Boneyard-related DiMauro column

[junglehusky]

You guys are great. Here's a column on folks who are helping #FillTheRent

Buy a UConn football ticket... and pass it on

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

I'm gonna take a stab at this.

Jon Pedersen - JMoney
Tom Guaneiri - FCFan
Tim White - Pudge
Dave Marinaccio - Palatine
Adam Cowles - Dooley

I'm 100% sure about 1 guy and fairly confident that Tim White is Pudge (based on his quote here compared to his writing style). The others are educated guesses.

And Butch is Butch.

This is great stuff and you guys deserve the kudos you're getting.

 

[pepband99]

He couldn't resist calling them "superfans," could he? Sigh.

Agreed on the kudos - you guys are stalwarts.

 

[whaler11]

I spent all that time on an email and he didn't use me

 

[J187Money]

I wrote a manifesto to him...at least I didn't waste my time.

 

[Waquoit]

Between this and the Calhoun Charity, people might think the Boneyard is OK.

 

[Waquoit]

He couldn't resist calling them "superfans," could he?

Yeah, but in this case it's proper usage.

 

[whaler11]

I wrote a manifesto to him...at least I didn't waste my time.

I love how he's just Butch.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

Too many Richard Douglases

 

[Waquoit]

I love how he's just Butch.

Hey, the great ones only need one name.

 

[Dooley]

I wrote MUCH more than the paragraph he quoted too. In the spirit of full disclosure, this is what I sent him...

Before I begin with my reasons why I do this, I want to thank you for taking the time and energy to write this article. There are far too many negative articles and perceptions about UConn and its fanbase; it is refreshing to see a new approach being taken. I think that the UConn fanbase is filled with passionate, loyal fans (just like anywhere else) who are making every attempt possible to answer our Athletic Director’s (and President’s) “call to arms”.

I’m a very proud UConn alum and resident of our fine state of Connecticut. I LOVE my state and I LOVE my school. I’ve had football tickets since the Rent opened and have only missed a handful of games over that time. I have very fond memories of great games with great atmospheres in that stadium. I was there for the Rent opener to watch Terry Caulley run all over Indiana. I went bananas when DJ hurled his game winning TD into the parking lot. I’ve enjoyed watching Donald Brown run over our Big East rivals. I lost my voice when we beat RG III’s Baylor Bears and exacted revenge against Bob Diaco’s Cavaliers. I almost sprained my ankle jumping in euphoria when WVU fumbled inside our 5 in OT. And I was on pins and needles when Randy Edsall put his offense back on the field on 4th down on his own 21 against Pitt. We’ve all been very fortunate to watch big-time college football at the Rent over the years. UConn rose in the NCAAF ranks so far and so fast, that when it was time for UConn to seize the moment and get to their first ever BCS, we took it. I have to swallow REAL hard when I look around college sports and see all of our former rivals playing in “power” conferences…many of which I consider to field inferior athletic departments to UConn. Not to mention, UConn had found a great deal of success head-to-head against those “power” rivals.

There have been many reasons and opinions as to why UConn has found itself outside of the “Power 5”. It could be because of ill feelings that are still harbored over Richard Blumenthal’s ridiculous lawsuit. It could be because of Jeff Hathaway and his inability to take UConn sports to the next level in an era that it was succeeding at just about every sport. It could be because UConn football has had some lean years recently, thanks to an incredibly unpopular coaching hire following that afore-mentioned BCS appearance. It also could be because of the perception that UConn’s fanbase has been turned off. It’s no secret that attendance at the Rent has dwindled over the years, thanks to a sour combination of losing seasons and bland schedules as a result of our conference affiliation. But I firmly believe that if UConn got the “Power 5” call tomorrow, the season ticket count would double from where it is now in less than a week. UConn is a sleeping giant and has the ability to ignite a large northeastern demographic that has, by in large, been untapped for college football.

As to why I am personally involved, it is simple: I want to introduce UConn football to as many fans as possible. I would love word to spread with as many people as possible to go check out a game. For my money, there is no better entertainment value in the state. Where else can you spend $20-something dollars for 4 hours of tailgating good food with good friends and take in top college football? There isn’t a bad seat in the stadium and when the stadium is full, it can rock as loud as any stadium in the country. Not to mention, the school needs its fans RIGHT NOW. To take it a step further, the STATE needs its fans/citizens rightness. The state has made huge investments in UConn, both athletically and academically, to try to promote its “power” conference profile. Nobody in the “power” conference world questions whether UConn can compete and generate interest in basketball. UConn also showed itself to be a quick hockey study (similar to its early success in D-1 football!). Unfortunately for UConn and Connecticut, conference realignment is primarily driven by college football interest. The sooner we can collectively turn around football attendance and the on-field product improves, the stronger our resume will be to play our collegiate sports at the highest level (again). It’s ironic - UConn was most successful on the field and in the stands as a BCS member…further proof, to me, that UConn football has the potential to take off as a member of the B1G or ACC or Big 12.

UConn is, and always will be, a basketball school. There is nothing wrong with that and, in fact, there is a needed niche inside the Power 5 for basketball schools (ex - Kentucky, Duke, North Carolina, etc). But it is important for UConn to be competitive in football too. The quicker the rebuilding process takes and the sooner we can get more fans in the stands to watch it, the sooner we can enjoy college sports at the highest level (again). It puts Connecticut back on the map for positive reasons at a time that it is receiving negative national press for businesses leaving the state. UConn ignites and unites Connecticut like nothing else. A quarter of a million people swarmed into downtown Hartford for the last dual championship parade. That’s over 10% of this state’s population! There are very few states with that kind of community support. The decision to purchase tickets for other UConn fans who might be going through some tough times is an easy one. It helps support the state, its fine flagship school, and the people/fans who live in our wonderful community.

Thank you, once again, for writing this article and spreading some positive news inside the UConn community. It is very much appreciated.

 

[whaler11]

Flying to Storrs for games is an interesting concept.

 

[Dooley]

Flying to Storrs for games is an interesting concept.

Maybe he is one of those parachuters that missed the Rent a few years ago? I think it was the WVU or Pitt night game???

 

[whaler11]

Maybe he is one of those parachuters that missed the Rent a few years ago? I think it was the WVU or Pitt night game???

I was going to guess he's a bird who then takes the student bus back to E HTFD.

 

[cohenzone]

Our group of 3 has had seasons tickets from the beginning of the Rent and always buy an extra seat for a guest. We want to see the seats filled. Our guests aren't always needy, but we don't ask to be paid. It's great to buy and donate tickets for fans or potential fans who can't afford it. One of the most disappointing games of al time was the one with the highest attendance, UMich. Not because we lost a winnable game, but because such a large % were Mich fans. In my 50 yard line section close to half were Mich fans. My son who is a Mich grad went with 7 friends and they were able to easily get 8 together not in the usual visitors corner. That has to change.

 

[J187Money]

My full email to DiMauro:

Mike,

Thanks for reaching out. I'm a '93 UCONN grad that grew up in Wisconsin - as a kid I remember going up to Badger games at Camp Randall and just being awed by the magnitude of it all. I moved to CT as a teenager and went to UCONN principally for economic reasons, and really lamented the fact that we didn't have a 1-A program. When UCONN finally made the decision to upgrade, I was ecstatic. I have been a season ticket holder since a couple of years before the Rent opened, and have carried 6-7 tickets the entire time. I've been to all of the bowl games, ND, Michigan, Army in NYC, the USF game in Tampa that clinched out BCS bid, and a couple of other road games.

My view on the program is as follows:

- I always expected it was going to take a long time to compete at a high level
- I think our early success with Edsall was amazing and I was happy to be a part of it, but I also think the fans got spoiled and the expectations became unrealistic
- I believe is the duty of the Alumni (and especially those who support the BB team) to support the football program both financially and emotionally - you can't want us to be nationally relevant if you refuse to invest your time/effort/money into making it happen

We never had trouble filling the seats when Edsall was here - because we won the majority of our home games (something like 37-12 at the rent) - and when we lost, it was usually to a West Virginia or a team that we were a heavy underdog to. People would come, they would tailgate, and we would win. That's a pretty good recipe.

The downturn that came along with HCPP really took the air out of the program. It isn't any secret that the UCONN fanbase (or the various fanbases of BB/WBB/FB/Soccer/Hockey) loves a winner - and gets disinterested pretty quickly, but as you know from reading the BY (I assume you do anyway), attendance (especially in the wake of our current conference realignment plight) has become a huge topic of conversation.

Some interesting points of view have arisen since the program went backwards:

- We need to support the team no matter what because we are alums and thats our job (this is where I fall)
- We need to support the team because if we don't we have no chance at a P5 invite
- The team sucks and therefore I refuse to waste my money because the product sucks
- This used to be fun and it isn't anymore, and the people that I used to come with were casual fans more interested in the tailgating and they just don't care anymore
- I have limited funds and when we were winning I could justify the expense, but not if we are going to be 2-10 or whatever

Amongst all of the sniping, we had some folks that said that they could not legitimately afford to go to the games. I'll be honest, I am not sure that I really buy that. I'm sure that most of the folks that say they can't afford to go have blown more money than a season ticket on a single night at the bar (after all, they are UCONN fans). But it gave me a thought.

http://the-boneyard.com/threads/young-alumni-season-ticket-drive.60145/

I posted that thread last year, and FFLDCTYFAN and I bought a pair of tickets (for MikeDog10 and BoatShow). I met them at the first tailgate and they were really appreciative. Small amount of money for me, but great for fan unity and puts more fannies in the seats. In addition, I had extras for a couple of games which I transferred to Butch (who is disabled and on a fixed income).

The conversation kicked up again this February, and this year I pledged to buy a pair. Butch reached out to me and I said I'd cover him. I'm fortunate that I'm in the position to do something like that, and I know he really appreciates it.

UCONN doesn't have football fans like Wisconsin (and many other parts of the country) does. I was in GB for Favre's retirement / Packer Hall-of-Fame ceremonies, and there were 70,000 people that showed up to Lambeau NOT to watch a game. The big P5 schools get 50K+ for their spring games. It will take a long time to build the kind of fan base we need, and I'm happy to do my part. There are enough UCONN grads with enough money to fill the stadium for every game. It pains me that we have to twist people's arms. But instead of just complaining about it, I'm going to keep helping out others - sure it is only a couple of tickets, but every ticket matters.

 

[31GuardTrap]

This stuff makes my griping to friends to get their butts to the games seem like small-time potatoes. Gonna keep doing it though. Just wish I didn't go from 8 tickets to.......gulp......1 ticket.

 

[blue93]

Awesome job guys. That's what you call bleeding blue. Love it.

 

[SonsOfNutmeg]

Thought it was really cool that Diaco commented on this too... Nice to know the head dog knows and cares about what you guys are doing and all of our support here on the BY!

Great jobs boys!

Thought the commentors completely miss the point of big boy college football, what HCBD is trying to build and where the program is going to be onboard. My message to the haters and non-believers- have fun sitting on your couches watching out of state schools play meaningless games on Saturdays.

 

[Dooley]

Thought it was really cool that Diaco commented on this too... Nice to know the head dog knows and cares about what you guys are doing and all of our support here on the BY!

Yeah, I thought that was cool too. I wrote to Mike to thank him for the piece and made a comment to him that I didn't realize that Diaco knew about this. He said that he told him last week and said that "his face lit up".

#BleedBlue

 

[hardcorehusky]

Kudos to all highlighted. It is good to know that the passion is still there. See you at the Rent on Thursday

 

[Fishy]

Unfortunately, I was on vacation and missed Mike's email - I would not have done a better job than the people he quoted. Very nice article - nice work by Tim to help facilitate it, nice job by Mike D., and nice work from the quoted Boneyard boys.

My absolute favorite part of the whole freaking thing was Pudge's double-horned goring of Boston College and Syracuse...I enjoyed when he referred to them as private schools with modest fanbases, but I really got a kick out him referring to them as "two narrow silo programs".

 

[Kgun7]

Between this and the Calhoun Charity, people might think the Boneyard is OK.

And don't forget about Skibs leading the effort to send 4 fans to the BCS Bowl game!!!

 

[noeynox]

Awesome read.

 

[Palatine]

I never said I flew to Storrs for games. Here's what I did say.

Mike,

Good question. To be honest, The Boneyard is made up of a bunch of knuckleheads, myself included. Still, it is lots of fun for real Huskies fanatics. You have to be knowledgeable enough to discuss the personnel changes on the second unit offensive line and dopey enough to think your opinion matters.

As a season ticket holder who lives in Washington, DC, I can only attend a few games per season. I basically let my brother dole out my tickets. Sometimes he goes, other times he finds deserving Huskies fans. None of this is formal. It just happens. Have done it for a number of years.

I don’t see this as any big deal. It’s just a way to support the football program and share that with folks who might not otherwise have a chance to go. Grammar aside, it’s just passing on something I enjoy and hoping other find the same enjoyment.

Not sure if this is what you are looking for.

Go Huskies,
Dave aka Palatine