The University of Connecticut and its Division of Athletics will honor the memory of Jasper Howard as the Huskies football team returns to Rentschler Field on Saturday for the first time since Howard passed away on October 18. UConn plays Rutgers at noon in a BIG EAST Conference game.
All fans who attend Saturday’s game will receive a “6″ card in honor of Jasper Howard’s jersey number. In addition, the first 15,000 fans who enter the gates will receive “Jazz Live 365″ wristbands. UConn students who attend the game will receive the same “eye-black” that the Husky team is wearing – one with a “6″ and the other with a “JH”. All UConn students will also receive a “6″ button.
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“For reasons players and fans on both sides seemed to understand, this game was truly about more than football.” Sean Hamel, New York Times, Oct. 24, 2009.
I want to congratulate our UConn football team on an outstanding personal effort on Saturday in Morgantown, under the eyes of the entire nation and the weight of last week’s devastating loss of cornerback Jasper Howard. I also want to congratulate the West Virginia coaches, players, and fans, who demonstrated the true essence of sportsmanship. It was a great day for college football in Morgantown, even as we watched with heavy hearts.
Michael Switzer/AP
Everyone associated with the UConn football program will attend Jasper Howard’s funeral this morning at 11:00 at New Birth Baptist Church in Miami. The service will be webcast at http://newbirthbaptistmiami.org/ The Huskies return to Rentschler next Saturday when we host Rutgers at noon. Let’s show the same support for players and fans as we received at Morgantown, and an even stronger effort.
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On Sunday, October 4 a team of Army ROTC cadets from the University of Connecticut finished second in the ROTC division of the 25th annual Army Ten-Miler in Washington DC. Running among a record 30,000 people from around the world, members of the Nathan Hale Battalion improved on its 10th place finish from a year ago. UConn was edged by a team of cadets from Virgina Tech, which won the ROTC crown for the second straight year. The ROTC division included 56 teams representing almost 50 schools. Out of 30,000 runners, all of our students finished within the top 1,000 – the top 3 percent!
Dan Le, a junior, turned in the team’s second-best time. Calling the experience “a blast,” he attributed UConn’s strong finish to training that had members endure hilly surfaces and made running the Ten-Miler’s relatively flat course easier. Connecticut cadets whose times counted toward the overall time were Steven Pawlowski, 57:58, Le, 1:03:55, Christopher Gibb, 1:05:49, and James Cameron-Denigris, 1:07:31. Other team members completing the race were Stephen Paniati, Douglas Palmer, Evan Malanga and Josiah Henning. UConn also had several other cadets and cadre members compete as individuals. These students have trained tremendously hard since the first day of the Fall semester, meeting every morning at 5:45am to ensure they were prepared. They’re already talking about next year.
The Army Ten-Miler is among the largest races in the country. Starting and ending at the Pentagon, the course crosses the Potomac River, running along the National Mall to loop around the U.S. Capitol building, forming a 10-mile circuit.
See the full up-to-date standings here
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September 12 True Blue crew at Rentschler
David Getchell, Jackie Boesel, Caitlin Victory, Rose Murphy, Lauren Dudziak, & Matt Chouinard
Another football Saturday is coming up at the Rent. This week we host the Rhode Island Rams, a rivalry that stretches far back in UConn history. I found a photo in the archives of the “Rhody Ram” and “Jonathan” facing off before the 1935 game:
The longest series in Connecticut football history, the Huskies’ rivalry with Rhode Island dates back to 1897 (the second year of Connecticut football) and Saturday’s game will be the 94th meeting in the series. Overall, UConn leads the series 50-35-8. The Huskies’ 50 wins against the Rams are the most that UConn has collected against any single opponent. There will be a lot going on: Our True Blue Crew will be out and about, greeting fans and spreading the word about Husky Honor, our new initiative to make the game-day festivities even more fun and exciting while keeping them safe for everyone – fans, athletes, staff, officials – everyone. If you haven’t visited the Husky Honor webpage yet, you should.
And we’re kicking off our new Campaign for UCONN before and during the game:
The UConn Foundation has some great webpages set up to inform all of us about the Campaign’s goals and objectives. I encourage you to spend some time reviewing what the Foundation has put together. We’ve come a long way since Augustus and Charles Storrs founded a school in 1881. Now we’re ready to take the next big step.
And while you’re at it, check out the Foundation’s 2009 Annual Report, just posted on their website.
Go HUSKIES!
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I visited the Husky Box at Rentschler on Saturday during the UConn/North Carolina game and found a very energetic group of students who are involved in the Residence Hall Association and some Resident Assistants, along with former RA Stephen Wakeen (Class of 1979), Suzanne Goode (Class of 1979), Tim Kelly (Pres of NYC Alum Chapter), Caroline Bass (Class of 2004), among others. They were disturbing the suite next to them, so I felt obliged to give them some parental caution about excessive noise.
The rumor that Tim Kelly (and his friend Rob Armenta, Class of 2007) sailed from New York harbor, up the Connecticut River for the game are unfounded.
Rob and Tim, sailing
The rumor that Kevin Filchak (gray shirt on the right) ate seven hot dogs (with sauerkraut) is also unfounded. Believable, but unfounded.
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