UConn Huskies

Institution	University of Connecticut
University of Connecticut File:UConn logo.jpg
Colors	National Flag Blue and White
Mascot	Husky
Fight Song	"UConn Husky"
Athletic Director	Jeff Hathaway
Football Stadium	Rentschler Field
Basketball Arenas	Gampel Pavilion & Hartford Civic Center
Soccer Field	Morrone Stadium
Hockey Arena	Mark Edward Freitas Ice Forum

The Connecticut Huskies, also known as the UConn Huskies, are the athletic teams of the University of Connecticut. The school is a member of National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and the Big East Conference for all sports except Men's Ice Hockey (Atlantic Hockey) and Women's Ice Hockey (Hockey East). The major sports at the university are football (played at Rentschler Field) and men's and women's basketball (played on-campus at Gampel Pavilion and off-campus at the Hartford Civic Center), although many of the other sports have large followings and a tradition of success.

Baseball

Playing Facility: J.O. Christian Field

Head Coach: Jim Penders

Most Victories: 39 in 2006

NCAA Tournament Appearances: 15

College World Series Appearances: 5 1957, 1959, 1965, 1972, 1979

Last NCAA Appearance: 1994

Big East Tournament Championships: 2 1990 & 1994

All-Americans: 14

Olympians: 2

Players Drafted Or Signed: 119

Notable players

Men's Basketball

Playing Facilities: Harry A. Gampel Pavilion & Hartford Civic Center

Head Coach: Jim Calhoun

Most Victories: 34 in 1999

NCAA Tournament Appearances: 27

Last NCAA Appearance: 2006

National Championships: 2 1999 & 2004

Final Fours: 2 1999 & 2004

Big East Regular Season Championships: 10 1990, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006

Big East Tournament Championships: 6 1990, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2004

NIT Appearances: 11

NIT Championships: 1 1988

All-Americans: 13

Drafted Players: 33

Players Currently In The NBA: 14

Basketball Hall Of Famers: 1

History and Coaches

UConn Men's Basketball was once just a reigonal power, winning 18 Yankee Conference championships, struggled in the early days of the Big East, behind traditional powers Georgetown and Syracuse. Jim Calhoun was hired prior to the 1986-87 season, and the Huskies had a losing record. But in 1988, the team showed significant improvement, and made the NIT. UConn went on a run in the tournament, and defeated Ohio State at Madison Square Garden to win the NIT, the school's first national basketball title.

The 1990 "Dream Season" would bring UConn basketball to the national stage. Led by Chris Smith and Tate George, UConn went from unranked in the preseason to winning the Big East Regular Season and Tournament Championships, both for the first time. 1990 also marked the opening of Gampel Pavilion, the program's new on-campus home. The Huskies garnered a #2 seed in the East Reigon, but trailed Clemson 70-69 with 1 second remaining in the Sweet 16. Scott Burrell's full-court pass found Tate George on the far baseline. George spun, fired, and hit a buzzer-beater that is known in Connecticut simply as "The Shot". They would be eliminated on a buzzer-beater 2 days later by Duke, losing in overtime 79-78.

UConn rose as a national program throughout the 1990s, but the Final Four still eluded Calhoun and the program until 1999. A win over Gonzaga sent UConn to Tropicana Field in Tampa Bay for the Final Four. They defeated Ohio State to face off against Duke in the final, where they were 9-point underdogs, despite having been ranked #1 for half of the year. The game was tight throuhout, and when the final buzzer sounded, UConn had defeated Duke 77-74.

The 1999 National Championship would not be the last. In 2004, the Huskies returned to the Final Four. Once again, they faced Duke, this time in the National Semifinal, and used a late run to beat the Blue Devils 79-78. Two nights later, led by Ben Gordon and Emeka Okafor, UConn beat Georgia Tech 82-73 to win the championship.

Notable players

Notable Games

February 27, 1954 - Worthy Patterson's buzzer-beater at Holy Cross gave UConn an upset of the then-powerhouse Crusaders, 78-77.
March 14, 1964 - UConn upsets Princeton and star forward Bill Bradley 52-50 in the Sweet 16 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The victory was sealed when Dom Perno stole the ball from Bradley with 19 seconds to play. Perno would later become UConn's coach.
February 28, 1970 - With 4 players unavailable, and a share of the Yankee Conference Regular-Season Championship on the line, UConn beats Rhode Island 35-32 at the UConn Field House, in what became known as "The Slowdown Game". Played before the shot clock-era, UConn dribbles endlessly for 38 minutes to make up for the limited roster and save energy.
March 30, 1988 - UConn defeats Ohio State 72-67 at Madison Square Garden to win the NIT.
January 27, 1990 - UConn beats #15 St. John's 72-58 in the first game at Gampel Pavilion.
March 11, 1990 - UConn beats Syracuse 78-75 at Madison Square Garden to win it's first Big East Tournament Championship.
March 22, 1990 - Tate George hits "The Shot" to beat Clemson 71-70 in the 1990 Sweet 16 at Brendan Byrne Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
March 29, 1999 - UConn wins it's first National Championship, beating Duke 77-74 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersberg, Florida.
April 5, 2004 - UConn wins it's second National Championship, beating Georgia Tech 82-73.

Women's Basketball

Playing Facility: Gampel Pavilion & Hartford Civic Center

Head Coach: Geno Auriemma

Most Victories: 39 in 2002

NCAA Tournament Appearances: 18

Last NCAA Tournament Appearance: 2006

National Championships: 5 1995, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004

Final Fours: 8 1990, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004

Big East Regular Season Championships: 14 1989, 1990, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003

Big East Tournament Championships: 13 1989, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006

All-Americans: 10 (18 appearances)

National Players Of The Year: 6

Drafted Players: 17

Players In The WNBA: 10

Basketball Hall Of Famers: 1

Notable Players

Men's Cross Country/Track and Field

Head Coach: Greg Roy

Big East Indoor Track and Field Championships: 5 1987, 1990, 2002, 2004, 2006

Big East Outdoor Track and Field Championships: 2 1982, 2002

Big East Relay Championships: 2

All-Americans: 32

Women's Cross Country/Track and Field

Head Coach: Bill Morgan

Olympians: 1 (In Women's Bobsled)

Big East Outdoor Track and Field Championships: 1 1995

NCAA All-Americans: 9

Field Hockey

Playing Facility: George J. Sherman Sports Complex

Head Coach: Nancy Stevens

Most Victories: 23 in 1999

NCAA Tournament Appearances: 17

National Championships: 2 1981 & 1985

Final Fours: 7 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1998, 1999

Big East Regular Season Championships: 9 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005

Big East Tournament Championships: 8 1992, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005

All-Americans: 46

Olympians: 2

Football

Playing Facility: Rentschler Field

Head Coach: Randy Edsall

Most Victories: 11 in 1988, 1993, and 2005

Bowl Game Appearances: 1

Last Bowl Game Appearance: 2004 Motor City Bowl

All-Americans: 9

Drafted Players: 150

Players Currently In The NFL: 3

All-Time NFL Players: 132

History and Coaches

In the late 1990s, UConn decided to go from I-AA, where it had sporatic success, including making the 1998 I-AA playoffs, to I-A. UConn played as a I-A Independant from 1999 to 2003. During this time, the Huskies went from 2-9 to 9-3, and moved from Memorial Stadium to Rentschler Field.

In 2004, the Huskies were admitted as full football members of the Big East, and went 3-3 in conference play, en route to a 7-4 regular-season record. The school made it's first-ever appearance in a bowl game, winning the 2004 Motor City Bowl over Toledo by a score of 39-10.