STORRS – The former head coach for the UConn Huskies football team is returning to the program to coach again. A formal announcement was made by the athletic department Wednesday morning.
Edsall led the program from 1999 through 2010 before leaving for Maryland for the same position. He compiled a 22-24 record while leading the Terripans before being fired midway through his fifth season.
The move comes just days after Bob Diaco was fired following a 3-9 season that was marred by poor offensive play and inconsistent performances on both sides of the ball. Diaco went 11-26 in his three-year tenure with the Huskies and failed to improve upon last season’s 6-7 mark that included an appearance in the St. Petersburg Bowl against Marshall.
Edsall helped build the Husky football program upon his arrival from a Division I-AA product to a competitive FBS Big East contender. He led the team to four straight bowl games in his final seasons with UConn, concluding with the school’s first and only BCS Bowl Game appearance, when the Huskies fell to the Oklahoma Sooners 48-20 in the 2011 Fiesta Bowl.
Edsall left the program immediately following the game, not even flying home with the team following the loss.
Edsall was hired by the Lions in January as a director of football research. Lions coach Jim Caldwell said Wednesday that Edsall was a “strong candidate” for UConn and he hopes everything works out.
Edsall says in a statement that it’s an honor to have the opportunity to lead UConn again. He says he wishes he had done things differently when he left the university the first time.
A press conference to re-introduce Edsall will be held Friday, Dec. 30 at 11 a.m. at Pratt & Whitney Stadium.
