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Uconn in the wild

I was at a layover in Chicago going to Providence from Texas when I saw a group of older people watching the Big East Championship in 2024. Turns out, they were UConn fans and we watched the whole game.
 
I take my dogs to the park every day here in Glendale AZ, one morning about a week ago I spot a guy wearing a hat with a husky on it. UConn fan I ask, he replied yes and that he graduated in the 90's. As we talked, I find out he is from Manchester and not far from where I lived in Vernon. His dog was a Husky, and he tells me to guess the dog's name. Turns out the dog is name Calhoun. We talk every day now about our beloved teams.
 
Met the UConn golf coach in Maui about 6 years ago. Apparently, the golf team goes there every so often for a tournament.

Met a fellow alum on the Marin County side of the Golden Gate Bridge overlook.

Ran into Jim Calhoun at gate at BDL years ago (post 9-11). He was waiting with a recruit who was heading home. Not sure how JC got past security without a ticket. I guess it's possible the player was <18 and he said he was his guardian, or something like that. And no, the recruit did not choose UConn.

One of our waitresses in St. Thomas 3 years ago had lived in Hartford and went to UConn for a couple of years.

Kirk King's dad and I worked for the same company. I met him in our plant outside Baton Rouge not long after Kirk left UConn. I
 
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I was also on a flight out of BWI coming back to Hartford wearing my UConn shirt. After boarding on walks a very tall teen and family who all eyed my shirt. I did not know who he was at the time, but was positive it was a recruit coming for a visit so I did a quick search and low and behold it was Josh Carlton.
 
Oh yeah, April 7, 2014, walking to Yankee Stadium from the parking on opening day. Coming toward me from the opposite direction was a beautiful husky that looked directly into my eyes with a slight smile and nod. That night was NC #4, beating Kentucky.
 
This thread reminds of how much UConn has grown in recognition. I was at the Club Med in Turks and Caicos in 1988, the year of NIT championship. I had a UCONN shirt on and only a crazy dude named Eddie knew what it was. He was a Seton Hall fan.
 
I have had many run-ins with UConn merch all over . I tend to wear UConn merch to make a statement .

It started in 1999 right after winning the NC , April trip to Disney in Orlando - constantly high fiving other Huskies fans wearing champ gear.

Wearing UConn gear after 2014 NC in Aruba, others UConn fans yelling to me stuff like "Shabazz is the man, Go Huskies, ...."

In 2023, upon arrival at a large Aruba hotel during spring break , was wearing my UConn tshirt and hear a loud yell in the lobby - UConn! I turned around and it was a local hotel worker telling me he's been following UConn since Kemba ! Also this was the week apparently UConn students were there on spring break too.

There are many other local sightings and Go Huskies exchanges outside of CT - NJ, NY, Long Island, etc ....
 
I once had an uber driver in Portland tell me she played for the women during the time Geno arrived. She had lots of stories. Best uber ride ever.
Name?
 
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I was at the gym years ago on the bench wearing a Huskies hat and the guy on the bench next to me asked what do you think of the team this year? This was early in Hurley's tenure and I said it's a lot better than the last couple of years with Ollie. He told me he was a walk on at UConn under Ollie.
Honestly, I feel like you would recognize pretty much anyone who played for us, even a walk on.
 
This thread reminds of how much UConn has grown in recognition. I was at the Club Med in Turks and Caicos in 1988, the year of NIT championship. I had a UCONN shirt on and only a crazy dude named Eddie knew what it was. He was a Seton Hall fan.
I was thinking the same thing. I can remember going to spring break in Florida and telling people we were from UConn which they thought meant we had driven down from Alaska. It got us some free beers so I just rolled with it.
 
Yesterday I took my kids to the Nashville Zoo. Walking in I saw a family of four decked out in UConn gear. Luckily I was wearing a UConn shirt myself. After a few words and some high 5s my kids and I walked into the zoo only to be greeted by another couple who saw my shirt and broke into "uconn uconn uconn!" My 4 year old was thrilled. So was THIS grown 4 year old.

What are some random places where you all have encountered Husky fans?
Great thread topic...for me, it was lounging poolside in Tuscany, Italy
 
Honestly, I feel like you would recognize pretty much anyone who played for us, even a walk on.
Nope, I didn't recognize him. This was in Chicago, I never got his name and never saw him again at the gym.

He looked like an athlete/basketball player. White guy, probably 6'3.
 
Not exactly an encounter, but while I was in Shannon airport the Wednesday after the 2011 championship, trying on Irish wool hats, someone swiped my UConn cap. It had to have been a sneaky fan.
 
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Nope, I didn't recognize him. This was in Chicago, I never got his name and never saw him again at the gym.

He looked like an athlete/basketball player. White guy, probably 6'3.

 
In the mid/late 90's I was shopping for sneakers at Mickey Finn's on the Berlin Tpke and one of their sales guys came up and asked if I needed any help. My first thought as I looked up was "damn this guy is tall'. So anyway, Brian Fair sold me a pair of Adidas.
 
I take my dogs to the park every day here in Glendale AZ, one morning about a week ago I spot a guy wearing a hat with a husky on it. UConn fan I ask, he replied yes and that he graduated in the 90's. As we talked, I find out he is from Manchester and not far from where I lived in Vernon. His dog was a Husky, and he tells me to guess the dog's name. Turns out the dog is name Calhoun. We talk every day now about our beloved teams.

I’ve been meaning to get a Husky and his name would most likely be Calhoun, but wife keeps vetoing the idea.
 
Cliffs of Moher in Ireland. A woman had a UConn sweatshirt on. Unfortunately, she didn't know anything about it. Her niece gave it to her.
 
Just this past weekend I took my kids to tumble/gymnastics here in Cincinnati wearing a UConn hat and I definitely did not expect to meet a former player. RJ Evans (grad transfer in 2013) introduced himself. RJ if you read the Boneyard my bad if I didn’t seem conversational (I have hearing loss/really loud environment). RJ coaches for NKU and I was not aware at all!
 
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UConn in the Wild (aka Welgevonden Game Reserve, South Africa), 2014

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