GAMEDAY: The Uconn Football Experience

By: Michael Livingston(Photo by Steve Slade)

Rentschler Field, home of the University of Connecticut football team, opened in 2003. Located in East Hartford, the stadium is approximately 20 miles from the Storrs main campus. The site is

named after the late Frederick Brandt Rentschler, who founded the aircraft arm of Pratt and Whitney in 1925. The airfield was in operation from 1931 – 1999. (Photo by Michael W.

Livingston)

Rentschler field has a capacity of 40,000, with room for future expansion. The Uconn football team joined the Big East conference in 2004, moving up from the NCAA’s

Division 1aa tier (now FCS) to the Division 1 BCS level (currently FBS). Uconn won its first home game on September 30, 2004 against Pitt, 29-17. Since 2004, the Huskies

have won 2 Big East championships, which is the least amount of time an upstart program has taken to win a conference title in BCS history. (Photo by Michael W.

Livingston).

This quote, by former Uconn cornerback Jasper T. Howard, was

the last comment he made to reporters after a 38-25 homecoming victory against Louisville on October

18, 2009. In the game, Howard forced a fumble and recorded an

interception. Later that night he was stabbed to death outside of the

Student Union Center on the Storrs campus after a homecoming

celebration dance.The sign, located at the exit of the locker room, serves as a constant reminder to every Uconn football

player of what is expected of them on the field of play. (Photo by

Michael W. Livingston)

“The Husky Fight Song,” is sung after every victory by the Uconn football team in the locker room. Actually titled “Uconn Husky,” the arrangement was composed by Herbert France in 1940, who started the musical department at the University. The current adaptation – by music professor David Marker – is performed by the Uconn marching band after Husky touchdowns, and following the game with the team and fans gathered in the east endzone. This photo, capturing the team-only post-game celebration, was taken after a 24-17 victory over the University at Buffalo on 9/30/12. (Photo by Michael W. Livingston)

Every gameday ends with a trip back to the Burton Family Football Complex, where preparations will begin immediately for Uconn’s next opponent. The facility is one of the finest in the country, and is named after Cenveo CEO Robert G. Burton who generously donated a lead gift of $2.5 million. Burton’s son, Michael, was a captain on the 1999 Uconn football team. Construction on the complex began in 2004 and the building opened for operations in the summer of 2006. (Photo by Michael W. Livingston)

Sources:- Mike Enright, Sports Information Director, University of Connecticut Athletics- Steve Slade, Team Photographer, University of Connecticut Football- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rentschler_Field_(stadium)- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rentschler_Field_(airport)- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Brant_Rentschler- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jasper_Howard- http://www.uconn.edu/history/yesteryear/archives/athletics/fightsong.php- http://www.uconnhuskies.com/facilities/burton-family-complex.html