CT Gov. Malloy wants Uconn & BC 2 kiss and make up | The Boneyard

CT Gov. Malloy wants Uconn & BC 2 kiss and make up

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HARTFORD, Conn. -- Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy says it is time for the University of Connecticut and Boston College to put hard feelings behind them and work to re-establish an important New England rivalry on the football field and basketball court.

In an interview with the Associated Press on Thursday, Malloy, an alumnus of Boston College, said he has expressed those sentiments in talks over the past year with Boston College president William Leahy.

The two schools have been at odds since Boston College left the Big East to join the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2005, and the state of Connecticut led a lawsuit over the move.

"The reality is that time has the ability to heal all wounds, and hopefully we move forward," said Malloy. "Economically, it makes great sense. The schools are 80 miles apart. Instead of a plane trip, it's a bus ride. We should be doing more of that, not less."

The two schools last played football in 2004 and last played a men's basketball game in January 2005. Boston College is 10-0-2 against the Huskies in football, while UConn leads the basketball series 54-35.

Shortly after BC announced its plans to join the ACC, Connecticut basketball coach Jim Calhoun said he would never play the Eagles again as long as he coached the Huskies.

But last fall, amid a national shakeup of athletic conference, Malloy acknowledged that UConn had an interest in moving to the ACC.

Boston College athletic director Gene DeFilippo told the Boston Globe that he had blocked the move, saying it was a matter of "turf."

He later issued a public apology, saying "while I harbor some ill feelings toward the University of Connecticut regarding the lawsuit, depositions and derogatory comments from UConn officials when we announced our decision to join the ACC, it was inappropriate to express personal feelings that might have been construed as the position of Boston College or the Atlantic Coast Conference."

Malloy said that whatever happens with the ACC, the two schools should realize that playing each other, as they already do in many other sports, would benefit both schools and the entire region. UMass, which recently upgraded its football program, is the only other FBS school in New England.

Connecticut is now in talks that would have its men's hockey program join Boston College in Hockey East.

"Both schools have done and said things that need to be left in the past, and both schools need to move forward," Malloy said. "They need to move forward in what is the best interest of their schools, their student body and their athletic programs."

The timing may be right.

Warde Manuel, UConn's new athletic director, and DeFilippo say they are friends, and plan to meet soon to talk about the relationship. Manuel said the two had been scheduled to sit on a panel together recently, but DeFilippo had a scheduling conflict.

"I come in with a mindset that it would be good for us and good for them if we can get back to having a solid relationship between the two institutions," said Manuel, who took over the program in March.

"I know that [UConn] [resident [Susan] Herbst would like that and it's one of the things that at the time when we can, Gene and I will have a conversation and I'll get a sense from him on how he feels about it.

"But, from my perspective, I don't harbor any ill feelings about Boston College and I think highly of the program, highly of the institution and I would hope that we could overcome issues from the past."

Copyright 2012 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and The Associated Press is strictly prohibited.

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Of course they're willing to be friends now that they have the clear upper hand. They'd love to play us while we're stuck in Conference USA. They know that we have no shot of competing for recruits as long as they are in one of the top 5 conferences and we are stuck in whatever this mess of a conference is.
 
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We got 2 amend this, get n da acc, beat da dog sh&&&t out of them, then have da acc boot them out
 
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Only if it comes with invitation to ACC. BCU was part of this "jumping ship" which destroyed the BE football conference and had intent in doing likewise to the one basketball conference better than the ACC.

BCU can rot in he double hockey sticks until the day that UConn is on a much more solid D1 playing field.
 
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Reminds me of the Pitt - Penn rivalry that went south in 2000. For various reasons (some good, some not so) some blame it on JoPa who wanted a 2 home, 1 away schedule, and well things just didn't work out. Nobody cared what the fans wanted, that's what happens when egos get involved. Kinda reminds me of the distaste most people have regarding the political climate that's permeated the Congress for a looooong time for not being able to do what's right for the people. I guess it's true though...PRO-gress is the opposite of CON-gress. :D
Fortunately the rivalry between Pitt & Penn will return in 2016. Wow...16 years of whining and what do they have to show for it.
 
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