UConn Head Coach Paul Pasqualoni.
When the 2012 Syracuse Orange football schedule comes out circle the Syracuse vs. UConn the game. That's the day Coach Paul Pasqualoni returns to the Carrier Dome for the first time since being shown the Dome's windy revolving door in 2005. He won't be coming back to be honored by the university he served for 13 years as head coach and many more as an assistant. Instead he will be on the other sideline where the blue and white of the University of Connecticut Huskies.
I must admit when I saw the news breaking shortly after 5:30 tonight I was happy for Coach P and his family. I've been looking for him on the sidelines of NFL games in the seven seasons he has been gone. His hair grew a little whiter while he was wearing the teal and orange of the Miami Dolphins and the silver and blue of the Dallas Cowboys.
The Connecticut job brings Pasqualoni back to his home state. It brings his wife Jill back within a few hours drive of her hometown of Syracuse. It puts him back in charge of a program. The high school football coaches of Connecticut gave him a ringing endorsement, so did his former bosses in Syracuse Jake Crouthamel and Kenneth "Buzz" Shaw.
Considering all the wins he had on the hill and all the bowl games - we already know he understands the game. Now that he's had a few tours in the NFL his knowledge and experience is broader than ever. He can tell the recruits he knows the people to get them to the next level. Current Orange coach Doug Marrone has a formidable foe just a four hour drive away.
We wish him well, except when he plays Syracuse.
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