OT: Early fandom

[Jaydumo20]

My Dad swears that there were 3 B's in 69-70. They were all big men who were just used to collect fouls: Bell, Budzinski and 1 more guy.

Also talks a bunch about 2 ex FB players, Vinnie Clements and Mike Zitto??? Anyone corroborate these athletes?

 

[Jaydumo20]

@uconnfan68 I meant to tag you in my above post. You seem to have gone there the same time as my dad. He was in a frat and played frosh baseball.
Do you remember any of the above players I mentioned?

 

[huskymedic]

Also talks a bunch about 2 ex FB players, Vinnie Clements and Mike Zitto??? Anyone corroborate these athletes?

Vinnie Clements was a speedy two way RB/DB/KR/PR from Southington, drafted out of UConn by the Giants and was involved in the trade w/ Fran Tarkenton to the Vikings.

Mike Zito was a RB from ?East Haven?

 

[Waquoit]

Vinnie Clements was a RB from Southington, drafted out of UConn by the Giants and was involved in the trade w/ Fran Tarkenton to the Vikings.

Vinnie had a 100 yard game for the G-men.

 

[Jaydumo20]

Vinnie Clements was a speedy two way RB/DB/KR/PR from Southington, drafted out of UConn by the Giants and was involved in the trade w/ Fran Tarkenton to the Vikings.

Mike Zito was a RB from ?East Haven?

I think he may have been a linebacker. Not sure. Hard hitter supposedly.

 

[huskymedic]

Vinnie Clements was a speedy two way RB/DB/KR/PR from Southington, drafted out of UConn by the Giants and was involved in the trade w/ Fran Tarkenton to the Vikings.

Mike Zito was a RB from ?East Haven?

I think he may have been a linebacker. Not sure. Hard hitter supposedly.

A lot of kids were two-way players @ times but Zito was All Conference RB:

 

[uconnfan68]

@uconnfan68 I meant to tag you in my above post. You seem to have gone there the same time as my dad. He was in a frat and played frosh baseball.
Do you remember any of the above players I mentioned?

I met most of them. Had a lot of friends on the freshman team.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

My Dad swears that there were 3 B's in 69-70. They were all big men who were just used to collect fouls: Bell, Budzinski and 1 more guy.

Also talks a bunch about 2 ex FB players, Vinnie Clements and Mike Zitto??? Anyone corroborate these athletes?

Biladeau

 

[uconnfan68]

@uconnfan68 I meant to tag you in my above post. You seem to have gone there the same time as my dad. He was in a frat and played frosh baseball.
Do you remember any of the above players I mentioned?

When did your dad go there? We had a baseball player on our house team. Also had 2 golfers, 1 of which probably could have played varsity basketball. Both ended up PGA pros.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

Grew up in SECT. Use to do my homework at the kitchen table. We had a small portable tv on top of one those cheap narrow portable stands. Got Channel 8 and 3 in CT and 10, 12 and 6 in RI. Had channel 10 WJAR in Providence on a lot while doing my homework with Chris Clark doing the Friar's home and away games. Ernie D earlier years. Channel 3 rarely had UConn games on. Think they still had the green rubber floor on the court. Got up to UConn and studied in the north reading room of Wilbur Cross. Sat next to Cal Chapman a lot and he got me going to games at the fieldhouse. Still remember those teams of the 70's with fondness though not as accomplished as of the post Perno years. Later, use to watch the ECAC game of the week with Bucky Waters and listened to Marty Glickman doing UConn basketball and football.

 

[Jaydumo20]

When did your dad go there? We had a baseball player on our house team. Also had 2 golfers, 1 of which probably could have played varsity basketball. Both ended up PGA pros.

He went 68-72

 

[uconnfan68]

He went 68-72

I started in 68, won the draft lottery. Left at end of 3rd semester. I knew a couple guys from almost every team, but more hoops guys than the other teams. Freshman only teams made it a little different than today’s game.

 

[Jaydumo20]

I started in 68, won the draft lottery. Left at end of 3rd semester. I knew a couple guys from almost every team, but more hoops guys than the other teams. Freshman only teams made it a little different than today’s game.

If I read this correctly, Thank you for your service.

 

[dumo68]

When did your dad go there? We had a baseball player on our house team. Also had 2 golfers, 1 of which probably could have played varsity basketball. Both ended up PGA pros.

Hey this is Jays dad . The baseball players I knew best and hung around sometimes with were Dom Carlucci, Ray Brickley and Jim Jachym.

 

[uconnfan68]

Hey this is Jays dad . The baseball players I knew best and hung around sometimes with were Dom Carlucci, Ray Brickley and Jim Jachym.

Was friends with Jim. He played on the freshman basketball team too. Only a few guys continued sports after freshman year. I think Jim continued with baseball though.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

L


The memory of that d**k on the sideline for northeastern throwing his sport coat because of a call he didn’t like. I mean we now know now that he was making sure he didn’t get a home cooking job but then we didn’t like it. The momentum did shift but that didn’t mean a few months later I liked him as the new coach.

Imagine if they ever selected Mitch Bonaguoro or Nick Macarchuck?

I knew a guy who was heavily into sports as a student at Northeastern worked in the Athletic department and knew JC. He was a great basketball guy .
The night Calhoun got the job he stopped over at my house and with real sadness he told me I hope you guys appreciate what a great coach you just hired . To be honest I just hoped he could make us competitive in the monster the Big East had become. . I suspected he realized NE ‘s run as that mid major you didn’t want to see was over .

 

[dumo68]

Was friends with Jim. He played on the freshman basketball team too. Only a few guys continued sports after freshman year. I think Jim continued with baseball though.

Jim was in my fraternity he got drafted as a pitcher for the Cardinals .Flew out there ...they found a heart murmur and sent him home with his bonus

 

[willie99]

My first strong memory of UConn basketball was listening to the NIT championship game on the radio. My parents weren’t sports fans but something about that NIT run caught my attention as an 11 year old boy and I put the game on the radio in my room and listened by myself and remember being so excited that they pulled it off. I don’t think I even watched one of their games on TV until the following season.

I was on the MSG court that night, after the game was played

 

[mauconnfan]

I was on the MSG court that night, after the game was played

I was at MSG for the semis and absolute lock up of Barros by Lyman in the 2nd half. Had something at work that didn’t allow me to be at MSG for the title but we had a huge crew watching it at a bar in Meriden. What a night, what a memory but little did we know only the beginning.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

My Dad swears that there were 3 B's in 69-70. They were all big men who were just used to collect fouls: Bell, Budzinski and 1 more guy.

Also talks a bunch about 2 ex FB players, Vinnie Clements and Mike Zitto??? Anyone corroborate these athletes?

 

[AZHuskiePop]

Clements was a tough kid , great athlete .
Zito was a quick RB I believe a transfer from U Bridgeport when they dropped football
I think they were on the Team that beat Yale for the first time The Bulldogs had never lost to an in state team

 

[Waquoit]

The first Christmas present I ever got that plugged in was a clock radio. So when we got home from grandma's a few days later what was on WTIC? Basketball, of course. It was the Hartford Caps of the EBA. I remember hating Scranton back then. A few days later it was the UConn Huskies and I've been a fan ever since.

 

[Jaydumo20]

Clements was a tough kid , great athlete .
Zito was a quick RB I believe a transfer from U Bridgeport when they dropped football
I think they were on the Team that beat Yale for the first time The Bulldogs had never lost to an in state team

Great info

 

[Petero]

I started listening to the Huskies in 1959 with my Dad on the radio. It was either WATR (Waterbury) or WTIC. Been loyal ever since. Graduated in 71. I used to listen to them on WTIC in Hamilton Ont in a rental car on the escarpment above Lake Ontario when traveling on business. We moved to Syracuse area in 89 and proudly raised 3 loyal UConn sons along with my lovely wife (UConn 74). We follow both the men and women religiously and thoroughly enjoyed their success.