The Colossal Mistake That is Paul Pasqualoni

It was hard to know how big a decision it was at the time. In January of 2011, UConn’s football program was being simultaneously lauded for their impressive rise to relevance and mocked for their performance in the program’s biggest game — a Fiesta Bowl drubbing at the hands of Oklahoma. When head coach Randy Edsall announced after the game his intention to flee UConn for Maryland, it was shocking, but not wholly upsetting.

Edsall had shepherded the program through an impressive building period — no small feat, especially in hindsight — but also seemed unlikely to lead UConn to the next step as perennial contenders on the national stage. His hasty departure drew ire more for his method of saying goodbye, than his actual exit.

Then-Athletic Director Jeff Hathaway was tasked with finding Edsall’s replacement.

If you have a time machine, this is where you should set the dial.

Hathaway, as you may remember, was no stranger to mismanagement. He was a notoriously poor fundraiser. It was whispered that Edsall’s dislike of Hathaway may have accelerated his exit. Basketball coach Jim Calhoun was also rumored to be anti-Hathaway.

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This was the man charged with hiring a football coach.

The choice was former UMass coach Mark Whipple. At least, that’s what we all thought at the time. Whipple was far from relevant. Had no particular national reputation. Did not inspire much excitement or confidence. He was going to be the man tasked with leading UConn towards the ultimate goal of a National Championship.

Surprise!

In a move that was shocking at the time, Whipple was bypassed for former Syracuse coach Paul Pasqualoni. Was it curious that you’d hire the failed coach of a rival school that you were currently better than? More than a little. Pasqualoni was sold as a calming influence. A solid recruiter who had pulled some of Connecticut’s best athletes away from their home state to the frozen wasteland of Syracuse.

Pasqualoni was far from relevant. Had a lackluster national reputation after a string of NFL assistant coaching gigs. Did not inspire much excitement or confidence. He was going to be the man tasked with leading UConn towards the ultimate goal of a National Championship.

The fan base didn’t buy it. The football program’s chief donor, Robert  Burton, was so upset by the hiring (and his input being ignored) that he threatened to pull future support for UConn athletics, including a demand the university return his $3M donation towards the new football practice facility that still bears his name today.

Jeff Hathaway “retired.”

Think about that for a moment. Paul Pasqualoni’s arrival at UConn cost an Athletic Director his job, and almost sabotaged the relationship between the university and a powerful doner. All before he coached a game.

This was before anyone fully grasped the looming storm of conference realignment. Four months after Pasqualoni’s hiring, the Big East — in an epic bout of idiocy — turned down a $1.4 billion television deal with ESPN. Five months later, Pitt and Syracuse would leave for the ACC.

As UConn took to the field for the 2011 season, the dominos were starting to fall around the collegiate landscape and every move was predicated on the success (and money) of college football.

One year after reaching the pinnacle of the program, a Big East title and a bowl appearance, Pasqualoni’s Huskies limped into the offseason with a 5-7 record. For UConn, 12 years of hard-fought success had been washed away in 12 games.

It seemed apparent that Pasqualoni was the wrong man for the job. This is where UConn should have cut ties, while they still had the financial backing of the Big East conference to offset the financial burden of shedding a coach only one season into his contract.

One bad season is forgivable, so long as you learn from your mistakes. Instead, Pasqualoni returned for the 2012 season.

UConn had missed its last chance to convince the powers of conference realignment that they were viable, committed to the future of college football. The unspoken message: we are ok with a 5-7 team. We are ok with patches of empty seats in our stadium. We are ok with the fans disapproving of our coach, our playing style, our regression to mediocrity. Everything is fine.

The Big Ten invited Rutgers to join their league. The ACC chose Louisville.

At the time, the rationale given for choosing Louisville over UConn was that the former’s football program was trending up, while UConn’s was stagnant. It was ironic that the decision came about immediately after UConn pulled a fairly significant upset of the Cardinals — beating them  in a triple overtime slugfest on their home field — four days prior to the ACC’s announcement. Still, looking back at the choice, it is hard to argue they were wrong.

The 2012 season ended. UConn again went 5-7.

As we enter the third year of Paul Pasqualoni’s deal, it is amazing how far UConn has fallen. The fans’ pleas for his removal have fallen on deaf ears, as UConn’s new leadership regime of Athletic Director Warde Manuel and University President Susan Herbst have either decided that a shakeup will only enforce an image of instability for future conference suitors, or that a hopeless situation is hopeless regardless and they would rather not pay two coaches (if fired, UConn would still owe Pasqualoni every cent of his contract).

Yet, as UConn continued their recent history of disappointment with a humiliating defeat to I-AA Towson in their home opener last evening, the calls for Pasqualoni’s removal have grown louder than ever.

Something must be done.

UConn squandered their opportunity to become an elite multi-sport school with Pasqualoni’s hiring. With every day he continues to be employed, they are risking the future of their football fan base — a hold that is already tenuous at best.

Check out this picture of the student section from the 4th quarter of last night’s game.

The UConn student section, ladies and gentlemen. pic.twitter.com/WPlacgyxtg

— Tim Fontenault (@Tim_Fontenault) August 30, 2013

That image should terrify the UConn administration. If the students won’t sit through your games, you have to ask yourself, who is this product intended for?

The hiring of Paul Pasqualoni and the ensuing on-field failures may have irrevocably damaged UConn. They had one chance to inspire a fan base. They needed a Jim Calhoun, a Geno Auriemma, a Kevin Ollie, a Jim Penders. They needed a leader that they could point to and say, “This is the future. We are not done building. We have much to accomplish and this is the person who is going to lead us to the goal. We will not be satisfied until we reach it together.”

It was the most important decision of the last 25 years. And they blew it.

UConn needs to atone. Paul Pasqualoni can not coach another game.

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For insight into the minds of the fans, check out this search for the #FirePasqualoni hashtag on twitter.