OT: UConn football coach Randy Edsall announces retirement [edit] Now effective immediately

[oldude]

Bizarre is the key word. 6 road games and $1.5 million might cover travel expenses. Take out Clemson's $900,000 guarantee, then you have 5 road games taking in $600,000.

Being a football independent, extremely difficult. Years ago Miami could do it. ND can do it cuz they probably get 10 times the TV revenue that UConn gets and they get to keep 100% of the bowl revenue.

ND is not quite an independent. The Irish signed a deal with the ACC through 2036 with most sports teams, except football, playing an ACC conference schedule. Football remains an independent but agrees to play a minimum of 5 ACC opponents per season.

As an independent, the Irish are still eligible for the BCS national championship. Lastly, if ND Football wants to join a conference, per their deal with the ACC, the only conference that they can join is the ACC through 2036.

 

[EricSD]

The football program is a joke. UCONN (the way it stands now) will never, ever, be invited to a major conference in spite of the tremendous pedigree of numerous other sports (both men and women) in the athletic department. It's truly unfortunate. They shot themselves in the foot back when the invites to the ACC were on the line when they went after BCU and subsequently were black balled from joining a great conference at that time.

 

[Ozimoto]

Randall now owns the two worst exits from a football team - both for the same team!

Uh, his exit from Maryland wasn't so great either.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

We beat Steve Spurrier and South Carolina

That game was played in Antarctica. So I hear.

 

[BostonBay]

I dont think UConn has much of a chance to be competitive in football & get invited to a P5 conference. Even if you get a good coach, it will take years to recruit quality depth on both sides of the ball. In retrospective, I dont think joining the Big East was an overall "win" for UConn sports. Its arguable that it helped the basketball programs, but did irrevocable damage to football. The question now is the financial ramifications of a "loss-leader" football program to the rest of UConn sports. This could be a major blow for UConn athletics in general a few years from now. The AD's job should be on the line.

 

[Vowelguy]

Have written this previously but wondering what the pros and cons are of UConn football moving back to FCS Division. Very difficult for New England team to recruit and there are a number of natural competitors at this level.

At this point it's pretty much FBS or bust. Going from FBS to FCS is kind of like going from Broadway to Dinner Theater.

 

[Vowelguy]

It points out a significant challenge to being a football independent. Not only do you have to scrounge up 12 opponents, but you also have to reasonably balance your payouts against your receipts. When you’re in a conference, you play the same teams every year, alternating home and away, with no payouts involved.

Most games are not payouts. Only happen when you want to play a team at home only and not do a home & home series.

 

[Vowelguy]

6 not 7 figures. $900,000

Was originally $1.2M, but UConn got its Wyoming game without having to do a payout. (Clemson hooked up WY & CT after cancelling its WY game but still paying WY $1M).

So UConn gets 2 stand alone games and a net of $900k, which is pretty darn good.

 

[Plebe]

I dont think UConn has much of a chance to be competitive in football & get invited to a P5 conference. Even if you get a good coach, it will take years to recruit quality depth on both sides of the ball. In retrospective, I dont think joining the Big East was an overall "win" for UConn sports. Its arguable that it helped the basketball programs, but did irrevocable damage to football. The question now is the financial ramifications of a "loss-leader" football program to the rest of UConn sports. This could be a major blow for UConn athletics in general a few years from now. The AD's job should be on the line.

UConn football was 0-16 in its last two years in the AAC. What exactly was the thing that was damaged?

The P5 ship had sailed a long time ago. The move to the Big East was merely a belated recognition of that fact. No amount of (hypothetical) winning seasons in the football program was ever going to change it either.

 

[triaddukefan]

I don't think UConn is paying Yale enough of a guarantee for Yale to beat them, just $285,000. The week before U Mass is paying UConn a guarantee of just $150,000.

Have at the list, its dizzying

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These guarantee games reminds me of the time East Carolina paid NC A&T (FCS) $300,000 and travel expenses to go down to Greenville. A&T came away with the upset.. and after the game, the Aggie coach gave a spirited locker room speech culminating with this....

 

[Blakeon18]

UConn has/is/will be a basketball first school. Gonzaga and Villanova for two are the same.
If...as a top level basketball player [guy or gal]... you want to play at a football first school then those 2 and UConn aren't good matches. But if hoops is your thing then UConn might be well in the picture....with a combined men/women program second to....uhh...nobody.

 

[oldude]

Most games are not payouts. Only happen when you want to play a team at home only and not do a home & home series.

9 of 12 UConn games involve payouts, one way or the other. The only games that do not involve payouts are vs Purdue, Wyoming & Vanderbilt.

Surprisingly, even UMass, another independent that UConn should play home & home every season, is paying $150,000 for UConn to travel to MA for an away game.

 

[JellyBean]

The whole program should be retired

LOL

 

[Ozimoto]

If the SEC growth and B1G/ACC/PAC12 alliance actually amount to anything, the P5 might be meaningless in the next few years anyway.

 

[EdSaid]

Was originally $1.2M, but UConn got its Wyoming game without having to do a payout. (Clemson hooked up WY & CT after cancelling its WY game but still paying WY $1M).

So UConn gets 2 stand alone games and a net of $900k, which is pretty darn good.

It is pretty darn good until you start to spend it. A charter to carry a football team and staff and equipment starts at about $30k/hour. This includes onloading and offloading and airport delays etc. Throw in hotel, ground transportation, security (ever see state troopers on the field with coaches?) and per diem and the cash register does not stop.

Someone at U Mass is a better negotiator, because they are collecting $1.5 million from Florida State.

 

[Vowelguy]

It is pretty darn good until you start to spend it. A charter to carry a football team and staff and equipment starts at about $30k/hour. This includes onloading and offloading and airport delays etc. Throw in hotel, ground transportation, security (ever see state troopers on the field with coaches?) and per diem and the cash register does not stop.

Someone at U Mass is a better negotiator, because they are collecting $1.5 million from Florida State.

There are many smaller programs that literally live off these paydays, so yes it does more than cover expenses.

 

[JJTB]

I'm still befuddled why Edsall would make $1.25 million! Now, the former defensive coordinator, who witnessed giving up 45 and 38 points, is the interim coach! Where's Benedict's accountability?

 

[CONN78SEJ]

Does Hillman know anything about football? It may take all year to find a coach willing to come here.

Why?

 

[veryolddog]

I do no know how many of you graduated from UConn, but I did in 1964. From before that time to the present time UConn's football program was mediocre to terrible. Until Calhoun came in, UConn men's basketball was also mediocre. Geno is another story. I do not think that even God could help UConn afer Geno leaves.

 

[CL82]

I'm still befuddled why Edsall would make $1.25 million! Now, the former defensive coordinator, who witnessed giving up 45 and 38 points, is the interim coach! Where's Benedict's accountability?

In this next hire. It will make or break his tenure here.

FWIW, most college coaches who are fired for not being good at their jobs end up with multimillion buyouts of the their contracts. That is not happening here. Randy gets this years salary and nothing more. That shows a bit of savvy by Benedict, especially considering that RE's contract was just extended.

 

[CL82]

Until Calhoun came in, UConn men's basketball was also mediocre. Geno is another story. I do not think that even God could help UConn afer Geno leaves.

That not correct. UConn was a successful regional program before Calhoun, just not a national one.

UConn won 12 Yankee Conference titles under Hugh Greer, including ten consecutive titles from 1951 to 1960. Greer also led UConn to its first seven NCAA berths and one NIT appearance while compiling an overall head coaching record of 286–112.

 

[veryolddog]

That not correct. UConn was a successful regional program before Calhoun, just not a national one.

UConn won 12 Yankee Conference titles under Hugh Greer, including ten consecutive titles from 1951 to 1960. Greer also led UConn to its first seven NCAA berths and one NIT appearance while compiling an overall head coaching record of 286–112.

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No disrespect intended, but I call that mediocre. Somewhere back in my memory, they went to a playoff and played against Princeton and were knocked out in the first round. I still say that this was a mediocre time in their basketball history.

 

[CL82]

No disrespect intended, but I call that mediocre. Somewhere back in my memory, they went to a playoff and played against Princeton and were knocked out in the first round. I still say that this was a mediocre time in their basketball history.

None taken. We're here to talk about sports and don't always have to agree with each other.

FWIW, I have respect for you VOD, both for your life experience for the fact that you here on the BY, but you're wrong on this. There are plenty of programs that have never seen that level of success. At the time we pretty decent, just not national, at least in the way that is conceived now. You remember those days, most competition was regional.

Your memory is close. In '64 UConn beat Princeton to advance to the elite eight. That's a very good year by everyone but Geno's standards.

(Future UConn coach Dom Perno stole the ball from Princeton great, and future senator, Bill Bradley, which was memorialized in the great play by play call "Perno stole the ball! Perno stole the ball!")

Dom Perno was the UConn coach right before Calhoun. He struggled a bit (although I am pretty sure the team was ranked in the '82 season.) That's what people are remembering when they say UConn wasn't good before Calhoun, but that was one coach, not the program's history.