RIP Coach Naviaux

[HardFacts]

Former UConn Football Coach Larry Naviaux passed away at age 84.
RIP Coach

Obituary information for Larry L. Naviaux

View Larry L. Naviaux's obituary, contribute to their memorial, see their funeral service details, and more.

www.ahernfuneralhome.com

 

[LoyalFanCT]

Hope some people who knew him or knew about him would share some recollections.

 

[huskymedic]

Alternate access link here <<

 

[Pudge]

Z I am getting old. Naviaux and Nadzak always confuse me. What would we say now if ... we hired a HC from Juniata College.

 

[Palatine]

I interviewed Naviaux for WHUS back in the day. Very forthcoming and positive guy. His first season was was a jolt forward for the program. Very good team. RIP.

 

[uconnric]

Guy s that I know who played for him said he was well liked. Good guy.

 

[HardFacts]

Hope some people who knew him or knew about him would share some recollections.

I first met Larry when he was recruited my brother to BU back in 1965. He was an Assistant coach at the time and made an impression on me. In 1971, he tried to recruit me to BU and it was hard to tell him I had no interest. In 1973 he came to UConn as our youngest head coach and shortly after I transferred to UConn
from PITT. 1973 was a great year! Larry had a great staff and they got the most out of the players. His next three years were difficult which personally I attribute to turn over in his coaching staff. He was always positive and a straight shooter. I reconnected with Larry when I was looking to make a career change a few years later and he helped me make that transition. He was a coach, a mentor and a friend. May he Rest In Peace.

 

[2Infinity]

Nice write-up HF! Thanks for sharing the experiences.

 

[Hoophound]

What was the Yale upset in 1973 about? Was Yale still a powerhouse in 1973. (For sake of discussion, not looking it up)

 

[oldanintheway]

What was the Yale upset in 1973 about? Was Yale still a powerhouse in 1973. (For sake of discussion, not looking it up)

Hard Facts up above, (Hey P), was on that team as was I. Hard facts was a hard nose DT and I returned kicks and on the wing on "O". Game down in New Haven of course. UConn had lost 16 straight to Yale until 1965 when UConn won 13-6. In '73 as Hard Facts noted Coach Naviaux came from BU, where he coached Bruce Taylor an All-Pro Safety and Punt returner for the 49ers.
Coach Nav was well liked, easy to talk to. Played for Nebraska. In '73 he installed the "Delaware Wing T", running Offense, lots of motion and misdirection, with 2 Freshmen QB's it worked out more then well. Eric Torkelson, the New England College Player of the Year in 1973, carried the running load. (Eric played for Green Bay for 7 years and now sits on the BOD, good man.)
So..., with UConn scoring only a total of 7 points in the previous 3 years against Yale, who was the pre season pick to win the IVY, more of the same was expected and only 16,500 came into the Yale Bowl that day (nearly 38,000 the next year). Tork ran roughshod for 172 yards behind a solid offensive line, and UConn scored 27 that day while a quick aggressive UConn D held Yale to 13. (Yale finished 2nd in the IVY that year and beat Harvard 35-0.) (Heavy Parties that night on campus.)
Up until that time, Coach Naviaux in his 1st year at UConn, coached the "Best Team in UConn History" in 1973, 8-2-1.
R.I.P. Coach, Thanks.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

What was the Yale upset in 1973 about? Was Yale still a powerhouse in 1973. (For sake of discussion, not looking it up)

They were pretty good until the the 1AA fully took effect with the much higher scholarship limits. 1AA started in 1978, by 1981 Yale and I think all of the Ivies saw a decline. We only had 12 scholarships in the early 70s.

 

[Waquoit]

What was the Yale upset in 1973 about? Was Yale still a powerhouse in 1973. (For sake of discussion, not looking it up)

I do know that the 1968 Yale team had a sheet in the SI CFB game and 1973 wasn't so long after.

 

[HardFacts]

Hard Facts up above, (Hey P), was on that team as was I. Hard facts was a hard nose DT and I returned kicks and on the wing on "O". Game down in New Haven of course. UConn had lost 16 straight to Yale until 1965 when UConn won 13-6. In '73 as Hard Facts noted Coach Naviaux came from BU, where he coached Bruce Taylor an All-Pro Safety and Punt returner for the 49ers.
Coach Nav was well liked, easy to talk to. Played for Nebraska. In '73 he installed the "Delaware Wing T", running Offense, lots of motion and misdirection, with 2 Freshmen QB's it worked out more then well. Eric Torkelson, the New England College Player of the Year in 1973, carried the running load. (Eric played for Green Bay for 7 years and now sits on the BOD, good man.)
So..., with UConn scoring only a total of 7 points in the previous 3 years against Yale, who was the pre season pick to win the IVY, more of the same was expected and only 16,500 came into the Yale Bowl that day (nearly 38,000 the next year). Tork ran roughshod for 172 yards behind a solid offensive line, and UConn scored 27 that day while a quick aggressive UConn D held Yale to 13. (Yale finished 2nd in the IVY that year and beat Harvard 35-0.) (Heavy Parties that night on campus.)
Up until that time, Coach Naviaux in his 1st year at UConn, coached the "Best Team in UConn History" in 1973, 8-2-1.
R.I.P. Coach, Thanks.

Impressive memory! LOL

 

[96howls]

A couple of my teammates chimed in above on the '73 win over Yale. Just adding a few thoughts. I played on that team with "Tork" Eric Torkelson that beat Yale. Yale still had a healthy program. They were projected to win the Ivy league and Calvin Hill graduated a few years before, the Dallas Cowboys star running back. Gary Fencik was on the team we beat in '73. He was a 4 time 1st team All-Pro defensive back and still holds the interception record all time for the Chicago Bears. He was on the great 85 Bears team. Fencik played wideout at Yale and my roommate Safety Rich Fenton hit him so hard on a catch he coughed up the football and barfed on the field! Fenton had a couple interceptions that game.

The defense had a great game and held Yale scoreless in the first half. We had one touchdown, up 7-0 at the half. Yale scored on the first possession after the half and you could feel the energy drain on our sideline. So many losses had occurred in the Yale bowl over the years. But we came back with a big 55 yard pass play for a touchdown and the energy came roaring back. We went ahead and never looked back. Yale managed another score but our defense was ferocious and Tork simply took over on the ground game. He ended up with 161 yards, all tough yards, no long runs. What really won the day for us was conditioning. We had a wicked hot preseason double session week. Three or four days were in the high 90s, we hit 103 one day and the humidity hung in the air. Naviaux as a first year coach was anxious to do well and make a big impression. So we had a very grueling camp. We came to camp a week ahead of Yale, so the Yale camp missed that heat, and by the fourth quarter the Yale bulldogs were beat. Cozza, the Yale coach, was calling time outs to send out water and half of the team was on a knee with helmets off, panting. We were in celebration mode and we began to really dominate at the line of scrimmage. It was a very exciting day for us and it paved the way for a great year because we finally realized how good we were. Coach Nav was a high spirited guy who loved his players and he was flying high after that win over Yale. May he rest in peace. It was an honor to play for him.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

Donnie Thompson remains one of my all time favorite UConn players . Thanks for your posts. RIP Coach.

 

[oldanintheway]

A couple of my teammates chimed in above on the '73 win over Yale. Just adding a few thoughts. I played on that team with "Tork" Eric Torkelson that beat Yale. Yale still had a healthy program. They were projected to win the Ivy league and Calvin Hill graduated a few years before, the Dallas Cowboys star running back. Gary Fencik was on the team we beat in '73. He was a 4 time 1st team All-Pro defensive back and still holds the interception record all time for the Chicago Bears. He was on the great 85 Bears team. Fencik played wideout at Yale and my roommate Safety Rich Fenton hit him so hard on a catch he coughed up the football and barfed on the field! Fenton had a couple interceptions that game.

The defense had a great game and held Yale scoreless in the first half. We had one touchdown, up 7-0 at the half. Yale scored on the first possession after the half and you could feel the energy drain on our sideline. So many losses had occurred in the Yale bowl over the years. But we came back with a big 55 yard pass play for a touchdown and the energy came roaring back. We went ahead and never looked back. Yale managed another score but our defense was ferocious and Tork simply took over on the ground game. He ended up with 161 yards, all tough yards, no long runs. What really won the day for us was conditioning. We had a wicked hot preseason double session week. Three or four days were in the high 90s, we hit 103 one day and the humidity hung in the air. Naviaux as a first year coach was anxious to do well and make a big impression. So we had a very grueling camp. We came to camp a week ahead of Yale, so the Yale camp missed that heat, and by the fourth quarter the Yale bulldogs were beat. Cozza, the Yale coach, was calling time outs to send out water and half of the team was on a knee with helmets off, panting. We were in celebration mode and we began to really dominate at the line of scrimmage. It was a very exciting day for us and it paved the way for a great year because we finally realized how good we were. Coach Nav was a high spirited guy who loved his players and he was flying high after that win over Yale. May he rest in peace. It was an honor to play for him.

Thanks for filling in the blanks. I forgot about the near 100 degree double sessions, but I swear we had a couple of triple sessions, after which we were allowed to jump in the pool. Go Dawgs Saturday vs. Fresno.

 

[Dove]

Hard Facts up above, (Hey P), was on that team as was I. Hard facts was a hard nose DT and I returned kicks and on the wing on "O". Game down in New Haven of course. UConn had lost 16 straight to Yale until 1965 when UConn won 13-6. In '73 as Hard Facts noted Coach Naviaux came from BU, where he coached Bruce Taylor an All-Pro Safety and Punt returner for the 49ers.
Coach Nav was well liked, easy to talk to. Played for Nebraska. In '73 he installed the "Delaware Wing T", running Offense, lots of motion and misdirection, with 2 Freshmen QB's it worked out more then well. Eric Torkelson, the New England College Player of the Year in 1973, carried the running load. (Eric played for Green Bay for 7 years and now sits on the BOD, good man.)
So..., with UConn scoring only a total of 7 points in the previous 3 years against Yale, who was the pre season pick to win the IVY, more of the same was expected and only 16,500 came into the Yale Bowl that day (nearly 38,000 the next year). Tork ran roughshod for 172 yards behind a solid offensive line, and UConn scored 27 that day while a quick aggressive UConn D held Yale to 13. (Yale finished 2nd in the IVY that year and beat Harvard 35-0.) (Heavy Parties that night on campus.)
Up until that time, Coach Naviaux in his 1st year at UConn, coached the "Best Team in UConn History" in 1973, 8-2-1.
R.I.P. Coach, Thanks.

Nice!

 

[NHRich]

1973 I was at UConn. As a break from classes I would go over and watch practice. More than once Larry would send over someone to check me out to be sure I wasn’t spying for the opposition. Loved to watch Eric Torkelson play. Disappointed when he left early for the nfl.

 

[uconnric]

1973 I was at UConn. As a break from classes I would go over and watch practice. More than once Larry would send over someone to check me out to be sure I wasn’t spying for the opposition. Loved to watch Eric Torkelson play. Disappointed when he left early for the nfl.

Eric didn't leave early for the NFL. He was drafted by the Packers in the 1974 draft and graduated with his class that spring. Leaving early was pretty much unheard of in those days anyway.

 

[NHRich]

Ok, must have been he had a year of eligibility left and decided not to use it?

 

[HardFacts]

A couple of my teammates chimed in above on the '73 win over Yale. Just adding a few thoughts. I played on that team with "Tork" Eric Torkelson that beat Yale. Yale still had a healthy program. They were projected to win the Ivy league and Calvin Hill graduated a few years before, the Dallas Cowboys star running back. Gary Fencik was on the team we beat in '73. He was a 4 time 1st team All-Pro defensive back and still holds the interception record all time for the Chicago Bears. He was on the great 85 Bears team. Fencik played wideout at Yale and my roommate Safety Rich Fenton hit him so hard on a catch he coughed up the football and barfed on the field! Fenton had a couple interceptions that game.

The defense had a great game and held Yale scoreless in the first half. We had one touchdown, up 7-0 at the half. Yale scored on the first possession after the half and you could feel the energy drain on our sideline. So many losses had occurred in the Yale bowl over the years. But we came back with a big 55 yard pass play for a touchdown and the energy came roaring back. We went ahead and never looked back. Yale managed another score but our defense was ferocious and Tork simply took over on the ground game. He ended up with 161 yards, all tough yards, no long runs. What really won the day for us was conditioning. We had a wicked hot preseason double session week. Three or four days were in the high 90s, we hit 103 one day and the humidity hung in the air. Naviaux as a first year coach was anxious to do well and make a big impression. So we had a very grueling camp. We came to camp a week ahead of Yale, so the Yale camp missed that heat, and by the fourth quarter the Yale bulldogs were beat. Cozza, the Yale coach, was calling time outs to send out water and half of the team was on a knee with helmets off, panting. We were in celebration mode and we began to really dominate at the line of scrimmage. It was a very exciting day for us and it paved the way for a great year because we finally realized how good we were. Coach Nav was a high spirited guy who loved his players and he was flying high after that win over Yale. May he rest in peace. It was an honor to play for him.

1967-73
Connecticut captures four Yankee Conference championships in a seven- season span, going 27-6-3 in league play during that stretch.

FYI 1973 capped a period of dominating the old Yankee conference! It was the first thought of moving up! in the following seasons we had Navy, Rutgers, VMI and Delaware on the schedule. Delaware at that time was dominate in 1AA

 

[Palatine]

People used to say that Eric Torkelson had a brother Peter who was of the Monkees. Never found out if that was true.

 

[HCCForever]

People used to say that Eric Torkelson had a brother Peter who was of the Monkees. Never found out if that was true.

I found this in wikipedia. No mention of brother Eric.

Tork was born at the former Doctors Hospital in Washington, D.C.[3] in 1942,[4] though many news articles incorrectly report him as having been born in 1944 in New York City—the date and location listed in early press releases for The Monkees television show. He was the son of Virginia Hope (née Straus) and Halsten John Thorkelson, an economics professor at the University of Connecticut.[5][6] His paternal grandfather was of Norwegian descent, while his mother was of half German Jewish and half Irish ancestry.[7][8][9][10]

Tork began studying piano at the age of nine, showing an aptitude for music by learning to play several different instruments, including the banjo, acoustic bass, and guitar. He attended Windham High School in Willimantic, Connecticut, and was a member of the first graduating class at E. O. Smith High School in Storrs, Connecticut. He attended Carleton College before he moved to New York City, where he became part of the folk music scene in Greenwich Village during the first half of the 1960s. While there, he befriended other up-and-coming musicians, such as Stephen Stills.

Peter Tork - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[coachn]

Think he worked at Dicks in Canton . UConn fan for life. Talked football when I went in for golf equipment. Great guy. Sorry to hear of his passing.

 

[husky8273]

People used to say that Eric Torkelson had a brother Peter who was of the Monkees. Never found out if that was true.

very true