Storrs, Conn. -- January 3, 2011 -- Hank Hughes, Springfield College Class of 1979, who has been a member of the University of Connecticut football staff for the past ten seasons, has been named the interim head coach of the Husky football team. The 2010 season was Hughes' sixth as the assistant head coach for defense after spending the previous three as the defensive coordinator. He joined the UConn staff in 2001 as the defensive line coach.Hughes is a 1979 graduate of Springfield College from where he earned a bachelor's degree in physical education.
"Hank Hughes is the perfect choice to fill the role as interim head coach for our football program," says UConn Director of Athletics Jeffrey Hathaway. "He has been a long-time member of our coaching staff and is extremely loyal to our university and our Division of Athletics. Hank will provide outstanding leadership to our football student-athletes and support staff during this time of transition."
Hughes is a 32-year veteran of the coaching profession and was the defensive line coach at Memphis from 1998-2000 before joining the UConn staff. Hughes worked at Harvard (1994-97) where he was the assistant head coach, defensive line coach and special teams coordinator. He was defensive line coach at Cincinnati in 1993 and was an assistant coach for the Montreal Machine of the World League of American Football in 1991 and 1992, serving as linebacker coach in 1991 and adding defensive coordinator duties in 1992.
Hughes was the linebacker coach and recruiting coordinator at James Madison from 1985-90, served as linebackers and defensive line coach at Lafayette from 1982-84 and also coached the defensive line at Northeastern (1981), Springfield College (1980) and Albany (1979).
(Release courtesy of UConn Sports Information website)
Michael C. “Mike” DeLong ’74 enters his 32nd season as a head football coach in the fall of 2013. He enters his 30th year at Springfield College alone. For the past 28 years, he has been the head coach at Springfield, his alma mater. Mike had also been the head coach at Maine Maritime in Castine, Maine in 1979 and 1980. Read more.
