Rentschler Field is getting a new name.
The East Hartford facility will now be known as the Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field. It will open under its new name Sept. 3, when the University of Connecticut takes on Villanova.
The announcement came Thursday, on the 86th anniversary of the aircraft engine manufacturer's East Hartford groundbreaking.
"Today, we're here to begin the next chapter of our company's history in East Hartford," said Tom Prete, vice president of engineering at Pratt & Whitney. "Our new headquarters and engineering building will be a catalyst to propel Pratt & Whitney into its next 90 years and beyond."
The new stadium will display both the Pratt & Whitney eagle and the UConn Husky.
United Technologies Corp., Pratt & Whitney's parent company, will donate 10 acres to the stadium for parking and will also provide an easement for an additional 15 acres for parking.
UConn President Susan Herbst said the agreement highlights a bond between the two entities that continues to develop whenever a UTC company hires a UConn graduate.
"It was important to UConn that the name have resonance and significance for our community and for the people of the state, and that's what we're to announce today," Herbst said Thursday. "The naming of Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field reflects a genuine and long-established partnership between two great Connecticut institutions."
UTC will have naming rights to the stadium through 2030.
