UConn athletics Mount Rushmore (limit of one athlete per sport) | The Boneyard

UConn athletics Mount Rushmore (limit of one athlete per sport)

Matrim55

Matrim55

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Inspired by this question from Reddit:

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It’s based upon accomplishments in the sport, not accomplishments at UConn. I think our four are:

Diana Taurasi (could argue Stewie)
Ray Allen
Stephanie Labbé (maybe Sarah Whalen?)
George Springer (maybe Charles Nagy?)

Andre Blake or Cyle Larin both have arguments. Tage Thompson could definitely get there. No football players come to mind.

I’m sure there are field hockey players I’m not thinking of.
 
Rip Hamilton, Breanna Stewart, George Springer, and Andre Blake. Tage Thompson would have to be the pick for hockey. Football is hard - Donald Brown is probably the answer: our best college player with an okay NFL career after being a high pick. Byron Jones was a good player for us and had a nice but short NFL career and never won anything after his freshman year. Orlovsky led us to some good years and had an okay NFL career.
 
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Nice to see Andre Blake get some love. He's had an outstanding soccer career.
 
After reading the first 20 comments on that Reddit thread, I don't even want to attempt this exercise. Those former PAC-10 schools mop up here, along with UNC.
 
One Athlete per sport:

Ray Allen (all of UConn's MBB subsequent success is standing on this giants shoulders)
Breanna Stewart (4/4 titles, undisputed, can't exceed perfection)
George Springer (Best baseball player to ever wear a UConn Jersey and has had a great MLB career)
Donald Brown (Unstoppable at RB, all time rushing leader, a stiff arm that put fear into defenders)
-Dan Orlovsky could easily go here as well
 
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Orlovsky would be a definite based on recognition alone. To think, one of our football alum's Mt rushmore bust would be instantly recognized by almost every football fan in the country.

Stewie
Ray
Springer
 
Jaydumo20 said:
Orlovsky would be a definite based on recognition alone. To think, one of our football alum's Mt rushmore bust would be instantly recognized by almost every football fan in the country.

Stewie
Ray
Springer
Expand ...
Orlovsky is known for taking a 15 yard drop so he could run out of bounds another 15 yards for a safety and for being an ESPN talking head. He's not exactly known for his play.
 
Tristen Newton. Two national championships in his 2 years. First team all American. MVP of the final 4. Bob Cousy award winner. Retire his number!
I assume this question is based on college career at UConn.
 
Deepster said:
Exactly what I thought. I'd put Tristen Newton on there before I'd put Ray. Two titles, two MOPs?
Expand ...
This is a hard one - it coaches were involved it would be easy.

With players, it's really about whether you want to put more weight on how they impacted the program while there, or how their post Uconn success impacts the programs perception.

With men's hoops, to me it's either Rip or Ray. Rip won us our first title in one of the most epic games in NCAA history. I'd argue that title elevated the program in ways that increased our ability to recruit and start the motion more than Ray's success. Rip was also a key piece in the heart of his career in winning an NBA championship. That said, Ray's a HOF, closely tied to the program, and the biggest overall single profile attached to the program. Would give him the very slight nod, but I could go either way.

You could apply the same view to Lobo vs Bird.

Outside of hoops, I think Orlovsky is a slam dunk given his visability and constant Uconn propping. Springer seems like an easy one as well.
 
Deepster said:
Exactly what I thought. I'd put Tristen Newton on there before I'd put Ray. Two titles, two MOPs?
Expand ...
Sanogo won the first year's MOP. Why do people always forget this?
 
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storrsroars said:
Subscribe me to your workshop calendar.

I bet you still have that 1987 party school issue of Playboy ;)
Expand ...
I mean if you’re going to carve faces into the side of a mountain near a university, you’d at least want to make them as appealing as possible. Plus to pick four athletes across all sports would be really tough given our teams’ credentials over time.
 
superjohn said:
Orlovsky is known for taking a 15 yard drop so he could run out of bounds another 15 yards for a safety and for being an ESPN talking head. He's not exactly known for his play.
Expand ...
Accomplishments while at UCONN should be the only factor. Whether or not an athlete was good in the pros is irrelevant.
 
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A couple from other sports:

Sara Whalen had great career at UConn and was on the1999 World Cup team. A reserve but still.

Elena Bolles was national player of the year for the 2013 field hockey team that won a national title. First since 1985 and started a run of three titles in five years.

Chris Gbandi was Hermann Trophy winner on National title team. Pro career didn’t pan out.

The UConn polo teams won a bunch of titles. One of those horses was probably legit.
 
superjohn said:
Orlovsky is known for taking a 15 yard drop so he could run out of bounds another 15 yards for a safety and for being an ESPN talking head. He's not exactly known for his play.
Expand ...
Ha. True. But I'm saying he's facially recognizable. Mt Rushmore relies on facial recognition. Otherwise, my uncle Emil could be up there and nobody would blink.
 
Dan Orlovsky
Ray Allen
Stewie
Joe Morrone Jr (men's soccer - Hermann Trophy Winner in 1980, US Olympic Team 1980, North American Soccer League Rookie of the Year 1981)
 
Gurleyman said:
A couple from other sports:

Sara Whalen had great career at UConn and was on the1999 World Cup team. A reserve but still.

Elena Bolles was national player of the year for the 2013 field hockey team that won a national title. First since 1985 and started a run of three titles in five years.

Chris Gbandi was Hermann Trophy winner on National title team. Pro career didn’t pan out.

The UConn polo teams won a bunch of titles. One of those horses was probably legit.
Expand ...
Oh wait - my bad. Didn't read the criteria close enough. Tracey Fuchs should be the nomination for field hockey. A ton of USA Field Hockey and coaching accolades. Part of '85 title team. From her bio:

Arguably the greatest player in the history of USA field hockey, Fuchs is a two-time USA Field Hockey Athlete of the Year (1990, '93), a member of two Olympic and four World Cup teams. She has participated in more international matches (268) than any other player in U.S. field hockey history. Fuchs gained extensive leadership experience as a 17-year member of the national team, serving as team captain for 14 seasons. She racked up 69 international goals and in 1994 was named to the President's XI, a world all-star team chosen to play the Australian Hockeyroos in honor of the International Hockey Federation's 75th Anniversary.

nusports.com

Tracey Fuchs - Head Coach - Field Hockey Coaches - Northwestern Athletics

The winningest head coach in Northwestern field hockey history, Tracey Fuchs has reestablished Northwestern as a national powerhouse since taking over the he...
nusports.com nusports.com
 
superjohn said:
Orlovsky is known for taking a 15 yard drop so he could run out of bounds another 15 yards for a safety and for being an ESPN talking head. He's not exactly known for his play.
Expand ...
How many UConn QB's (not guys who started at UConn and transferred elsewhere) were NFL QBs and stuck around? That gets Dan my vote.
 
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