My email to Benedict (I encourage you all to do something similar):
Dear Mr. Benedict:
Hope you are doing well. I am writing you today to express my concerns with the direction of UConn’s football program. I am sure I am not the first to do so, and will certainly not be the last.
One of the top reasons I decided to attend UConn as an undergraduate student in 2001 was the allure surrounding UConn’s upgrade to Division I-A football. The combination of a new stadium and joining the Big East Conference for football (which was as good as any at the time with Miami, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, etc.) was extremely attractive for this big football fan who also loved basketball and wanted to attend a strong academic university in the Northeast.
The growth of UConn’s football program during the previous decade was unprecedented. Being able to attend four bowl games in a row in Charlotte, Toronto, Birmingham and Glendale was an unbelievable experience. It seemed we had already become one of those programs for which a bowl game each year and competing conference championships were a given. Then Coach Edsall decided to leave and everything changed in an instant, not because Coach Edsall left, but because we hired the wrong person to replace him in Coach Pasqualoni.
When Coach Diaco was hired to replace Pasqualoni I was excited. Diaco was everything Pasqualoni wasn’t: young, energetic, charismatic, etc. What we did not know was whether he could be a successful head coach.
I believe in the theory that to rebuild something you sometimes have to tear everything that is standing down, so I did not panic when UConn went 2-10 in Diaco’s first year. However, I was concerned about what he said to the press and how he seemed to approach each game. He explicitly mentioned that he considered non-conference games “preseason games” and he used nonsensical terms such as “key-backups” and “key-starters”. Furthermore, it seemed like specifically game planning for opponents was not a priority.
Then Year 2 came around and you did not hear any of that non-sense. Out of nowhere, UConn went 6-6 in the regular season, including a win over previously undefeated and nationally ranked Houston. Even though we lost a bowl game matchup to Marshall, it seemed like the arrow was pointing up. Nonetheless, there were still big concerns.
In Diaco’s first two years UConn had a decent defense, but had a dreadful offense. Many of our wins in 2015 were the result of a hugely positive turnover margin that seemed impossible to replicate. So was the arrow truly pointing up or had UConn just got lucky in 2015?
I do not have to tell you what a total disaster the 2016 season was. I live 1,600 miles away, so buying season tickets is not an option, but I did purchase tickets for the BC football game back in May. I was really excited about the possibility of going into Chestnut Hill and defeating the school I hate the most. My entire family was coming on this trip.
After the ECU and Temple game disasters I decided to cancel the trip. It was clear as day we would get crushed and that attending the game would be a miserable experience. The way the 2016 season ended was an embarrassment. It is clear as day that Bob Diaco is not a good head football coach and that UConn football is not going anywhere with him at the helm.
I recognize the positives that Diaco has brought to our program. From Sundays to Fridays UConn is among the best in the nation, but that is meaningless if we are laughing stock on Saturdays.
Changing coordinators and other assistant coaches will not change anything. You know it, I know it and the entire fanbase knows it. The buyout is obviously a huge obstacle for a change, but losing at least half of your season-ticket base and casual fanbase will be an even bigger obstacle in the future.
I personally try to attend at least one game each season. That is not something I will do as long as Diaco is coach. Furthermore, I have donated to the Athletic Department each year since I graduated. Although my donations are small, I certainly cannot justify any further donations while Diaco remains head coach. Doing so would be implicitly approving him remaining in place as a head coach.
The longer we go on with Diaco as a head coach, the deeper the hole will get and the more difficult it will be to get out of it. Conference realignment has dealt UConn football a huge blow; keeping Diaco for another season would be the death blow.
I wish you the best of luck and pray that UConn finds a way to make a coaching change work.
Sincerely,
