Eight Wins and Counting - UConn Football’s Resurgence…A message from Director of Athletics, David Benedict

[huskymedic]

 

[DoctorWho85]

I love this guy. He has really made the AD so much better

 

[PlayItLeo]

Agreed. AD David Benedict has been great for the university, no matter how often the imbeciles on Twitter berate him and expect reparation for every petty grievance.

It's not a coincidence that our recent success across sports also coincided with his tenure.

 

[Jetskies]

excited for the possibility of sellout crowds again at the rent one day. We are still far away from that I feel, but maybe it'll come soon if we keep this up. TY Jim and Dave & boosters.

 

[HuskiesFan1014]

We got to chat with Dave in Myrtle Beach (bowl game) and in both Houston and Phoenix (Final Fours.) He always takes the time to talk to fans and really gets it. We got lucky with him, and he's been doing things right. What an incredible change from the AD's of the recent past.

 

[History Geek]

I've had great conversations with him at the Coaches' Roadshow events. Very down to earth. Forthcoming without being too forthcoming.

 

[Skiblets]

Last feather in his cap is to close the deal with the Big 12...

 

[Jetskies]

Last feather in his cap is to close the deal with the Big 12...

I’ve always said that the department can finally close this book when that milestone was hit. Benedict can go chase his dream job in the P2 or as a conference commish, Jim Mora can retire, and we can end the independent saga kinda in a happily ever after way, kinda like Friday night lights series when coach taylor gives in and moves to Philly to start over for his wife.

Who knows, maybe even Hurley finally gets the call from the knicks then.

Itd be a job well done for both DB/JM. Fingers crossed. And It’d be a welcome end to this bitter book we’ve been reading for 17 years.

 

[UConnDan97]

I’ve always said that the department can finally close this book when that milestone was hit. Benedict can go chase his dream job in the P2 or as a conference commish, Jim Mora can retire, and we can end the independent saga kinda in a happily ever after way, kinda like Friday night lights series when coach taylor gives in and moves to Philly to start over for his wife.

Who knows, maybe even Hurley finally gets the call from the knicks then.

Itd be a job well done for both DB/JM. Fingers crossed. And It’d be a welcome end to this bitter book we’ve been reading for 17 years.

Or... they can all stay...

 

[Kolumbo]

Or... they can all stay...

Benedict's feather = Big XII invitation
Mora's feather = Big XII conference championship

 

[Jetskies]

Or... they can all stay...

Of course!
I want that too. I only painted this scenario because I believe those things have a real shot of happening

• JM is old and unless he's got a Joe-Paterno-level-gas-tank in him, is probably on his way out of the profession soon-ish.
• DB is doing a killer job here and is undoubtedly a hot commodity in the college athletics world. Barring a miracle by UConn admins, I would not be surprised if someone BIG snatches him (Big 10? ACC? Auburn? USC? etc etc.)
• DH is not a secret. He will get his NBA shot on his terms, one of these years.

so knowing all those possibilities, If these things end up happening, I'm just saying I hope they all happen after we get our happy ending.

 

[RioDog]

Benedict's feather = Big XII invitation
Mora's feather = Big XII conference championship

So great to have had a season that allows us to have these dream scenarios be a little more realistic.

 

[UConnDan97]

Of course!
I want that too. I only painted this scenario because I believe those things have a real shot of happening

• JM is old and unless he's got a Joe-Paterno-level-gas-tank in him, is probably on his way out of the profession soon-ish.
• DB is doing a killer job here and is undoubtedly a hot commodity in the college athletics world. Barring a miracle by UConn admins, I would not be surprised if someone BIG snatches him (Big 10? ACC? Auburn? USC? etc etc.)
• DH is not a secret. He will get his NBA shot on his terms, one of these years.

so knowing all those possibilities, If these things end up happening, I'm just saying I hope they all happen after we get our happy ending.

JM - the dude is in better shape than most of the people on this board, doing all those damned stairs. Don't worry about his gas tank

DB - he's doing a killer job. If UConn gets into the Big12, then he will be already working at a killer job. Major conference money, while working at the basketball capital of the world, with a resurgent football team, top 25 baseball team, top 24 ice hockey teams on both the men and women side, etc, etc.

DH - He's already gotten his shot at the NBA. He told the LA Lakers "No thanks"...

 

[Kolumbo]

Yeah, dude's only 63. Plenty of coaching years ahead here at UConn, if he wants.

 

[businesslawyer]

I’ve always said that the department can finally close this book when that milestone was hit. Benedict can go chase his dream job in the P2 or as a conference commish, Jim Mora can retire, and we can end the independent saga kinda in a happily ever after way, kinda like Friday night lights series when coach taylor gives in and moves to Philly to start over for his wife.

Who knows, maybe even Hurley finally gets the call from the knicks then.

Itd be a job well done for both DB/JM. Fingers crossed. And It’d be a welcome end to this bitter book we’ve been reading for 17 years.

Bitter book we’ve been reading for 17 years? The bitter book with a Fiesta Bowl appearance, 4 national championships and three super regional appearances? Yes, we’ve been screwed by realignment and yes, football was bad for a long time, but there are an awful lot of programs who got in a safer conference who would trade the last 17 years with us in a nanosecond.

 

[cellocgg]

Bitter book we’ve been reading for 17 years? The bitter book with a Fiesta Bowl appearance, 4 national championships and three super regional appearances? Yes, we’ve been screwed by realignment and yes, football was bad for a long time, but there are an awful lot of programs who got in a safer conference who would trade the last 17 years with us in a nanosecond.

The average P5 wins nothing. Now that I think about it, the Football schools in the ACC didn't want us because of FB concerns but we were coming off a Fiesta Bowl appearance...what concerns?

 

[CL82]

Further, buying tickets through UConn and attending the bowl game will send a powerful message to the college football community about the strength of UConn Nation.

If he's serious about that, he needs to price those tickets affordably rather than trying to maximize profits. Price them reasonably and then sell out. The narrative will be "UConn travels". In the long run that's in the best interest of the university.

 

[gsmooth]

Or... they can all stay...

I like your version of events much better.

 

[Jetskies]

Bitter book we’ve been reading for 17 years? The bitter book with a Fiesta Bowl appearance, 4 national championships and three super regional appearances? Yes, we’ve been screwed by realignment and yes, football was bad for a long time, but there are an awful lot of programs who got in a safer conference who would trade the last 17 years with us in a nanosecond.

sry all, i miscounted. i meant 12 years (2013-2024), not 17.
my comment was about football.
purposely left basketball out of it, as i don't care personally about basketball.

 

[coachcap]

Further, buying tickets through UConn and attending the bowl game will send a powerful message to the college football community about the strength of UConn Nation.

If he's serious about that, he needs to price those tickets affordably rather than trying to maximize profits. Price them reasonably and then sell out. The narrative will be "UConn travels". In the long run that's in the best interest of the university.

You DO know that the Bowl Committees set the price of game tickets. The UConn athletic department has no control over ticket pricing. Using the Fiesta Bowl as an example, one quarter of the Stadium in Phoenix was comprised of UConn fans. The reason that the false narrative occurred was because that season the National Championship Game was also scheduled there & fans of those teams were required to buy tickets for 3 games (National Championship, Fiesta Bowl, Bowl Game in ASU's stadium). As a result tickets to the Fiesta Bowl & the 3rd Bowl flooded the market via ticket resellers (e.g. Stubhub). With round trip airfare pricing in the $ 600-700 round trip range to either Phoenix or Tucson, MOST Husky fans purchased their game tickets via the secondary market.
As an aside, the Mrs. & I got to Phoenix a couple of days before the Bowl Game, We hit the Fiesta Bowl information & welcoming outlet at a local strip mall. One of the members of the welcoming committee commented that they were happy to see any UConn fans as ticket sales through the University were so poor. When I explained about buying tickets through the secondary market, she had a deer in the headlights look. I said that due to high cost of travel during the Holiday Season, most UConn fans took advantage of the huge savings & to expect 15-18,000 Husky fans in attendance, which proved to be true.

 

[CL82]

You DO know that the Bowl Committees set the price of game tickets

I do not. I'm pretty sure we could sell our allotment at any price or even give them away if we choose to.

I'm aware of the Fiesta Bowl narrative in the rest of your post. That's exactly the scenario I'd like to avoid. Right now narrative is a bigger problem then making a profit on a bowl. We've lost money on balls in the past. I don't think that's a typical, particularly for low payout bowls.

 

[JohnFSilver]

Of course!
I want that too. I only painted this scenario because I believe those things have a real shot of happening

• JM is old and unless he's got a Joe-Paterno-level-gas-tank in him, is probably on his way out of the profession soon-ish.
• DB is doing a killer job here and is undoubtedly a hot commodity in the college athletics world. Barring a miracle by UConn admins, I would not be surprised if someone BIG snatches him (Big 10? ACC? Auburn? USC? etc etc.)
• DH is not a secret. He will get his NBA shot on his terms, one of these years.

so knowing all those possibilities, If these things end up happening, I'm just saying I hope they all happen after we get our happy ending.

Mora has a lot left in the tank energy wise. He isn't old. Lol.

 

[Ha Who]

sry all, i miscounted. i meant 12 years (2013-2024), not 17.
my comment was about football.
purposely left basketball out of it, as i don't care personally about basketball.

You’ve missed a lot of fun. By the way I’ve been a football season-ticket holder for many years. I met this guy’s dad when my father brought me to a game at Memorial Stadium many years ago. It is possible to be a fan of both programs.

Tim Berra (American football) - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[ZooCougar]

Of course!
I want that too. I only painted this scenario because I believe those things have a real shot of happening

• JM is old and unless he's got a Joe-Paterno-level-gas-tank in him, is probably on his way out of the profession soon-ish.
• DB is doing a killer job here and is undoubtedly a hot commodity in the college athletics world. Barring a miracle by UConn admins, I would not be surprised if someone BIG snatches him (Big 10? ACC? Auburn? USC? etc etc.)
• DH is not a secret. He will get his NBA shot on his terms, one of these years.

so knowing all those possibilities, If these things end up happening, I'm just saying I hope they all happen after we get our happy ending.

So you’re saying that the guy who runs the steps at every stadium he is in on gameday is old and running low on energy?

I bet his fingernail clippings have more energy than your take.

Sorry man.

 

[Jetskies]

You’ve missed a lot of fun. By the way I’ve been a football season-ticket holder for many years. I met this guy’s dad when my father brought me to a game at Memorial Stadium many years ago. It is possible to be a fan of both programs.

Tim Berra (American football) - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Meh. Love that we’re good and that it helps our profile. But I am a not a fan of the sport overall. It’s possible to be a husky fan without caring for BBall.