It's Time To Get Over College Football. Heres Why. (Daily Campus)

[Dogged]

I think the answer is like this:

Elan, I was very disappointed to read your thoughts about the football program. It is invariably true that our basketball programs have achieved a level of success that our football program has not achieved and, in fact, is unlikely to ever achieve. But as you grow up, my wish for you is that you learn that life is not only about celebrating achievements at the things that you are lucky enough to always have go well. Life is also about perserverence, and patience, and the satisfaction one gets by taking small but satisfying steps forward in life. The fact that you will never have the looks of Brad Pitt doesn't mean you shouldn't be proud when, working out, you achieve a better level of fitness than you had. The fact that you will never be a Pulitzer Prize winning reporter doesn't mean that you won't have accomplished something when your writing improves. And the fact that you are unlikely to ever be on Oprah with the world celebrating your role eventually as a husband and father doesn't diminish the satisfaction you will feel when you know that you have strived every day to be a slightly better husband and father.

You see, those of us who have followed UConn football have been able to enjoy the emotional engagement that comes from not always having your way in life, but wanting to always make things better. We had the joy that saw us go from the Yankee Conferenence to a football school that could compete on equal terms with the Syracuse's, BCs and Pitts of the world. We shared the joy of a program that suffered three straight gut wrenching defeats trying to honor the life and death of a fallen comrade, and then in the most unlikely of scenarios finally getting that gift to the comrade in OT at South Bend. We saw an improbable run from a frustrating 3-4 start to the 2010 season to the Fiesta Bowl. And we had to learn to deal with the sadness, frustration and hurt of watching the program take massive steps backward while the conference world was disintegrating around us.

I can tell you as a lifelong Yankees fan, born in the Bronx, that there is much to admire about Red Sox fans my age (57) and older. They didn't get to sit there and say "this sucks because we're not winning championships -- I'll just care about the Celtics." They had to learn to deal with their frustration, and take small joys from small victories, hope for a better future, and ultimately got to their pinnacle of success in a way that was much more meaningful to them than the repeated championships I got to watch my Yankees have. I find it sad that, as of this point in your life, you aren't willing to show the patience and perserverence that is necessary for human beings to make the most of their life, and that you can only focus on those things more likely to bring you satisfaction today. I hope for you, your family and those who will work with you that you grow out of it.

Have a good day.

Bravo BL! As a dad and a Yankees fan I was really touched by this piece. May young Elan take it to heart!

 

[Sky ball]

It’s time to get over college football. Here’s why.

"It’s sacrilege for someone on UConn Twitter to admit it, but I’m going to speak truth to power. UConn football is a joke.

This is a basketball school. Has been for 35 consecutive years and will be for the foreseeable future. The men’s and women’s programs move the needle.

The football program has time and time again failed to provide a life raft when it comes to conference realignment. With the Big 12 flirting with new members, the football program’s failures serve as UConn’s ultimate scarlet letter.

No one is delusional enough to believe that dropping football is a good idea in any possible universe. But to pretend that a 6-7 record and a passionate (that’s a kind word for it) head coach is enough to get UConn a seat at the big kid’s table is folly."

Talk about bad timing eh? Why on earth would you feel the need to write this article for the school newspaper and who in their right mind thought it was okay to publish? Might need @Dooley to tweet some knowledge to this kid. Can reach the author on twitter @ElanDeCarlo

UConn was not always "a basketball scchool". Joining the Big East it took a few years of hard knocks. I remember the faction that wanted us to go back to the Yankee Conference as we could not compete in the Big East. Dropping football would be so shortsighted.

Standings 81-82

UConn suks..back to Yankee Conference?


1 Boston College 12 4 .750 25 7 .781 81.1 73.6 11.4 3.9 NCAA Tournament; Reg. Season Champion
2 Villanova 12 4 .750 24 8 .750 72.8 68.8 10.5 6.5 NCAA Tournament; Reg. Season Champion
3 St. John's (NY) 12 4 .750 28 5 .848 75.2 63.8 16.1 4.7 NCAA Tournament; Reg. Season Champion; Conf. Tournament Champion
4 Georgetown 11 5 .688 22 10 .688 73.6 66.8 12.3 5.4 NCAA Tournament
5 Syracuse 9 7 .563 21 10 .677 84.3 74.5 14.6 4.9 NCAA Tournament
6 Pittsburgh 6 10 .375 13 15 .464 66.7 68.8 2.7 4.7
7 Connecticut 5 11 .313 12 16 .429 70.5 71.5 2.8 3.8
8 Providence 4 12 .250 12 19 .387 63.9 66.5 1.1 3.7
9 Seton Hall 1 15 .063 6 23 .207 63.8 76.6 -7.0 5.9

 

[Samoo]

UConn was not always "a basketball scchool". Joining the Big East it took a few years of hard knocks. I remember the faction that wanted us to go back to the Yankee Conference as we could not compete in the Big East. Dropping football would be so shortsighted.

Standings 81-82

UConn suks..back to Yankee Conference?


1 Boston College 12 4 .750 25 7 .781 81.1 73.6 11.4 3.9 NCAA Tournament; Reg. Season Champion
2 Villanova 12 4 .750 24 8 .750 72.8 68.8 10.5 6.5 NCAA Tournament; Reg. Season Champion
3 St. John's (NY) 12 4 .750 28 5 .848 75.2 63.8 16.1 4.7 NCAA Tournament; Reg. Season Champion; Conf. Tournament Champion
4 Georgetown 11 5 .688 22 10 .688 73.6 66.8 12.3 5.4 NCAA Tournament
5 Syracuse 9 7 .563 21 10 .677 84.3 74.5 14.6 4.9 NCAA Tournament
6 Pittsburgh 6 10 .375 13 15 .464 66.7 68.8 2.7 4.7
7 Connecticut 5 11 .313 12 16 .429 70.5 71.5 2.8 3.8
8 Providence 4 12 .250 12 19 .387 63.9 66.5 1.1 3.7
9 Seton Hall 1 15 .063 6 23 .207 63.8 76.6 -7.0 5.9

Our worst season, still ahead of Providence.

 

[whaler11]

Our worst season, still ahead of Providence.

Not even close to the worst season .

 

[Sky ball]

Sadly, Elan-Paolo is probably a journalism major with no real job prospects. With the decline of newspapers, those pursuing what was a once noble profession are now required to reduce their thoughts to 140 characters while writing about conference realignment in their mother's basement.

Most likely we are giving him lots of internet hits for his drivel...LOL

 

[Milo65]

UConn was not always "a basketball scchool". Joining the Big East it took a few years of hard knocks. I remember the faction that wanted us to go back to the Yankee Conference as we could not compete in the Big East. Dropping football would be so shortsighted.

Standings 81-82

UConn suks..back to Yankee Conference?


1 Boston College 12 4 .750 25 7 .781 81.1 73.6 11.4 3.9 NCAA Tournament; Reg. Season Champion
2 Villanova 12 4 .750 24 8 .750 72.8 68.8 10.5 6.5 NCAA Tournament; Reg. Season Champion
3 St. John's (NY) 12 4 .750 28 5 .848 75.2 63.8 16.1 4.7 NCAA Tournament; Reg. Season Champion; Conf. Tournament Champion
4 Georgetown 11 5 .688 22 10 .688 73.6 66.8 12.3 5.4 NCAA Tournament
5 Syracuse 9 7 .563 21 10 .677 84.3 74.5 14.6 4.9 NCAA Tournament
6 Pittsburgh 6 10 .375 13 15 .464 66.7 68.8 2.7 4.7
7 Connecticut 5 11 .313 12 16 .429 70.5 71.5 2.8 3.8
8 Providence 4 12 .250 12 19 .387 63.9 66.5 1.1 3.7
9 Seton Hall 1 15 .063 6 23 .207 63.8 76.6 -7.0 5.9

You are absolutely correct...There were definitely calls to go back to the Yankee Conference, get out of the Big East as UConn could not compete. UConn played home games in the field house...a total retro barn that seated just over 5K. Lager games were exclusively at the Civic Center. Facilities were NOT up to date. Just for comparison, here are some of those early records, in fact UConn wasn't even a great Yankee Conference team...
1969-1970 14-9 Rowe
-1970-71 10-14
-1971-72 8-17
-1972-73 15-10
1973-1974 19-8 NIT
1974-75 18-10 NIT
1975-76 19-10 NCAA
1976-77 17-10
1977-78 11-15 Perno
1978-79 21-8 NCAA
1979-80 20-9 NIT Joined Big East
1980-81 20-9 NIT
1981-82 17-11 NIT
1982-83 12-16
1983-84 13-15
1984-85 13-15
-1985-86 12-16
1986-87 9-19 Calhoun

 

[sub legacy]

This person is the new Mac and Cheese kid. Should be ostracized in the same way for this moronic drivel.

It's Mac and Cheese kid meets Rape Culture Logo-thesis back when they first rebranded.

 

[Dooley]

I can't stand the way our fanbase continues to be divided between basketball and football fans. Ironically, if everyone supported all UConn sports, we likely would be out of the AAC already.

 

[Marty Jackson]

I can't stand the way our fanbase continues to be divided between basketball and football fans. Ironically, if everyone supported all UConn sports, we likely would be out of the AAC already.

Its divided because a lot of the older bb fans follow a different FB school (i.e. ND)...
I also think it's somewhat parochial. There always seem to be an understated rivalry with the NE sports. Not so much with the players but between the fan bases. It weird because unlike other cities that do have multiple pro franchises, none of bostons pro franchise compete with each other (jets, Giants or Yankees, Mets)...