Thursday, April 01, 2010

Donald Brown, Orlovksy among honorary Blue-White coaches

STORRS, Conn. (April 1, 2010) -- Five former University of Connecticut football stars of the recent past will serve as honorary coaches for the 2010 UConn Blue-White Spring Football Game on Saturday, April 17, 2010, at Rentschler Field.

All-American running back Donald Brown, who recently finished his rookie year with the Indianapolis Colts and played in Super Bowl XLIV in January, will coach one team along with former Husky quarterback Tyler Lorenzen, who finished the 2009 NFL season on the practice squad of the Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints.

The honorary coaches for the other team will be the tri-captains of the 2004 Huskies, who earned UConn’s first-ever bowl bid – a win in the Motor City Bowl. They are: quarterback Dan Orlovsky, who just completed his fifth NFL season and is currently a member of the Houston Texans; linebacker Alfred Fincher, who played for the New Orleans Saints from 2005-07; and offensive guard Ryan Krug, who made the New England Patriots practice squad in 2005.

Brown was UConn’s first-ever First Team All-American in its Football Bowl Subdivision history. He led the country in rushing in 2008 at 160.23 yards per game and was named the BIG EAST Conference Offensive Player of the Year. He is UConn’s all-time leading rusher with 3,800 yards.

In the spring of 2009, he became the first Husky to be selected in the First Round of the NFL Draft as the Colts picked him 27th overall. In his rookie season, he rushed for 281 yards with three touchdowns as he helped lead the Colts to the AFC Championship.

Lorenzen was a two-year starter at quarterback for the Huskies in 2007 and ’08 and led the team to bowl appearances in both seasons. He threw for 3,236 yards during his UConn career. Following his senior season, he signed a free agent contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars and later was signed to the practice squad of the Saints as a tight end.

Orlovsky led UConn in passing from 2001-04 as he played right away as a true freshman. The Shelton, Conn., native helped lead UConn during its initial days as a Division I-A program, which cumulated in his senior season of 2004, when the Huskies played their first season as a BIG EAST Conference member and defeated Toledo in the Motor City Bowl.

Orlovsky is UConn’s all-time leading career passer with 10,706 yards and 84 touchdowns. He was selected in the fifth round of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions and played for that club from 2005-08 before moving on to the Texans.

Fincher made 357 tackles from 2001-04 – good for sixth on the Husky career list and also had 35.5 tackles for a loss during his career. He led the team with 140 tackles in his senior year and earned All-BIG EAST Conference honors. Fincher was selected in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Saints and played for them for three seasons. He played the 2008 season for the Washington Redskins and also spent time with the Detroit Lions.

Krug earned All-BIG EAST honors for the Huskies in 2004 and was a mainstay on the offensive line. He signed a free agent contract with the Patriots following his senior year and made that team’s practice squad in 2005.

The 2010 UConn Blue-White Spring Football Game kicks off at 12:00 p.m. and admission and parking are free. The parking lots will open at 9:00 a.m.

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