Super Bowl Sunday is always an exciting day for football fans, but this year Connecticut residents might be finding themselves without any real emotional connection to either team – it’s no Giants vs. Patriots face-off.
With the Indianapolis Colts facing the New Orleans Saints, Connecticut might seem to have no real place in the game, but that’s not the case.
Recent UConn graduate, Donald Brown, was picked up by the Colts in the first round of the 2009 NFL draft.
Not only is Brown the first UConn player to be picked up in the first round, but he’s headed to the Super Bowl his first year in the NFL, and he is only the third Husky ever to play in the Super Bowl. That’s definitely something to be proud of.
“Brown, a rookie with the Colts, gained 18 yards on six carries in the Colts' NFC Championship Game victory over the New York Jets,” according to the UConn athletics Web site. “Brown had 78 carries for 281 yards and three touchdowns during the regular season.”
It’s safe to say that when it comes to representing Connecticut, Brown is the star this year, but he won’t be the only former Husky at the Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida this Sunday.
Also joining Brown on the Colts’ side is Keith Gray, who started for the Huskies in 2008. Gray is on the Colts’ practice squad.
Rooting for New Orleans? UConn is also represented on the Saints’ practice squad by Tyler Lorenzen, former UConn quarterback in 2007 and 2008.
So, although it might not seem like it on the surface, Super Bowl XLIV is actually an important day for Connecticut football fans.
