For a timeline of key moments in UConn sports over the past decade, see
Jan. 1, 2011
UConn loses to Oklahoma, 48-20, in the Fiesta Bowl. As Big East champion UConn earned a spot in a Bowl Championship Series game in just its ninth season as Division I-A program. But the program sells a fraction of its 17,000 allocated tickets and ultimately loses more than $1.6 million on the event.
Feb. 29, 2016
UConn hires Auburn chief operating officer David Benedict as the new AD, a surprise hire to observers throughout the country. Benedict, who ran Auburn’s day to day operation of an athletic program with a $120 million budget, comes to UConn with the reputation for fundraising — an important trait given UConn’s rapidly declining revenue stream.
Jan. 2, 2011
Head coach Randy Edsall, who guided UConn from Division I-AA to I-A, does not fly from Arizona to Connecticut with the team, instead traveling to Maryland following the Fiesta Bowl. Twelve hours after the game, he becomes coach of Maryland and UConn — coming off an 8-5 season — is without a coach.
Oct. 17, 2016
After months of considering expansion, the Big 12 conference decides to pass on adding new members. An invitation would have been crucial for UConn’s financial health — the Big 12’s media rights contract distributed more than $30 million a year to each member, while the AAC’s media deal generated $18 million a year for the entire conference.
Jan. 13, 2011
UConn hires Cheshire native and former Syracuse coach Paul Pasqualoni to replace Edsall. Pasqualoni, 61, began his head coaching career at Western Connecticut and spent 14 years at Syracuse before he was fired in 2004 after leading the program to nine bowl games. He is viewed as a safe pick endorsed by state high school coaches.
Aug. 19, 2011
Athletic director Jeff Hathaway is out, seven months after hiring Pasqualoni and drawing ire of Greenwich donor Robert Burton, who championed state native Steve Addazio for the job and initially asked for his donated money back before rescinding the request. The AD move follows a school-wide evaluation by new President Susan Herbst.
Dec. 26, 2016
Diaco is fired after losing 26 of 37 games over three seasons. UConn distributed an average of 26,796 tickets during Diaco’s final season as the on-field product plummeted. UConn would pay Diaco a $3.4 million buyout on Jan. 2, 2017. In 2017, the athletic program operated at a $42.2 million deficit.
Sept. 18, 2011
Just weeks into Pasqualoni’s tenure, the program is jolted by conference realignment. Syracuse and Pittsburgh are leaving the Big East for the Atlantic Coast Conference, departing for the long-term financial stability of a league with a lucrative media rights deal. UConn’s ACC candidacy is opposed by Boston College, and Pittsburgh instead joins Syracuse.
Dec. 28, 2016
Edsall, fired by Maryland in 2015, agrees to a five-year contract with a base salary of about $1 million per year as Diaco’s replacement. Edsall did not officially sign until 2019 amid a state nepotism probe into the hiring of his son as an assistant coach. UConn is 24-49 in six years after Edsall left. In three years since his return, the Huskies are 6-30.
Feb. 12, 2012
Former Buffalo athletic director Warde Manuel is hired as AD, agreeing to a fiveyear, $2.25 million contract. Described by Herbst as a “rock star,” Manuel inherits the conference realignment saga as UConn privately pushes for a slot in the ACC. A former Michigan football player, Manuel is committed to bolstering the UConn football program.
March 10, 2018
Men’s basketball coach Kevin Ollie is fired. Ollie won a national title in 2014, but his team was 30-35 over the next four seasons and was the subject of an NCAA recruiting investigation. Ollie’s contract was extended in 2016 and there was $10 million left on the deal, but UConn cited “just cause” for the firing and the sides continue to haggle.
June 29, 2012
UConn announces it will join Hockey East in 2014. The upgrade would come at a cost, with 18 scholarships added for over $1 million per year. The school would also pay for use of Hartford’s XL Center for home games (over $300,000 per season). The program’s expense for 2011 was $614,983. For 2019, it was $3.2 million.
March 22, 2018
Rhode Island coach and New Jersey native Dan Hurley is picked to replace Ollie, agreeing on a six-year, $2.75 million contract. Hurley, who played at Seton Hall and is considered a strong Northeast recruiter, brings energy and swagger to a struggling program. Fans are instantly encouraged as Hurley draws comparisons to a young Jim Calhoun.
Nov. 28, 2012
Another round of conference realignment and UConn is again left out. The ACC poaches Louisville from the Big East after considering UConn. UConn was favored by the ACC’s basketball schools but perceived by the football schools as inferior. Fearing the football schools would leave if the conference did not add a football school, the ACC picks Louisville.
June 27, 2019
UConn announces it will return to the Big East in all sports but hockey and football, beginning July 1, 2020. The move is expected to solidify the school’s basketball program and will cut down on travel for non-revenue sports, but the beleaguered football program will embark on life as an independent beginning in 2020.
July 1, 2013
Goodbye, Big East. Hello, American Athletic Conference. Seven basketball-centric Catholic schools break off to form a new Big East, leaving UConn and remaining schools with football to form The American. The AAC, with schools such as East Carolina, Houston, Memphis, Central Florida, South Florida, Tulane and Tulsa, offers neither regional nor historical rivals for UConn.
Nov. 30, 2019
UConn completes its 2-10 football season with a 49-17 loss at Temple. The program’s budget was $16.6 million and it operated at a $13.3 million loss while drawing just more than 10,000 (with 18,216 tickets distributed per game) at the 40,000-seat Rentschler Field. The program was 3-21 over the past two seasons, operating at a $22 million deficit.
Sept. 30, 2013
Pasqualoni (10-18 at UConn) is fired after losing the first four games of his third season. The Huskies would lose five consecutive games under interim coach T.J. Weist before ending the season with three wins, although interest in the program and attendance waned — UConn distributed just 17,086 for the season-finale against Memphis.
Jan. 17, 2020
Latest NCAA financial report paints another dire picture, with the athletic department operating at a $42.3 million deficit in 2019. The shortfall was covered by institutional support and student fees ($3,428 for 201920). Tuition was $13,798 for in-state students, $36,466 for out-of-state students and will see a 23.3 percent increase over the next five years.
Dec. 12, 2013
Former Notre Dame assistant Bob Diaco is introduced as UConn’s new coach, sparking an initial wave of optimism around the program. The young, enthusiastic Diaco signs a five-year, $8 million contract in a year in which UConn spent close to $19 million of student fees and school funds to subsidize the athletic program.
June 24, 2020
Facing a loss of revenue because of the COVID-19 pandemic, UConn announces it will eliminate four sports (men's cross country, men's swimming and diving, men's tennis, and women's rowing) and cut operating expenses by 15 percent. The school directed athletics to cut its subsidy by 25 percent — about $10 million — over three years.
Jan. 27, 2016
Word leaks that Manuel is returning to his alma mater, Michigan. Manuel, who played football at Michigan, would leave for his new job in February. As he leaves Connecticut, Manuel says Michigan is the one job that would lure him away. With UConn still chasing a Power Five spot, the athletic department needs a new AD.
July 1, 2020
UConn’s move to the Big East is official. One byproduct of the move to football independence is a new revenue stream from scheduling “payout” games. Benedict’s future schedules include Clemson ($1.2 million), Michigan ($1.8 million), Tennessee ($1.8 million) and Ohio State ($1.95 million).