallways of the LOB and Capital in the mid to late 90’s.

Sleep tight Rob.

How should I know, I only worked there. Be good

 

[CL82]

How so? Kraft bought the Patriots in 94, the same year Roland got elected. Rumors started in 97 in that Kraft wanted to build a stadium in East Hartford to share with the UConn Huskies, with the stadium being financed by the State of Connecticut. This killed any movement to build it in Storrs, then after that when Kraft said "see ya", the State and the school went ahead with it anyway. The land was free. If Kraft had never been in the equation I'm convinced that the stadium would have been built on campus.

I’m inclined to agree with your conclusion, but the timing seems just a little off to me. I’d have to go look it up. It was a while ago.

 

[polycom]

I’m inclined to agree with your conclusion, but the timing seems just a little off to me. I’d have to go look it up. It was a while ago.

You two agreeing why am I not shocked.

 

[huskyrob1]

I’m inclined to agree with your conclusion, but the timing seems just a little off to me. I’d have to go look it up. It was a while ago.

Letting Kraft get involved was the biggest mistake in UConn athletics history, and actually Kraft never intended to bring the Patriots to East Hartford anyway. Imagine if the Packers moved to Camp Randall or the Colts moved to South Bend. Crazy right?

 

[uconnbill]

Kraft used Hartford and Connecticut, that's a fact. He would have only moved if Foxboro and Massachusetts didn't cave, which of course they were with a little more money and improved infrastructure around the current stadium

 

[jayfromfla]

1 the patriots WERE NEVER coming to Hartford, Kraft played Connecticut like a fine fiddle. Kraft signed an agreement with Rowland that as long as he negotiated with Connecticut he would NOT negotiate anywhere else. The Hartford politicians demanded the site be on the I 95 IN Hartford. We spent close to $1,000,000 and it was time for Kraft to put up $250,000. He asked for an extension of 30 days and Rowland said no show us the money. within 48 hours the NFL signed an agreement wit the state of Massachusetts and Kraft walked,

In the mean time with the help of Rowland staff Kraft sold over 25,000 season tix to unsuspecting Connecticut residents. When it fell apart they wanted their $$$ back. Kraft refused and said come to foxboro and enjoy the games. To this day I refuse to root for the Pats.

 

[jayfromfla]

Who came before Roland? I thought Ella did, duh.

Rowland
Weicker (the father of the ct income tax)
O'Neil
Grasso

 

[Chief00]

There were plenty of students at the Rent for the game, but many of them left after the tailgate. I couldn’t believe the traffic jam leaving the Red lots around 3 PM.

At the start of the game, the student section looked fine, but almost all of the students were gone at the start of the 2nd half. I guess the recent poor performance of the football team has trained the students to not stay for the second half.

With winning, more people will come to games and stay.

Part of the problem is if they wait until the end of the game there’s not enough buses then to take them back.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

Fans are getting more fair weather everywhere. Still, you have to realize being able to roll out of bed at 11:30 and still being able to make the start of noon game significantly advances the likelihood that college kids will go there.

But for Kraft yanking Connecticut/Hartford around in a pretend bid to move there, no one, no one at all would have thought that sticking UConn football stadium 30 minutes drive off campus was a good idea. I hate that rat bastard.

The thing is they are more likely to leave when they become disinterested or not show up at all when on campus. Back in the day it seemed more students would watch the game on freebie hill at Memorial and then leave when they were done partying or became bored. Unfortunately we have had only two short lived eras of good football in the last 50 years not withstandind the excitement generated by the move to 1A.

 

[storrsroars]

Edit update: Add some spread to this offense, get them spread out so Jack Zergiotis can attack.

I think they only did it once and I don't recall the result of the play, but that one time UConn lined up with an empty backfield I had this unfamiliar thought that we were actually trying to win.

 

[CL82]

You two agreeing why am I not shocked.

I think pretty much everyone agrees that if Kraft didn’t use Connecticut as a bargaining chip to get a better deal in Foxboro, the state would not have decided to put UConn’s football stadium in East Hartford.

Kind of a dumb comment by you. Why am I not shocked?

 

[polycom]

I think pretty much everyone agrees that if Kraft didn’t use Connecticut as a bargaining chip to get a better deal in Foxboro, the state would not have decided to put UConn’s football stadium in East Hartford.

Kind of a dumb comment by you. Why am I not shocked?

So now you're using revisionist history. But you knew this.

 

[huskyrob1]

The thing is they are more likely to leave when they become disinterested or not show up at all when on campus. Back in the day it seemed more students would watch the game on freebie hill at Memorial and then leave when they were done partying or became bored. Unfortunately we have had only two short lived eras of good football in the last 50 years not withstandind the excitement generated by the move to 1A.

Back in the FCS days they were decent in the late 80's and under Skip Holtz in the late 90's.

 

[Pudge]

You responded with a bull snow article. That's not quite the way it went down. You don't know what you are talking about.

Double shame

Thinking the Stadium in Storrs was ever going to easily approved - traffic - Town - scale. But then when the Stadium was built in East Hartford, zero skills shown in making the entire property work. It’s mind blowing. Access. Job base near. Traffic count. Got what? 6 Football games in Autumn & Cabelas? I’d once again argue the Stadium is one hour more accessible to Fairfield Cty & better for anyone coming from NYC or Boston. That road to Storrs for Saturday’s?

 

[Exit 4]

How should I know, I only worked there. Be good

You worked at the capital - yet you needed a refresher on the history of CT governors?

Medic provides relentless support to this football forum that is on point and free from idiocy and editorial. He is a tremendous asset. Why you would elevate a beef with him is bizarre.

 

[Chief00]

Double shame

Thinking the Stadium in Storrs was ever going to easily approved - traffic - Town - scale. But then when the Stadium was built in East Hartford, zero skills shown in making the entire property work. It’s mind blowing. Access. Job base near. Traffic count. Got what? 6 Football games in Autumn & Cabelas? I’d once again argue the Stadium is one hour more accessible to Fairfield Cty & better for anyone coming from NYC or Boston. That road to Storrs for Saturday’s?

I agree, let’s make what we have work. Any decent corporation could make game day successful in East Hartford.
You have 5,000 customers on your property but lack the understanding of your customers’ motivations, wants and needs to be able to entice them into the building? What you do then is understand your customer better and respond to what motivates them.

 

[huskyrob1]

Double shame

Thinking the Stadium in Storrs was ever going to easily approved - traffic - Town - scale. But then when the Stadium was built in East Hartford, zero skills shown in making the entire property work. It’s mind blowing. Access. Job base near. Traffic count. Got what? 6 Football games in Autumn & Cabelas? I’d once again argue the Stadium is one hour more accessible to Fairfield Cty & better for anyone coming from NYC or Boston. That road to Storrs for Saturday’s?

Traffic could have been remedied, yes it was an issue but could have been fixed. Extending 384 for 8 or 9 miles would have benefited the school in many ways, not just because of football home games. It's been debated in the state house for years, and not because of athletics. The number of trucks and buses that have to get to the campus every day is a large number. As for the town of Storrs objecting, yeah maybe from individuals who wanted to keep it as a sleepy town, but UConn IS Storrs, and if an on campus stadium were built the economics of the town of Storrs would have expanded greatly. More gas stations, hotels, restaurants, etc. There was even talk of a state police barracks at one time near Willington had that been the case. Kraft never had any intention of bringing the Patriots to Hartford, and it was he that reached out to Hartford and Rowland, not the other way around. He's a slimeball.