List of UConn Huskies head football coaches

Last updated

Jim Mora the head coach since 2021. Jim Mora in El Paso (cropped).jpg
Jim Mora the head coach since 2021.

The UConn Huskies football team has represented the University of Connecticut in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) football since the team's founding in 1896. The program has had 30 head coaches, including one interim coach and an early period where the team had no head coach. As of 2021, the current coach is Jim Mora.

Contents

The nickname "Huskies" was adopted following a student poll in The Connecticut Campus in 1934 after the school's name changed from Connecticut Agricultural College to Connecticut State College in 1933; before then, the teams were referred to as the Aggies. [1] [2] Although the school's abbreviated nickname "UConn" and the Canadian Yukon territory—where huskies are commonly used in dogsledding [3] —are homophones, the "Huskies" nickname predates the school's 1939 name change to the University of Connecticut. [2] The first recorded use of "UConn" (as "U-Conn", both separately and with "Huskies") was later in 1939. [4]

The Huskies have played 1,083 games during the program's 118 seasons through 2016. UConn joined the fledgling Yankee Conference in 1947, which merged with and became the Atlantic 10 football conference in 1997. Seven coaches—J. Orlean Christian, Robert Ingalls, John Toner, Robert Casciola, Larry Naviaux, Walt Nadzak, and Tom Jackson—led Connecticut to conference championships prior to the team's transition from Division I-AA to Division I-A in 2000, [A 1] and one coach—Skip Holtz—led UConn to the Division I-AA playoffs in 1998. Following the transition, Edsall led the Huskies to Big East Conference [A 2] championships in 2007 and 2010.

Randy Edsall is Connecticut's all-time leader in games coached (144), coaching wins (74), bowl game appearances (5), and bowl game wins (3).[ General ] [7] Bob Diaco is the only other UConn head coach to lead the team to a bowl game, which was lost. Dave Warner, who led the then-Aggies to a 3–0 record in his only season coached in 1914, is the all-time leader in winning percentage (1.000); E. S. Mansfield and Leo Hafford, who both lost every game they coached in 1898 and 1911, [A 3] respectively, share the lowest-ever winning percentage (.000). Among coaches that led the team for longer than a single season, T. D. Knowles is the all-time leader in winning percentage (.712), while John F. Donahue has the all-time lowest winning percentage (.125).

Key

Key to symbols in coaches list
GeneralOverallConferencePostseason [A 4]
No.Order of coaches [A 5] GCGames coachedCWConference winsPWPostseason wins
DCDivision championshipsOWOverall winsCLConference lossesPLPostseason losses
CCConference championshipsOLOverall lossesCTConference tiesPTPostseason ties
NCNational championshipsOTOverall ties [A 6] C%Conference winning percentage
Elected to the College Football Hall of Fame O%Overall winning percentage [A 7]

Coaches

List of head football coaches showing season(s) coached, overall records, conference records, [A 8] postseason records, division [A 9] and conference [A 10] championships, and selected awards [A 11] [A 12]
 OverallConferencePostseason 
No.NameSeason(s)GCOWOLOTO%CWCLCTC%PWPLPTDCCCAwards
No coach1896–97151050.667
1 E. S. Mansfield 18983030.000
2 Thomas D. Knowles 1899–1901261871.712
3 Edwin O. Smith 1902–052814131.518
4 George H. Lamson 1906–0713490.308
5 William F. Madden 19088431.563
6 S. Frank G. McLean 19098350.375
7 M. F. Claffey 19107151.214
8 Leo Hafford [A 3] 19115050.000
9 Abraham J. Sharadin 19126330.500
10 P. T. Brady 19138530.625
11 Dave Warner 191433001.000
12 John F. Donahue 1915–16162140.125
XNo football played1917–18 [A 13]
13 Roy J. Guyer 19198260.250000
14 Ross Swartz 19208161.188000
15 J. Wilder Tasker 1921–2217584.412000
16 Sumner Dole 1923–3389363914.483000
17 J. Orlean Christian 1934–49 [A 14] 12166514.562530.6250001
18 Arthur Valpey 1950–5116790.438240.3330000
19 Robert Ingalls 1952–6310649543.47629163.6350006
20 Rick Forzano 1964–65187101.417431.5630000
21 John Toner 1966–704720243.4571762.7200002 Husky of Honor (as athletic director) [14]
22 Robert Casciola 1971–7218981.528821.7730001
23 Larry Naviaux 1973–764318241.4301381.6140001
24 Walt Nadzak 1977–826524392.38514151.4830001
25 Tom Jackson 1983–9311962570.52142350.54500002 Yankee Conference Coach of the Year (1986) [15]

UPI New England Coach of the Year (1986) [15]

26 Skip Holtz 1994–985734230.59622180.55011010
27 Randy Edsall 1999–20101447470.5142531.4463202 Big East Coach of the Year (2010) [16]
28 Paul Pasqualoni 2011–13 [A 15] 281018.35759.357000
Int. T. J. Weist 2013 [A 15] 835.37535.375000
29 Bob Diaco 2014–16371126.297618.2500100
30 Randy Edsall 2017–202138632.158222.0830000
Int. Lou Spanos 2021716.1430000
31 Jim L. Mora 2021–25916.360000100

Notes

  1. In August 2006 the NCAA changed the name of Division I-A to Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and Division I-AA to Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). [5] In this article the old names are used to refer to events that occurred prior to August 2006.
  2. The American Athletic Conference operated as the Big East Conference from 1979 through 2013. [6] See 2010–13 Big East Conference realignment for more information. This article uses the name "Big East" to refer to the conference for the years 2013 and earlier.
  3. 1 2 According to one source, Hafford died on October 1, 1911, one day after Connecticut's first game of the 1911 season. [8] The official university record book credits him with four losses in games played after that date, however.[ General ]
  4. Although the first Rose Bowl Game was played in 1902, it has been continuously played since the 1916 game, and is recognized as the oldest bowl game by the NCAA. "—" indicates any season prior to 1916 when postseason games were not played. [9]
  5. A running total of the number of head coaches, with coaches who served separate tenures being counted only once. Interim head coaches are represented with "Int" and are not counted in the running total. "" indicates the team played but either without a coach or no coach is on record. "X" indicates an interim year without play.
  6. Overtime rules in college football were introduced in 1996, making ties impossible in the period since. [10]
  7. When computing the win–loss percentage, a tie counts as half a win and half a loss. [11]
  8. The University of Connecticut does not record conference records until 1947, the first season of the Yankee Conference. UConn was not a member of a conference for football from 2000–03.[ General ]
  9. Connecticut participated in divisional play for seven seasons in the Division I-AA era, between the expansion of the Yankee Conference to twelve teams and two divisions in 1993 [12] and the beginning of UConn's transition to Division I-A in 2000.[ General ] The American Athletic Conference began divisional play in 2015 following the addition of the Navy Midshipmen, which brought the total number of teams in the conference to twelve. [13]
  10. Conference championships include both sole and shared championships for all years between 1947–99 and 2004–14, where UConn played in conferences with no championship game.[ General ]
  11. Selected awards include only those associated with the coach's time at the University of Connecticut.
  12. Statistics are correct as of the end of the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season.
  13. No football games were played in 1917 nor 1918 due to World War I.[ General ]
  14. No football games were played in 1943 due to World War II.[ General ]
  15. 1 2 Paul Pasqualoni was fired following the first four games of the 2013 season, which constituted the entire non-conference portion of that year's schedule. Interim coach T. J. Weist took over for the remaining eight games of the season, which constituted the entire conference portion of the schedule.[ General ] [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geno Auriemma</span> Italian-born American womens basketball coach

Luigi "Geno" Auriemma is an Italian-born American college basketball coach and, since 1985, the head coach of the University of Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team. As of 2021, he has led UConn to 17 undefeated conference seasons, of which six were undefeated overall seasons, with 11 NCAA Division I national championships, the most in women's college basketball history, and has won eight national Naismith College Coach of the Year awards. Auriemma was the head coach of the United States women's national basketball team from 2009 through 2016, during which time his teams won the 2010 and 2014 World Championships, and gold medals at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics, going undefeated in all four tournaments. Auriemma was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UConn Huskies</span> College athletic program of the University of Connecticut, US

The UConn Huskies are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Connecticut, located in Storrs. The school is a member of the NCAA's Division I and the Big East Conference. The university's football team plays at Rentschler Field, and the men's and women's basketball teams play on-campus at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion and off-campus at the XL Center.

The UConn Huskies football team is a college football team that represents the University of Connecticut in the sport of American football. The team competes in NCAA Division I FBS as an independent. Connecticut first fielded a team in 1896, and participated in Division I-AA until 1999. The Huskies began their two-year Division I-A transition period in 2000, and became a full-fledged Division I-A team in 2002. From 2000 to 2003, the team played as an independent. The school's football team then joined the conference of its other sport teams, the Big East, taking effect in 2004, through 2019. In 2019, the UConn football team left the American to again play as an independent, as the school's current primary conference, the current Big East, does not sponsor the sport. The Huskies currently are coached by Jim Mora.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Randy Edsall</span> American football coach (born 1958)

Randy Douglas Edsall is a former American football coach, who was the head football coach at the University of Connecticut from 1999 to 2010 and again from 2017 until his abrupt retirement in 2021. He also served as the head coach at the University of Maryland from 2011 to 2015 and as director of football research-special projects for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL) in 2016. During his first stint at UConn, he oversaw the program's promotion from the NCAA Division I-AA level to Division I-A. He is the program's all-time leader in wins and games coached.

The UConn Huskies men's basketball program is the intercollegiate men's basketball team of the University of Connecticut, in Storrs, Connecticut. They currently play in the Big East Conference and are coached by Dan Hurley.

The 2009 International Bowl was a postseason college football bowl game between the Connecticut Huskies (UConn) and the Buffalo Bulls at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Canada, on January 3, 2009. The game was the final contest of the 2008 NCAA Division I-Football Bowl Subdivision football season for both teams, and ended in a 38–20 victory for Connecticut. UConn represented the Big East Conference in the game; Buffalo entered as the Mid-American Conference (MAC) champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 PapaJohns.com Bowl</span> College football bowl game

The 2010 PapaJohns.com Bowl was a postseason college football bowl game between the South Carolina Gamecocks of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and the Connecticut Huskies (UConn) of the Big East Conference, on January 2, 2010, at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama. The game was the final contest of the 2009 NCAA Division I-Football Bowl Subdivision football season for both teams, and it ended in a 20–7 victory for Connecticut.

The UConn Huskies men's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college ice hockey program that represents the University of Connecticut. The Huskies are a member of the Hockey East conference. The Huskies play in the on-campus Toscano Family Ice Forum, having moved from the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut during the 2022–23 season.

The 2000 Connecticut Huskies football team represented the University of Connecticut in the 2000 NCAA Division I-A football season as an independent. This was Connecticut's first season competing at the NCAA Division I-A, having transitioned from NCAA Division I-AA, where they were a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Huskies competed as a transitional member as they increased the scholarship count to the Division I-A level of 85. Led by Randy Edsall in his second year as head coach, Connecticut finished the season with a record of 4–8.

The 1999 Connecticut Huskies football team represented the University of Connecticut in the 1999 NCAA Division I-AA football season. This was Connecticut's final season competing at the NCAA Division I-AA level and as member of the Atlantic 10 Conference (A–10), as the program became an NCAA Division I-AA independent the following year. Led by Randy Edsall in his first year as head coach, Connecticut finished with season with an overall record of 4–7, tying for sixth place in the A-10 with a conference mark of 3–5.

The 2011 Connecticut Huskies football team represented the University of Connecticut in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season as a member of the Big East Conference. The team was coached by Paul Pasqualoni and played its home games at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Connecticut. It was Pasqualoni's first year with the team.

Robert Albert Diaco is an American football coach and a former linebacker. He is a defensive analyst for the LSU Tigers of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). He played college football at the University of Iowa for coach Hayden Fry from 1992 to 1995. He then served as the head coach of the UConn Huskies (2014–2016).

The 1964 Connecticut Huskies football team represented the University of Connecticut as a member of the Yankee Conference during the 1964 NCAA College Division football season. Led by first-year head coach Rick Forzano, Huskies compiled an overall record of 4–4–1 with a mark of 2–1–1 in conference play, placing third in the Yankee Conference.

The 1965 Connecticut Huskies football team represented the University of Connecticut as a member of the Yankee Conference during the 1965 NCAA College Division football season. Led by second-year head coach Rick Forzano, Huskies compiled an overall record of 3–6 with a mark of 2–2 in conference play, tying for third place in the Yankee Conference.

The 1966 Connecticut Huskies football team represented the University of Connecticut as a member of the Yankee Conference during the 1966 NCAA College Division football season. Led by first-year head coach John Toner, Huskies compiled an overall record of 2–6–1 with a mark of 2–2–1 in conference play, placing third in the Yankee Conference.<

The 1989 Connecticut Huskies football team represented the University of Connecticut in the 1989 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Huskies were led by seventh-year head coach Tom Jackson, and completed the season with a record of 8–3.

The 1994 Connecticut Huskies football team represented the University of Connecticut in the 1994 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Huskies were led by first year head coach Skip Holtz, and completed the season with a record of 4–7.

The 2019 UConn Huskies football team represented the University of Connecticut (UConn) during the 2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Huskies were led by head coach Randy Edsall, who was in the third year of his second stint as head coach at the school. The team played their home games at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Connecticut, and competed as members of the East Division of the American Athletic Conference. They finished the season 2–10, 0–8 in AAC play to finish in last place in the East Division. The 2019 season was the Huskies' last as members of the AAC.

References

General

Specific

  1. "History – University of Connecticut". uconn.edu. University of Connecticut . Retrieved January 2, 2016.
  2. 1 2 Stave, Bruce M.; Burmeister, Laura (2006). Red Brick in the Land of Steady Habits: Creating the University of Connecticut, 1881–2006 . Lebanon, New Hampshire: University Press of New England. p.  28. ISBN   978-1-58465-570-1.
  3. Holland, Eva (February 20, 2015). "Survival Is the Ultimate Goal in World's Toughest Sled Dog Race". National Geographic . National Geographic Society . Retrieved January 5, 2017.
  4. Roy, Mark (April 5, 1999). "Traditional Husky Fight Song captures school spirit across generations". The UConn Advance. University of Connecticut. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
  5. Albright, Dave (December 15, 2006). "NCAA misses the mark in Division I-AA name change". espn.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. Archived from the original on August 19, 2009. Retrieved May 9, 2010.
  6. "American Athletic Conference". American Athletic Conference. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  7. Anthony, Mike (December 28, 2016). "Randy Edsall Back At UConn: Coach Says He Should Have Done Things Differently When He Left". The Hartford Courant . Tribune Corporation. Archived from the original on December 31, 2016. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  8. Cross, John L. (March 27, 2012). "Whispering Pines: Dreaming of Fields". Bowdoin Daily Sun . Bowdoin College. Archived from the original on January 4, 2017. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
  9. National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) (2011). Bowl/All-Star Game Records (PDF). Indianapolis, Indiana: NCAA. pp. 5–10. Archived from the original on August 22, 2011. Retrieved August 21, 2011.
  10. Whiteside, Kelly (August 25, 2006). "Overtime system still excites coaches". USA Today. McLean, Virginia. Archived from the original on November 24, 2009. Retrieved September 25, 2009.
  11. Finder, Chuck (September 6, 1987). "Big plays help Paterno to 200th". The New York Times. New York City. Archived from the original on October 22, 2009. Retrieved October 22, 2009.
  12. "Three schools to join all-football Yankee Conference". United Press International . News World Communications. March 22, 1991. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
  13. Bahl, Andrew (May 30, 2014). "Navy football will be in West Division when it joins American Athletic Conference in 2015". The Baltimore Sun . Baltimore. ISSN   2165-1752 . Retrieved December 20, 2016.
  14. "John Toner To Be Inducted Into "Huskies Of Honor"". www.uconnhuskies.com. University of Connecticut. February 23, 2000. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved February 7, 2010.
  15. 1 2 Smith, George (November 18, 1993). "UConn's Jackson Out After 11 Seasons". The Hartford Courant . Tribune Corporation . Retrieved January 5, 2017.
  16. Otterbein, Jeff (December 28, 2016). "The Randy Edsall File: Bio, Record, UConn History". The Hartford Courant . Tribune Corporation . Retrieved January 5, 2017.
  17. Connor, Desmond (October 1, 2013). "T.J. Weist Takes Over UConn Football Program; Knows He Has To Win". The Hartford Courant . Tribune Corporation. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 26, 2017.