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

[CL82]

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.

 

[Jetskies]

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.

Friends,
please allow me to clarify; i'm not saying he's physically unfit and cannot do the job much longer. The paterno-gas-tank comment was not about physical fitness. So - let's please leave the "stairs" out of it.

When I said he's "old" I was referring to his stage of life and the priorities/motivations that typically take up mental bandwidth at that stage. neither I nor anyone who hates my take, has any idea what JM's internal clock is, for helming this program. Therefore, if you choose to believe he'll be here till he's 90 and dies on the sideline coaching us, I will respect that. But would you put money on that outcome?

I choose to take the approach that says people's priorities change and eventually other pursuits take precedence, as their biological clock ticks down. And, I hope by the time he's through, we're safely in a conference.


EDIT - I always imagined this would be the last HC job JM would ever take. But I have a feeling the UW job (and no other job) would move him at this stage, if things don't work out w Jedd Fisch. JM is a husky ultimately, just not a UConn Husky.

 

[Jetskies]

tbh I think we need more fans like me - If UConn is truly trying to be a sports school and not a bball school, then we need a healthy balance of people who care about each sport. No surpise owls allowed, if you wanna be a football school, too.

 

[Kolumbo]

Friends,
please allow me to clarify; i'm not saying he's physically unfit and cannot do the job much longer. The paterno-gas-tank comment was not about physical fitness. So - let's please leave the "stairs" out of it.

When I said he's "old" I was referring to his stage of life and the priorities/motivations that typically take up mental bandwidth at that stage. neither I nor anyone who hates my take, has any idea what JM's internal clock is, for helming this program. Therefore, if you choose to believe he'll be here till he's 90 and dies on the sideline coaching us in the CFP championship vs. Georgia, I will respect that. But would you put money on that outcome?

I choose to take the approach that says people's priorities change and eventually other pursuits take precedence, as their biological clock ticks down. And, I hope by the time he's through, we're safely in a conference.

Here's my take/hope, and I am not an expert on HC Mora's career. He's spent a few years each at several pro teams. Head coach for the Falcons for a couple years. 5 years as head coach at UCLA. And now head coach at UConn for 3 years. I think he is young enough to accomplish great things here yet old enough to not want to start again somewhere else. He seems to love coaching and is very high energy. I wouldn't be surprised if he wanted to coach here another 10 years or so if UConn has a path to join a conference in the near future.

Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1984	Washington (GA)
1985	San Diego Chargers (defensive QC)
1986–1988	San Diego Chargers (assistant DB)
1989–1991	San Diego Chargers (DB)
1992–1996	New Orleans Saints (DB)
1997–1998	San Francisco 49ers (DB)
1999–2003	San Francisco 49ers (DC)
2004–2006	Atlanta Falcons
2007–2008	Seattle Seahawks (AHC/DB)
2009	Seattle Seahawks
2012–2017	UCLA
2021	UConn (OA)
2022–present	UConn

 

[ZooCougar]

Friends,
please allow me to clarify; i'm not saying he's physically unfit and cannot do the job much longer. The paterno-gas-tank comment was not about physical fitness. So - let's please leave the "stairs" out of it.

When I said he's "old" I was referring to his stage of life and the priorities/motivations that typically take up mental bandwidth at that stage. neither I nor anyone who hates my take, has any idea what JM's internal clock is, for helming this program. Therefore, if you choose to believe he'll be here till he's 90 and dies on the sideline coaching us, I will respect that. But would you put money on that outcome?

I choose to take the approach that says people's priorities change and eventually other pursuits take precedence, as their biological clock ticks down. And, I hope by the time he's through, we're safely in a conference.


EDIT - I always imagined this would be the last HC job JM would ever take. But I have a feeling the UW job (and no other job) would move him at this stage, if things don't work out w Jedd Fisch. JM is a husky ultimately, just not a UConn Husky.

Based on the fact that he either was/is interested in CMU or his agent is floating it because it’s extension time I would tend to think that he’s still quite focused on football.

He’s a football guy. It’s in his blood and this is a great place as any to leave a legacy and have an impact.

The fact that he has been active on social media lately leads me to believe that he is feeling it at the moment.

 

[HuskyNan]

Friends,
please allow me to clarify; i'm not saying he's physically unfit and cannot do the job much longer. The paterno-gas-tank comment was not about physical fitness. So - let's please leave the "stairs" out of it.

When I said he's "old" I was referring to his stage of life and the priorities/motivations that typically take up mental bandwidth at that stage. neither I nor anyone who hates my take, has any idea what JM's internal clock is, for helming this program. Therefore, if you choose to believe he'll be here till he's 90 and dies on the sideline coaching us, I will respect that. But would you put money on that outcome?

I dunno. He spends a lot of time with Geno Auriemma, the guy that signed a 5 year contract extension when he was 69. Geno said the players keep him feeling energized. Jim Calhoun signed a 5 year contract extension when he was 67. After UConn, he coached at St. Joe's until he was 79.

 

[Bongo Fury]

I believe he is backcountry skiing in Idaho now.

 

[UCFBfan]

tbh I think we need more fans like me - If UConn is truly trying to be a sports school and not a bball school, then we need a healthy balance of people who care about each sport. No surpise owls allowed, if you wanna be a football school, too.

UConn has always had a fan issue of believing you are a specific sport fan instead of a UConn fan. You see it clearly as day on this board. While it's going to be natural that one likes one sport than the other, the level of vitriol that some fans, mostly bball fans, show towards the football program is ridiculous considering all athletes bleed blue. This has been a reoccurring issue.

 

[Jetskies]

UConn has always had a fan issue of believing you are a specific sport fan instead of a UConn fan. You see it clearly as day on this board. While it's going to be natural that one likes one sport than the other, the level of vitriol that some fans, mostly bball fans, show towards the football program is ridiculous considering all athletes bleed blue. This has been a reoccurring issue.

well that is news to me, and it makes me sad.

 

[Jetskies]

He’s a football guy. It’s in his blood and this is a great place as any to leave a legacy and have an impact.

I agree.
hoping that UW job doesn't come open anytime soon.

 

[CJasmer]

I agree.
hoping that UW job doesn't come open anytime soon.

I think he will retire at UConn. Only way he does not is if he was offered a BIG10 or SEC HC at the right school. That chance is very small of that.

 

[Bongo Fury]

UConn has always had a fan issue of believing you are a specific sport fan instead of a UConn fan. You see it clearly as day on this board. While it's going to be natural that one likes one sport than the other, the level of vitriol that some fans, mostly bball fans, show towards the football program is ridiculous considering all athletes bleed blue. This has been a reoccurring issue.

In the 90s I recall many only being fans of “the girls” because they won all the time.

 

[ZooCougar]

I agree.
hoping that UW job doesn't come open anytime soon.

Umm. He’s great and all. But he’s probably not at the top of the list.

 

[uconnbill]

He has been UConn's best AD since Perkins who knew UConn needed to move up in football and hired Randy Edsall to get UConn started. Out of the trailers and into The Rent, plus the Burton and Shenkman facilities

 

[businesslawyer]

tbh I think we need more fans like me - If UConn is truly trying to be a sports school and not a bball school, then we need a healthy balance of people who care about each sport. No surpise owls allowed, if you wanna be a football school, too.

Look, back in the days of magazines, I’m sure there was somebody somewhere who bought Playboy for the articles. It was absolutely his right to do so and there would have been nothing wrong with that. But he also had no reason to be upset that folks would have thought him strange.

Just sayin.

 

[UConnDan97]

Look, back in the days of magazines, I’m sure there was somebody somewhere who bought Playboy for the articles. It was absolutely his right to do so and there would have been nothing wrong with that. But he also had no reason to be upset that folks would have thought him strange.

Just sayin.

The best way to have read about the Iran Contra affair was by holding the magazine sideways...

 

[CL82]

tbh I think we need more fans like me - If UConn is truly trying to be a sports school and not a bball school, then we need a healthy balance of people who care about each sport. No surpise owls allowed, if you wanna be a football school, too.

I'm a UConn fan. If we're playing it, I'm watching it. I've never really understood how or why people felt like being a fan of one particular UConn team means that they have to be opposed to different Connecticut sport.

But that's not you. Feel free to be a fan of whatever you want. But don't kid yourself that it is noble or even preferable For people to be one sport fans. It's just a choice.

 

[RedStickHusky]

UConn has always had a fan issue of believing you are a specific sport fan instead of a UConn fan. You see it clearly as day on this board. While it's going to be natural that one likes one sport than the other, the level of vitriol that some fans, mostly bball fans, show towards the football program is ridiculous considering all athletes bleed blue. This has been a reoccurring issue.

Of course that all stems from the OBE (the greatest conference in the history of conferences) breaking up along football/basketball-only lines.

 

[freescooter]

I am a UConn fan. I like some sports more than others, and I’ve been to watch lots of different ones, some intentionally some just because UConn happened to be playing in the same complex or competing in the same event or at the same place (womens cross country comes to mind as does golf). I like football and hockey more than basketball but I put up blue and white Christmas lights in my windows when basketball wins national championships. What I find particularly obnoxious are the basketball only people who would and have been opposed to any sport except basketball having success. It is almost like they fear that other teams success will diminish what the basketball team does. And I think it is something of a trait limited to UConn basketball fans. I haven’t ever run into it with Kansas or Carolina or Duke or Michigan fans. It might exist, but mostly they want all their teams to be good in my experience.

 

[ZooCougar]

I believe he is backcountry skiing in Idaho now.

Pretty hard to do that with an Awards Banquet yesterday and Practice started up again today.

 

[ZooCougar]

I am a UConn fan. I like some sports more than others, and I’ve been to watch lots of different ones, some intentionally some just because UConn happened to be playing in the same complex or competing in the same event or at the same place (womens cross country comes to mind as does golf). I like football and hockey more than basketball but I put up blue and white Christmas lights in my windows when basketball wins national championships. What I find particularly obnoxious are the basketball only people who would and have been opposed to any sport except basketball having success. It is almost like they fear that other teams success will diminish what the basketball team does. And I think it is something of a trait limited to UConn basketball fans. I haven’t ever run into it with Kansas or Carolina or Duke or Michigan fans. It might exist, but mostly they want all their teams to be good in my experience.

I have always been a football fan more than a basketball fan. But UConn was I-AA in my childhood so when it comes to UConn I was a hoop fan first. Before the upgrade was announced I was maybe a Miami fan and Tennessee fan. I never had enough of a connection to those places so I dropped them like a New Years's Resolution.

 

[Palatine]

At the MB Bowl I called UConn to get tickets through the university and they gave me the phone number of the bowl. Got them through the bowl. Still don't understand that one.

 

[huskysupporter]

tbh I think we need more fans like me - If UConn is truly trying to be a sports school and not a bball school, then we need a healthy balance of people who care about each sport. No surpise owls allowed, if you wanna be a football school, too.

I think it’s just me and you, lol.