Edsall wrong to hire son

“This was a real nice clambake; “And we all had a real good time.”

Oops, sorry. I’ve been humming that tune from the Broadway play and movie (Carrousel) ever since returning, with daughter Sheila, from Oklahoma City on Tuesday night. Visited two sons, their charming spouses, four grandchildren, two great-grandchildren and assorted guests and girlfriends. You couldn’t find a clam at Sunday’s farewell “clambake” which was really a fabulous chicken/brots/ hot dog festival at which Joseph, 2, and Chloe, 6 month were the stars. I’ll tell you about them some day when you’re tired and need a nap. No, I can’t shut up about them. Nor do I want to.

I’m one who avoids the news-

papers and news channels when vacationing but I enjoy reviewing them when I return, picking and choosing the stories I want to read at my leisure. Following is one headline that jumped out at me.“Board Calls Edsall Hire of His Son a Violation”, July 21, Hartford Courant.

Mike Anthony’s Page One story described the Citizens Ethics Advisory Board’s view of the hiring of Corey Edsall as a UConn assistant coach by his father, Randy. I cringed.

To me, few things hurt a school or university sports program more than nepotism or even the appearance of nepotism. Especially when, as in the Corey/Randy case, it carries a price tag of $95,000, which Corey will be paid for serving one year coaching the Huskies’ tight ends.

Like many UConn football fans, I cheered when Randy got a second chance at the state’s big university. Right up until the day he abruptly jumped to apparently greener fields in Maryland, he had been everything that Lew Perkins (UConn AD at the time) had hoped for when he hired Edsall.

Maryland fields weren’t greener and Randy failed, big time. Realizing their mistake, the Terps fired him. Embarrassed, the coach sort of faded from sight, landing an obscure position with the Detroit Lions.

In the interim, UConn tried a couple of replacements, Paul Pasqualoni and Bob Diaco, both inadequate and unsuited to the job. (T.J. Weist coached a few games as interim boss, strictly a fill-in).

Someone at the university rediscovered Edsall and he returned, saying, “I’m sorry for the way left in 2011.” Connecticut replied, “We accept your apology. Now, get us back on the right track, as you did from 1999 to 2011 ... and here’s a whole lot of money to show you believe in you ... again.”

When I started following UConn football in 1960, Bob Ingalls was head coach. John Toner followed him in 1966 and later served as one of the most able and important athletic directors the school ever had. Then came head men named Casciola, Naviaux, Nadzak, Jackson, Holtz and, in ’99, Edsall.

Randy, BM (Before Maryland) became the longestserving of all in UConn coaching history, won more games than any other and guided the program from Division 1AA to 1A. He was the man for the job and compiled a terrific record.

And now this nepotism thing! Dang it, Randy, why did you have to do that?

Don’t you see how grabby and greedy it looks to ordinary, hard-working men and women who support you and who welcomed you back. When you accepted university terms and returned as head coach, you publicly and tearfully admitted you were wrong to leave in the way you did in 2011.

So, I’m thinking the best thing you could do right now is to admit you are wrong about this, too.

Ask Corey to resign and then get yourself a new tight ends coach.