Connecticut: Tell Robert Burton There's A No Return Policy

Have you heard the one about the booster wanting his money back? Oh my God, it's a classic.


Robert Burton's name is imprinted on the Connecticut football team's training complex. Years back, he donated $2.5M to build the facility. Now he wants his money back.


This cat is unhappy with the school's hiring of former Cuse coach Paul Pasqualoni to replace Randy Edsall after he jet Storrs for College Park, literally.


“We want our money and respect back,” Burton wrote in his letter to Jeff Hathaway, UConn's Athletic Director.


Well, Bob, you can have your money back. But your respect is non-refundable.


I am sure all of your contributions were well appreciated in Storrs. And I am very confident you feel very responsible for the emergence of Connecticut football  into national relevance over the past decade, too. After all, all the checks are signed with your name.


It's not like Edsall deserves any credit for anything.


Every school needs a Burton, at least money-wise. Even if the UConn program doesn't parallel those of Texas or Florida or Southern Cal, even the most minute versions of Phil Knight can pay dividends. But I don't recall Knight having the final say on the Chip Kelly hire when Oregon was looking for a head coach two years ago.


So if the most recognized booster in the game today isn't choosing coaches, what makes you think you have the right to? Former Terp and Under Armour C.E.O. Kevin Plank was likely campaigning for his friend Mike Leach to take over Maryland football, but A.D. Kevin Anderson opted for your boy Edsall. Did Plank go and take away the team's uniforms?


But you went ahead and took the low road, an illustration of your character. 


Take away the player's scholarships. Refuse to advertise with the program. Stop helping the business school; send your managers elsewhere. 


And while your at it, say goodbye to your luxury box. It's better off empty than with you sipping Mike's Hards on Saturdays.


You're upset because you were not consulted for the head coaching hire. Get over it. You are not an expect, despite what you think. I understand you were drafted by the N.F.L.. But if you haven't noticed, they no longer have 19 rounds; it's for a reason, Bob. 


Pasqualoni hasn't coached a down in Rentschler Field and already you're disgruntled. One of your kids played for the guy at Syracuse, and your other is a former Huskie. Congratulations, now your own sons probably think you're a jerk.


As you keep waiting for your $3M check in the mail, consider this: you have given over $7M to Connecticut. Knight had a new basketball court built for his school a few weeks ago...it cost $220 more than your donations. 


Being a booster does not automatically incorporate you into the school's brain trust. It simply means you are supporting the school, offering them financial assistance for them to succeed. 


You're not even a UConn grad; you went to Murray State. So why don't you bring your checkbook there. I hear their looking for someone to fill their booster, head coach and athletic director jobs. You sound like the guy for the job.




samspiegs@aol.com
Twitter: @samspiegs

Terps React to Randy Edsall Hire as Head Coach

It wasn't Mike Leach. It wasn't Gus Malzahn. And to the dismay of the fans up in Ann Arbor, it wasn't even Rich Rodriguez. 


On Sunday, it was announced that Randy Edsall, the head coach of the Connecticut Huskies for the past 12 years, would assume the same position with the Maryland Terrapins. 


The vacancy at Maryland came after Athletic Director Kevin Anderson decided to buy out the remainder of Ralph Friedgen's contract, a move that was imminent after former offensive coordinator and coach-in-waiting James Franklin left to become the head coach at Vanderbilt. 


Perhaps no name was more linked to the Maryland gig than former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach, largely due to the ties he has to former Terp and Under Armour founder Kevin Plank. Leach interviewed this week for the position, and it reportedly went well. 


The other candidate was Auburn offensive coordinator Guz Malzahn, who also interviewed for the job this week. Malzahn became a hot commodity on the coaching market for his work this year with Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton, and was offered the head coaching job at Vanderbilt. 


Both Leach and Malzahn were considered favorites for the position based on what they could bring to the table. They are both offensive-minded coaches who could change the dynamic of the Terps offense. And if Anderson wanted to energize the fan base, he would have went in that direction. 


Instead, Anderson opted for a coach who turned UConn into a force in the Big East, capturing two conference championships in seven years since its inauguration. Most recently, Edsall's Huskies appeared in the Tostitos BCS Fiesta Bowl, losing convincingly at the hands of the Sooners. 


On Twitter today, there was a tremendous amount of backlash about the Edsall hire. Fans said he was not the flashy hire they expected the university to mark, nor did they consider it an upgrade over Friedgen. In fact, there were many who called for Friedgen to retain his job...as if.


One tweet that struck me was along the lines of 'Leach, Malzahn or fail" for Anderson. If we are going by those lines, consider this the ultimate blunder.


The Terps players, on the other hand, have shown a more optimistic approach to the hire. Here were some of the Tweets they sent following a team meeting called by Anderson tonight.

There was one plea, by Maryland cornerback Cameron Chism, that echoed many of the cries from Terp Nation -- to keep defensive coordinator Don Brown as defensive coordinator. Brown was the director behind the defense's turnaround, which he said all came together in his second season in College Park.

The other Tweet that struck was that of quarterback Danny O'Brien, the ACC's Rookie of the Year and the centerpiece of the Maryland offense for the next few years. O'Brien was rumored to be considering transferring to Vanderbilt after Friedgen's contract was bought out, and many thought his relationship with Franklin would help lure his talents to Knoxville.

And O'Brien is right. Despite the disappointment scattered throughout Terp Nation on this Sunday, it would be stupid to simply stop supporting the team. 

Edsall was not the guy we expected to become the head coach, nor was he the guy we wanted to be the head coach -- for the most part. But he is here, and if they players accept him then the fans should back him...if, of course, they want a successful football team.