I first started covering UConn athletics on a regular basis 18 years ago and not only would I say that Warde Manuel was the most approachable athletic director at UConn but I don't even know who would be in second place.

Manuel flew back to Connecticut today after meeting the media on Friday as he was introduced as the AD at Michigan, his alma mater. Before the game UConn women's basketball SID asked the media who would want to interview Manuel at halftime and I figured it was a rhetorical question.

Manuel addressed plenty of topics including his legacy at UConn and the prospects of the Huskies getting into the Power Five conference.

"I have been through this before, I am winding down here and winding up at a new place but I love the fact that I get to spend time and say goodbye in the sense that I won't be here to the staff and to my friends. I am very appreciative that I have time to do that. I will be back and forth to Ann Arbor for some things but for the most part until after the women's conference championship, I will be around.

"When you approach any job you hope you leave it better than you found it," Manuel said. "I will leave it to others to talk about my legacy here. I am proud of our academic success ... We got through the transition of the breakup of the Big East and the transition to the American as well or better than people expected.

"I leave sad because of the relationships and the people I won't see on a consistent basis but I leave happy knowing that the people here know how to win, know how to be extremely successful and the future is very bright for UConn."

UConn had tremendous on-court and on-field success during Manuel's time at UConn but many will view his legacy as incomplete because the Huskies were not able to secure a bid from a Power 5 conference under his watch. When he was introduced as Michigan's AD, he said he thinks of UConn as a Power 5 program.

"It is not like I have any magic statement," Manuels said. "It is what I believe. I believe our success already puts us in the level of the top tier of universities in this country so it is a statement that I will continue to believe but I don't know how close we are. I know in terms of success, we are (a Power Five program).

"Because we are not in the Power 5 that we are somehow second-class citizens, I never approached this job that way, I don't talk much about it and people criticize me for not talking a lot about it but I just don't think you talk and get into something. You don't talk about it and all of a sudden an application appears, you have to work at it, you have to have the success we've had and you have to continue to show people who we are. Guess what if you don't let us in, we are still going to beat you and if you let us in, we are still going to beat you. That is the attitude, the way I approach it and the way I drive the staff, coaches, our student-athletes to be the best no matter where you are. I think if UConn highly, I always will and it has been a great place for me and my family."

There is a prevailing notion that having Manuel at Michigan could help UConn if the Big Ten opts to add more teams. Manuel made it clear that his main focus will be on doing what is best for the Wolverines but he will certainly have positive things to say about UConn.

"At the appropriate point if there is a point in the conversation about it, certainly I will talk very highly about UConn because I try not to mince words, sometimes I get all jumbled up and get caught off guard but I don't say things I don't believe and I believe in this place," Manuel said. "I believe in this place as much as I did when I took the job. The success we have had speaks for itself. The prestige of this university speaks for itself. The people here, the fan base, the things that we have, if you look at media households in close proximity (to major markets), you look at our dominance in the New York market when we go down there to play, the fans that we have, there are so many positives about UConn and for me it is not hard to say it if it comes up in conversation."

Manuel was quick to emphasize that all the talk of securing a Power 5 invite should not take away from their time in the American Athletic Conference.

"The American Conference has been a great conference," Manuel said. "I am proud we are in the conference and representing the American, I don't want anything to take away for it or take away from the strength of these colleges that have come together to play in the American, the great colleagues I have in this conference are working hard."

There have been multiple reports that UConn director of athletics Warde Manuel is on the short list of candidates for the same job at Virginia Tech. However. Manuel released a statement saying that

"I am not a candidate, have not been interviewed nor have I been contacted by Virginia Tech about its Director of Athletics position despite some recent media reports. I am very happy as the Director of Athletics at UConn and look forward to continuing to work with President Herbst, my coaches, staff, student-athletes, donors and fans to enjoy a high level of continued success in athletics at UConn.  I wish Virginia Tech all the best in their search to replace, one of the legends in our business, Jim Weaver.”

Warde Manuel was thrilled to hear the reports from fans and alumni about how charged up they were after seeing the energetic Bob Diaco steal the show at the press conference announcing him as the new football coach at UConn. However, hiring somebody who is a dynamic presence at a press conference wasn't nearly as important to Manuel as getting an accomplished coach who can change the fortunes of the football program.

"It’s great to hear," Manuel said after Sunday's UConn women's basketball game against California at Madison Square Garden. "Our fans are really excited by him. I am glad that people are excited and able to see him, be excited about what he is going to try to do and accomplish here.

"Everybody said you knocked it out of the park by hiring him and the press conference. When you look at what he brings to the table, his experiences, his knowledge, the success that he had both as a player and as a coach, I am glad people liked the press conference but they will really like the level of excellence that the man will demand from the kids on a daily basis and hopefully the results will be there."

Manuel reacted to the news that offensive line/tight ends coach Mike Foley was the only assistant coach being retained by Diaco.

"I liked all of those guys," Manuel said. "Personally and professionally, it is the nature of where we are but it is also important for Bob to be able to determine his staff and be able to bring in the people he wants, the system that he wants to run. Mike Foley, he kept Mike and I think that is a great choice but the other guys would have been great as well but Bob has his sense of what he wants to do. He talked to all of the guys and talked to them about the things he wanted to talk about to assess things. He was up front with them when he talked to the staff and they all know that this is a business and it is a sad part of it but it is the process that has to take place."

With UConn ending the season on a three-game winning streak and so many of the playmakers in those three wins expected to come back, having a bright young coach in the fold and Yawin Smallwood already generating plenty of hype since declaring for the NFL draft, there's more positive energy surrounding the program at the current time than has been evident in the last couple of years and that is not lost on Manuel.

"Part of coming in and stepping into the head-coaching position, Bob saw that and many of the people I interviewed talked about that the team went into the last three games, the character of the kids on the team and those kinds of things, it was important," Manuel said. "When he met with the team, he told them so. He told them that he was watching knowing that the job was open and knowing that he’d interested. He was very proud of what they did and I echoed that of course because these kids never stopped working, they never stopped trying. We made mistakes and they were down on themselves for that but they never stopped working hard and they never stopped trying to give their best. The fans were behind them and it just worked out the way it did. We won those last three games and that was important for this team to do that and to go into the offseason knowing that we won the last three games and let’s keep up the effort in the workouts and see where we can be in our preparation for the next nine months."

If the strain of his uncertain future was weighing on the mind of UConn interim head coach T.J. Weist, he did a masterful job of masking it during Tuesday's press conference.

Weist was asked whether he was given a timetable for the naming of a head coach and said he was not before quickly saying all the right things about how that process is out of his hands.

"We will finish off with three wins and see where it stands," Weist said.

"These situations are always tough on any staff. Our guys have done a great job, both offensively, defensively, and on special teams. It's not easy. It's never easy. I commend them for working hard, for staying together, for being aggressive with their players, keeping them together, for coaching hard during a game and at all times in practice. A coach can easily give up, just like a player can, on a season. Our guys have not done that. They've worked hard, they've been loyal to the university, moreover to me and us, to our staff, and to this team. So I'm proud of them from that standpoint. They've done a really good job. We've got one more game to go and then we'll see from there. We're not basing whether we get the job or not, whether I get the job or not, on our effort or our performance in practice today or the game Saturday. That's how we have to look at it as coaches. All the coaches know that if we want to continue working here, the best bet is to do a great job while we're here."

When Weist was announced as UConn's interim coach, AD Warde Manuel was asked what Weist needed to do to earn the job on a full-time basis and responded with the word "win."

Well, UConn lost the first five games with Weist at the helm but have showed signs of life in the last two weeks posting wins over Temple and Rutgers. I spoke to Manuel after UConn's women's basketball game against Ohio State and asked him if the back to back wins have increased the chances of Weist being a legitimate candidate for the UConn job.

"I loved T.J. from the time I put him in and it hasn't changed from the day I appointed him as interim (coach)," Manuel said. "He is a great person, a great coach and he has done a hell of a job leading the team and we will see where it goes from here."

So that was Manuel's take on the job Weist has done. How about Weist's take on his own performance?

"It is easy to say I have gotten better as a head coach because we are winning games, that is the ultimate deciding factor if somebody is doing their job better," Weist said. "It is hard for me rate myself. It is easy for me to be critical of the things I do because I like to believe I put as much pressure on myself as anybody, I want to win more than anybody, more than any fan, more than any other coach or anybody else, try to be smarter, more efficient in everything I do, also be aware of the factors that are involved in coaching. It is a learning process for me, it is the first time I have done it. I think we’ve won some games and we’d like to win one more. There are a lot of things I’d like to take back, a lot of things I’d like to change, a lot of things I have learned from on the field that I think I can get better at whether it is time management, calling plays, making better decisions, motivating the team or finding ways to win."

Manuel did not give a concrete timetable for when he'd like to have a coach in place.

"The sooner the better but there is no timeline," Manuel said. "I want to find the best coach for UConn and for our football team moving forward. I am very proud of what T.J. has done but we want to do a national search and we will see where it goes."

UConn director of athletics Warde Manuel, a former defensive tackle at Michigan, makes it out to UConn practice whenever he can fit it into his schedule and he has liked what he has seen this summer.

"They are working hard, learning and preparing every day so I am excited with what I see," Manuel said after appearing at the Middlesex Chamber of Commerce's August meeting. "I think the student-athletes,  they are all getting tired around this time of practicing against each other and hitting each other but the effort and what the coaches is getting them to learn is all good to see and I am really pleased with what I have seen."

While last year's team was a senior-laden squad, there are quite a few of few freshmen and sophomores in positions to see significant action this season.

"You have to step up," Manuel said. "It is the next player, the next year, the next down and you have to step up and be prepared. I am very excited with what I am seeing. What you hope to see is that talent will take over some of the learning stuff but you still have to learn. There’s no substitute for reps in practice and in games but I am very pleased with what I am seeing and very excited with how we are approaching the season and how everything is coming together."

Manuel is thrilled with the non-conference schedule which kicks off next Thursday against Towson followed by games against Maryland and Michigan before playing the road opener against Buffalo.

"That is the plan," Manuel said. "We don’t go in taking any game lightly and there are some tough opponents who are coming in and that is what our fans want to see but more importantly, that is who our student-athletes want to play against. They want to play against the best and are preparing to do that. Towson is going to be a great start to the season, they had a great season last year and we will move forward with that."

FORK UNION, MILFORD ACADEMY OPEN THIS WEEKEND
In a perfect world Jordan Fuchs, Jamar Summers, Chasz Wright, Jalan Branford and Chris Britton would be up at UConn working alongside the rest of the talented group of true freshmen.

However, there weren't enough scholarship slots for all of them so the plan is for the aforementioned quintet to spend the fall semester at prep schools before enrolling at UConn in January.

The journey begins on Saturday as Fuchs, Summers and Wright are expected to be in uniform when Milford Academy hosts Globe Institute at 4 p.m.

A source close to the situation said that Britton is expected to enroll at Fork Union and the Reading (Pa.) Eagle reported back in June that Branford was heading to Fork Union.

However, in an email to the Register Fork Union postgraduate football coach Col. John Shuman said neither player is currently in camp and therefore won't be playing in Friday's season opener against the Apprentice School.

Watching UConn director of athletics Warde Manuel make his way over towards the UConn football team yesterday, part of me really thought the former Michigan lineman was going to grab some shoulder pads and a helmet to deliver a key hits. While I am sure that would have been Manuel's No. 1 choice, he was more than happy to oblige when UConn football coach Paul Pasqualoni asked him to talk to the 2013 squad.

Manuel's speech was energetic and by his standards, relatively brief.

After encouraging the players to make the best use of their time on the practice field to lay down the foundation for a successful season, Manuel came over the spent a few minutes answering our questions.

"It brings back great memories when I was a player," Manuel said. "This is a time for them to really have some fun with it. This is a game we are playing and we want to win. This is a fun time for them. This is what they worked hard (during the) offseason whether it is football, basketball or soccer you name it, it is their time to build the opportunity to build the success we expect and they expect from themselves.

I had fun when I talked to them. Paul has asked me to do that on several occasions and it is unplanned and unscripted and I enjoy it."

So what does Manuel miss the most of being able to line up on the football field?

"I miss hitting people – on the field. I miss the camaraderie, the team, I was in the best shape of my life (during his time at Michigan)., I had the best teammates, great coaches and people around me. That is what I want them to have and I think they do have from our staff and they have great teammates. It is about being a teammate. It is really the only opportunity in life where when you hit the field for 60 minutes you are connected and you success is dependent on the person next to you. There is a clock, an operation and obviously in life you rely in colleagues and teammates across the landscape to do what we do. I miss that camaraderie you have when you play sports."

Manuel said he doesn't view this upcoming season any differently that he did the 2012 campaign.

"Game by game I want us to play hard," Manuel said. "I want us to have success on the field of play. I want the expectation that we are going to go into every game with a game plan to win knowing that we give our all and that success for me looks the same as it does for them.

"Expectations will be high, there is a lot of excitement looking at a new offensive coordinator coming in and a new defensive coordinator who has been here before. There are a lot of changes, there is a great schedule, a great opportunity to play against the best in the country and that is what you want.

"Whether it is first year, second year, third year, fourth year, none of the people who are around me, none of the coaches who are around me go into anything thinking losing (is acceptable). They are driven to have success every time they hit the field. Every year is a big year and I am not going to change my outlook. It is another year for us to prove that we can be successful"

Seeing the progress being made on the basketball practice facility, I asked Manuel for an update on that project..

"The basketball facility is looking great. They are putting in the water main, the frame of the building is up and you can actually envision watching a practice in the two practice facilities and you can see the space that we will have for the offices. It looks great, it is on time, on schedule for where they want it to be."

Shortly before the start of the UConn/Louisville women's basketball game at the XL Center last night I caught up with UConn director of athletics Warde Manuel.

Considering the news that broke earlier in the day that George DeLeone was relinquishing his offensive coordinator position, it wasn't too hard to figure out what was the first subject broached with him. However, Manuel declined to comment on either the move of DeLeone to associate head coach while remaining the offensive line coach and the departure of defensive coordinator Don Brown to Boston College.


"I don't want to comment on that until we have our coordinators," Manuel said. "I’ll comment when we have hire our coordinators."

I was able to ask Manuel about a conversation I heard he had with the team shortly after the end of the regular season. I had heard that he lit into the team telling them to get with the program or head for the exits and that head coach Paul Pasqualoni has his full support.

Manuel said he did meet with the team but the conversation did not transpire the way I described above.

"I talked to them but it wasn’t because I felt like I needed to stand up for the coaches and I think they knew that," Manuel said. "It wasn’t a question about that but it was making sure they understood that we need to continue to work, we need to continue to get better and depending on their effort, the coaches’ effort, everybody in the room’s effort including mine that we have to put ourselves in the right position to do the right things and be prepared to have success."

Coming off back to back losing seasons, I was curious if he viewed this upcoming season even more pivotal than normal.

"Every game and everything we do is designed and should be designed to win and have success and when we don’t have a winning record we have to work even harder, work smarter and put ourselves in position in the right positions to do the right things to make success happen," Manuel said. "Every season is important and when you don’t win whether it is one season, two seasons you have to get down to the work and make things happen."

Since I periodically see reports out of Michigan with Michigan AD Dave Brandon continuing to hope that next year's UConn/Michigan game gets moved out of Rentschler Field and into a larger stadium, I asked Manuel for his take on the subject.

"It hasn’t been raised by their AD and I am not changing my perspective," Manuel said.

Finally, he spoke about having eight members of the 2012 squad playing in postseason all-star games as Nick Williams returned a pair of kickoffs for 37 yards in the Casino Del Sol College All-Star Classic last week, Jory Johnson and Ryan Griffin are playing in the Raycom College Football All-Star Classic on Saturday while Sio Moore will be playing in the East-West Shrine Game on Saturday as well. On Jan. 26 the trio of Dwayne Gratz, Trevardo Williams and Blidi Wreh-Wilson are taking part in the Senior Bowl and Michael Smith compete in the Texas vs. The Nation event on Feb. 2.

"That I love, it always wonderful when any of our guys go and to have eight is a real testament to talent we have on the squad and the potential that we continue to have," Manuel said. "We just have to fulfill the potential that we have because we have talent and we have a lot of guys with ability, a lot of high quality, high character kids. They’ve been through a lot and never stopped playing for UConn and their teammates. It is a testament of who they are and how they were raised, how they carried themselves and I will always be proud of this senior class."

These are tough times for the UConn football program. The Huskies are coming off a humbling 40-10 loss at Syracuse and also lost starting guard and team captain Adam Masters for the season.

The Huskies are sitting at 3-5 and have yet to play Big East powerhouses Louisville and Cincinnati. UConn is in danger of finishing without a Big East win for the first time in program history and a 3-9 final record is certainly not out of the question.

With all those factors being in play, I headed up to Rentschler Field on Thursday morning  because UConn director of athletics Warde Manuel was speaking at a press conference announcing UConn's partnership in a men's health initiative called "Man Up."

Following the press conference I spoke with him on a few different matters including his thoughts on the state of the UConn football program which I used for a story on the state of the program running in tomorrow's edition of the Register.

Here are his thoughts:


"We are struggling, we need to improve. I talked to Paul (Pasqualoni), I have been around the kids and they are working hard at it. They are not happy with where we are and it is not what they envisioned starting the season and it is not where we thought we’d go particularly when you look at where we were after the Maryland game and very close NC State game. We have to ability we just haven’t put it together for 60 minutes. The coaching staff needs to put them in the right position and when they are in the right position the student-athletes need to make the plays that they can make. We make them in one series and then in the next series we miss something or we do something that let them get a first down or lets them stop us from getting a first down.

"It is not for a lack of effort.  The one thing I look for in our teams is what is the effort? They haven’t given up, they haven’t quit, they are still playing hard. That is the expectation I have for them. We will improve. I was at practice last week and I will be at practice next week when they go back into their preparation and they are giving the effort, they are working at it. Our fans, I know they are frustrated, I am frustrated, Paul and the team is frustrated but stick with us, this team is working at it. The plan is to go to South Florida and make some adjustments and play harder, play smarter, play for 60 minutes and we will see what the outcome is. The plan is to win, we don’t plan on going in there to lose. We don’t accept losing and I am not a very good loser at all but we have to stick by the team, be there with them because we will keep fighting. I know many of our fans will."

Manuel was on the field before the Syracuse game talking to the UConn players and I was curious whether that was a sign that he was keeping closer tabs on the team for other reasons other than just being the AD. Manuel said that was not the case and that he has confidence in the current UConn staff (even if he was not the one who hired them).

"I have had many conversations, I have watched practice. We have a very experienced staff who is working hard to put them in the right position. I am sure they second guess themselves in the plays they call offensively or defensively and wish they could do it again and do it over. They are not trying to design a game plan to lose. They make mistakes at times in what they call and wish they could have thought differently and called something else but it is not for a lack of effort. I have faith in them that they will make the corrections they have to make, put the kids in position, coach them up."

Finally, I asked him if UConn were to lose the rest of its games to finish 3-9 would he make his presence felt in the offseason by making changes to the coaching staff. He did not directly address the possibility of firing coaches.

"I am making my presence felt. We could be 12-0 and I’d be making my presence felt. My presence is going to be felt because I want them to know I am supporting them. It is not for me win or tie, it is win, lose, tie and my presence will be there for our coaches."

Pretty much from the opening snap it was pretty evident that the Buffalo skill players would be getting acquainted with UConn senior linebacker Jory Johnson on Saturday afternoon.

Johnson brought down Buffalo running back Brandon Murie for a 1-yard gain on the Bulls' first offensive play. By game's end Johnson, who came into the game with a total of 23 tackles in four games, finished with 14 tackles in a 24-17 victory.

Coming off a disappointing loss to Western Michigan and being one of the four UConn captains, Johnson knew he needed to set the tone for the Huskies.

"I want to make all the plays I can," Johnson said. "All of our calls we have different guys doing different things. I just want to do all I can to help the team. Some games I’ll be more active than others. As long as I am helping us win I am fine with that."

Johnson isn't the most vocal player on the UConn team. His fellow senior linebacker Sio Moore is the one who gets the Huskies fired up just before they take the field but Johnson provides leadership in other ways.

"Jory is one of the guys, he may not talk as much but he is going to give you everything he’s got," Moore said. "I love to see him flying around. That is what he does, he goes out there and makes plays. I have never known anybody get to the ball or be around the ball as much as Jory so he is always a good guy to play with."

SPECIAL DAY FOR WARDE MANUEL
Shortly before kickoff UConn AD Warde Manuel had a chance to catch up with some familiar faces.

Manuel spent 6 1/2 years as the athletic director at Buffalo before he accepted the job at UConn in February. So shortly before kickoff I asked Manuel to reflect on his time at Buffalo.

"It was great," Manuel said. "Much like here there was a lot of great people, a lot of great student-athletes. It was my first opportunity to be an AD and I will always fondly remember my experience at Buffalo. I got a chance to see some of the guys before the game. It was good to see them but once the ball is kicked off it is a Husky Day in my mind."


RUTGERS MOVES UP IN AP POLL
Rutgers, which will host UConn Saturday at noon, moved up one stop to No. 22 in the latest Associated Press poll.

Louisville checks in at No. 19 while Cincinnati is the next team to receive votes or No. 26 in terms of number of points.

One of the developments that flew a little under the radar in the last week and a half is Shamar Stephen working his way back into a starting spot at defensive tackle for the first time since injuring his knee early in fall camp.

Stephen got in for a few plays in the Sep. 15 win at Maryland and then saw a more expanded role in Saturday’s loss to Western Michigan. Stephen is back listed as a starter at defensive tackle and will make his 2012 home debut when the Huskies play Buffalo on Saturday.

“Watching people play and working all season to play and not playing was kind of hard but you just have to motivate and help the younger guys and just be a factor (as a leader).”

Stephen’s return allowed UConn to move reserve defensive tackle Angelo Pruitt out to defensive end to replace Jesse Joseph, who suffered a season-ending Achilles’ tendon injury against Maryland.

Stephen is nearly back to 100 percent and looking to provide a strong presence in the middle of UConn’s defensive line for the remainder of the season.

“It was kind of exciting when I first got in especially against Maryland,” Stephen said. “It was pretty fun. I was excited to come back and play. I am having fun doing it and just creating a vibe where everybody is coming in and playing together as a defensive line.”

SMITH, PASQUALONI WEIGH IN ON CONTROVERSIAL NFL ENDING
Like so many others around the nation, UConn players looked on in disbelief at the way the Monday Night Football game between the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers came to an end.

Green Bay safety M.D. Jennings appeared to intercept Russell Wilson’s desperation heave into the end zone but as Jennings was falling to the turf, Seattle receiver Golden Tate got his hands around the ball. After some indecision the ruling on the field was a Seattle touchdown. The call was upheld after a video review leading to even more calls for the NFL to agree to terms with the locked out officials and stop having replacement officials call NFL games.

“I thought it was a clear interception even though I am an offensive player I would want that ball like Golden Tate did,” UConn senior receiver Michael Smith said. “I thought it was an interception but I am no referee or anything like that but just from the naked eye I thought it was an interception

“After losing any game you are already heartbroken because nobody plays to lose but going home with a loss on a Hail Mary, I have actually had that feeling like when we lost to Rutgers a few years ago. I've had that feeling and it is a pretty bad feeling.”

UConn coach Paul Pasqualoni, who spent the previous six years as an NFL assistant coach before taking the job with the Huskies, chose his words carefully when the subject came up during his weekly Tuesday press conference.

“All I will say about the officials is I promise you it is a very fast game and they have to officiate the game in real time,” Pasqualoni said. “They have one heck of a hard job. My heart goes out to the replacement officials. They have not experienced that level of football which things happen right away, how competitive and how tough these guys are not backing down from anything I can understand if there are some missed calls and a few messes out there, I can understand how it happens.

“The powers that be have a very good reason (for locking out the officials). I am sure in their minds, to do what they are doing. It is a business and I am sure the business side of it is a big factor. I hope they get it resolved.”

NO FISH TALE
Buffalo head coach Jeff Quinn spent several minutes on the phone with members of the Connecticut media. While he did not give an update on the Bulls’ injured running back Branden Oliver other than to say that he continues to be day to day after suffering a leg injury in Wednesday's loss to Kent State, he did have an entertaining story of a memorable fishing trip he took with UConn athletic director Warde Manuel when he held the same position at Buffalo.

“I outfished him,” Quinn said with a laugh. “It was a best fishing day I ever had, one of the best. We were out there, we were chatting and talking and talking and next thing he caught one, he caught two and before you know it he was (up) five fish to zero. There was no conversation - trust me. I went to work. We finished and I think I had one more fish than he did at the end of day.

“It was the funniest thing. We were having a great conversation for about an hour and the next thing you know (Manuel said) ‘I had five fish to your none and you didn't say a word.’ For the next hour we didn't say a word to each other and I just went to work, that is how competitive the two of us are. He is one of the finest in the business and you guys are fortunate to have him along with Doug Gnodtke (UConn’s associate director of athletics). He is a great family man, a great leader and I certainly couldn't be more appreciative of him that he gave me a chance to be the head football coach at the University of Buffalo.”