Current, former Huskies connect at career fair

STORRS — Walking down the hallway inside of the Burton Football Family Complex, it’s impossible not to be drawn to the photos of the 26 UConn football players taken in the NFL draft since 2005 and the seven other Huskies to play in the league during that time.

There’s not a player who has signed a National Letter of Intent to suit up for the Huskies who doesn’t dream of a career in professional football. While there is no harm in dreaming the dream, neither UConn football coach Randy Edsall nor Andy Baylock, the football program’s Director of Football Alumni and Community Affairs, would sleep well at night if they didn’t prepare their players for a life after football.

The duo combined to organize a career fair back in 2004 with former UConn football players returning to campus to offer advice to current team members. The latest collaboration took place on a glorious Sunday afternoon with educators, police officers, executives and even a Secret Service agent on hand for the 19th career fair Baylock has organized in the last 15 years.

“It is not for hiring, it is just to learn what these guys do,” Baylock said. “They all get that roster (featuring names and job titles of the returning alums) and say, ‘probation officer? What does that take? How do you get there?,” Baylock said. “You get the secret service guy and what does it take to get in there? What did you major in? So it is inquisitive, these guys get a little guidance.”

Baylock is UConn’s former baseball coach and when he first began to work with Edsall’s football program in 2004, he was stunned at how little con-

nection there was with former football players.

“I did it in baseball and Jimmy (Penders, UConn’s current baseball coach) is carrying it on,” Baylock said. “I am a big football guy and I always believe football is so tight, it is a brotherhood and I don’t want it to be (fake), I want it to be real. So now you have the alums that come back and they meet the new guys like (former UConn offensive lineman) Dalton Gifford is here, he just played a couple of years ago, now he is back. Chris Bellamy just played a little while ago so now the older guys get to meet the younger guys but the older guys have contacts.”

Each current and former UConn player wore a name tag to aid in the networking aspect of the event and every returning UConn player made the rounds to stop at every table. Some were simply a quick meet and greet but more often than not, there would be extensive conversations with advice being offered and accepted.

“It’s very valuable,” UConn senior offensive lineman Ryan Crozier said. “I’ve been here for four years. I do it every year and I meet somebody new every time so it is good to have these connections. You can’t have enough contacts and resources when you want to get a job.”

If the current players need any reminders of how effective the program can be, all they needed was to take a trip to the corner of the room where educators Lou Allen and Uyi Osunde were holding court.

Osunde, the principal at Windsor High School, went through a similar event when he was at UConn and the advice he received from Allen, the New London Public Schools Director of Development, still resonates.

“We were just talking about this because 15 years ago we were sitting in this position,” Osunde said. “I know for me specifically, I am sitting here today because of the gentleman sitting at the next booth. He was a person who I had a conversation with years ago. He talked me into considering to be a school leader so right now I am doing this work because of people like him and hoping that our presence here today can have a similar impact to the kids wearing UConn jerseys these days.”

Allen doesn’t just chat with the members of the current team, but he has them put their five-year plan in writing which is something that could be even more valuable for the younger players who are still deciding on a major and a career path.

“Get a focus, a purpose in life and a plan,” Allen said. “I just try to give them a hand on how to get from point A to point B. I remember sitting in my office saying Uyi, ‘you don’t have to stay where you are, you should be doing what I am doing because you have the skill set.’

“(Have) a five-year plan, map it out, you have to because it goes too quick, life and things catch up to you and you say I wish I did it that way.”

Associated Press file photo Randy Edsall and UConn held a career fair on Sunday for current players.