EAST HARTFORD, Conn. — After 16 straight losses, UConn beat Yale in football for the first time in 1965. The victory was short-lived, however – it took the Huskies another four years to beat their rivals to the south.
As the years went on, despite winning a Yankee Conference championship in 1971, UConn still had troubles with Yale.
In 1973, the Huskies prepared for another run at a conference title – and preseason camp that summer set the tone early.
“It was very hot those first two weeks, into the 90s, high humidity,” Rich Foye, who was a captain on that team, told FOX61. “It was a difficult camp physically, and I think it helped us come together."
The Huskies started the season 1-1 leading into their matchup with Yale, but due to recent history, public sentiment didn’t exactly favor UConn.
Nevertheless, when all was said and done, the Huskies prevailed 27 to 13, and everyone across Connecticut was singing a different tune.
Foye, a two-time all-American, remembers just how much people celebrated.
“The state was excited,” he remembered. “The governor went into the locker room after the game, but I didn’t get back for that. I was just enjoying the walk back to the locker room.”
The present-day Huskies host Yale at Rentschler Field on Saturday afternoon, kicking off at 12 noon.
Nkwa Asonye is a sports reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at nasonye@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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