Diaco Out as UConn’s Top Dog

By Bob Phillips

The Bob Diaco era at UConn came to an abrupt end this morning.
Diaco was 11-26 in his three years as the Huskies' head coach.

 

What had long been anticipated is now a reality: Bob Diaco officially has become the scapegoat for the sad-sack UConn football program. This morning, the University of Connecticut announced that it will be replacing Diaco as head coach, effective Jan. 2, 2017. The reason the firing doesn’t take place for another week is unclear, but published reports have noted that the buyout clause in Diaco’s contract decreases considerably after the first of the year.

The heralded former defensive coordinator at Notre Dame was lured to Storrs in 2014 with a mission to revive a program that had declined in a precipitous manner on Paul Pasqualoni’s watch. Pasqualoni, a Cheshire native who had developed Syracuse into a national power in a previous life, spent three years at UConn, amassing a 10-18 record before being replaced by T.J. Weist during the 2013 season.

In 2012, Diaco was named the winner of the Frank Broyles Award, which
recognizes the nation’s top assistant college football coach. He was the first coach in the history of the prestigious Notre Dame program to be so honored. A two-time All-Big Ten selection during his playing days at Iowa, Diaco became a graduate assistant with the Hawkeyes before moving to Western Illinois as special teams coordinator and running backs coach in 1999. Then it was on to similar posts at Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan, Virginia and Cincinnati before landing the Notre Dame job.

Diaco was 11-26 in his three seasons with the Huskies, including 3-9 this past campaign. The final nail in the coffin was the Connecticut defense—or rather lack thereof. After allowing just 15.9 points per game in Diaco’s first season with the Huskies, that figured exploded to a dismal 28.1 this season. Think about that for one second. That stat means that UConn could have averaged four touchdowns per game—and still lost every single contest.

"This is obviously not the way I had hoped things would turn out," said Diaco. "But I appreciate having had the opportunity to be here at UConn."

Penn State's Joe Moorhead is said to be a strong candidate
at UConn.

"I believe a new leader for our program and student-athletes is needed to build long-term success," athletic director Dave Benedict said in a statement. "I am grateful to Coach Diaco and his staff for their hard work and the integrity with which they ran the program and certainly wish them future success. I know this may come as a surprise to our fans and supporters given the timing of this decision. However, it became apparent to me that a change in program direction is necessary at this time."

Joe Moorhead, the defensive coordinator at Penn State, is reported to have the inside track as Diaco’s successor.