UConn Huskies (2000)

Another UConn post, I know, but I've developed a morbid fascination with this program, along with FBS dead-ender UMass, which just dumped coach Walt Bell and his 2-23 record (putting him a half-game worse than Charley Molnar's 2-22 mark from 2012-13). 

While UMass' jump to college football's highest level has become one of the biggest disasters in New England sports history, UConn's futility might be even more frustrating for its fans. After moving up from FCS/I-AA and the Atlantic 10 (now CAA) in 2000, the Huskies were a .500 team in its third year and a bowl team in its fifth. UConn's amazing rise was capped in 2010 with a share of the Big East title and a trip to the Fiesta Bowl (yes, THAT Fiesta Bowl, not the Junior Fiesta Bowl or anything like that). After losing to Oklahoma, coach Randy Edsall took a plane to Maryland while the rest of the Huskies went to Storrs. After that, well ... as we used to say at my last job, "Wysiwyg" (What You See Is What You Get). 

As fast as UConn rocketed up the standings, the program crashed to the bottom just as quickly, and Edsall's ballyhooed return in 2017 didn't change a thing. These days, UConn is in FBS independent purgatory, and a return to the FCS level isn't out of the question (although, like with UMass, pride and money likely will stand in the way of logic). 

Today, we look at the 2000 Huskies, their first year as a Division I-A/FBS program. UConn was independent its first few years as it transitioned to the big time before joining the Big East in 2004 (a year ahed of schedule; that's how fast UConn improved in the early 'aughties). We'll look at UMass' first FBS season down the road.

UConn 2000: A new hope.

A highly (and I mean highly) irreverent look at the 2000 Huskies can be found here. (TIL: The "SB" in "SBNation" stands for "SportsBlogs," not "Super Bowl" or "San Bernardino" or "Sweaty Bowlers.") This was written back in 2010 (the Fiesta Bowl year), when the program was still high and mighty, so it's kinda funny to read this now.

The team: The Huskies went 3-8, with two wins over MAC teams (Buffalo, Akron) and one over FCS Colgate. Two of their losses were to old Yankee/A10 rivals — Northeastern and Rhode Island.

The players: QB Ryan Tracey, a junior college transfer, threw for 15 TDs against only 5 interceptions. He left the team in 2001 following a knee injury. Running back Taber Small scored 9 TDs and WR John Fitzsimmons had 42 catches for 676 yards and 9 TDs.

The 2001 UConn media guide cover. Of the three images shown,
the stadium hadn't been built and the QB was already gone, leaving only coach Edsall.

The coach: Ah, Randy Edsall. 74-70 in his first stint at UConn, 6-32 after his return. As Mark Whipple proved at UMass, you can't go home again. (Although Buddy Teevens at Dartmouth has disproven that theory to an extent.) In all seriousness, Edsall did an amazing job taking the Huskies from FCS/I-AA anonymity to the Fiesta Bowl in 12 years, which is what makes the rapid decline so hard for Huskymaniacs. 

The uniforms: UConn carried over its unis from 1999, with one important change: The Atlantic 10 patch on the front was replaced by a Big East patch, even though Big East play was years away. The rest of the uniform has your typical '90s trappings (drop-shadow numbers, faded vertical stripes). Reebok was the manufacturer before it was replaced in '02 by mallrat brand Aeropostale (!), followed by Nike a couple years later.

A UConn jersey, c. 2000. Sadly, not mine. 

The aftermath: Covered above. Honestly, ESPN should do a 30-for-30 on this program.