I'll do my best to leave out the profanity that I completely want to include:
The University of Connecticut appreciates the relationships and athletic rivalries that we have developed with the members of the American Athletic Conference, however we understand that the Big XII conference is considering expanding and I feel that UConn as an academic and athletic institution is a perfect fit.
The strength of the UConn athletic family is evident in our men's basketball program. After Hall of Fame coach Jim Calhoun led the program to three national championships, he hand-groomed successor Kevin Ollie delivered number 4 in the last 20 years. When Hall of Fame coach Geno Auriemma isn't leading Team USA to gold at the Rio Olympics, he is in Storrs working towards his 11th national championship. Our football program had great success immediately - winning two Big East championships. When our results weren't where we demand at UConn, we moved quickly to hire the Bob Diaco who had recently won the Browles Award as the top coordinator in all of college football.
The cities of Hartford and New Haven represent the 30th largest television market in the country. Beyond Central and Eastern Connecticut, we Huskies have many alumni and a strong following in Fairfield County. UConn's long history with the Big East tournament as well as two major regional New York Sports Television networks have helped to grow the interest and the fan base in the NYC metropolis. Adding UConn to the Big 12 would give it's member institutions visability from Northern New Jersey through Greater Boston - giving schools the potential to play UConn in front of their Northeast alumni in large population centers.
The University of Connecticut continues to have tremendous support from our state legislature. While many states have cut funding for higher education, UConn continues to receive the budget it needs to drive the state's economy into the future. This unwavering support has allowed UConn to accept record applications while moving up in many prestigious ranking systems.
As a university and athletic department UConn has risen to every challenge. Our academics, athletic results, alumni and fanbase are all worthy of the Big XII conference. We understand there are many worthy candidates for inclusion, but there is not an institution that combines academics and athletic prowess at the Big XII level as well as UConn.