Domestic Fuel

UConn proved to be wise choice for Orlovsky

New Haven Register (New Haven, CT) July 20, 2010 | Mike Wollschlager Dan Orlovsky sounds a little like a pitch man for Connecticut football, but in reality he is living testament to the advantages of a home-grown football standout taking his services to Storrs. Orlovsky is the most recognized name in UConn football history, in large part because he is a state kid who chose UConn over bigger football universities such as Purdue and Michigan State. As he gets ready for the fifth annual Dan Orlovsky Foundation golf tournament and gala at Lake of Isles golf course at Foxwoods Thursday and Friday, he is acutely aware that the growth of his foundation has a lot to do with his college choice. this web site detroit lions tickets

“I say to this day that choosing to go to school at UConn was one of the top three things I’ve ever decided to do,” said Orlovsky, currently a backup quarterback with the Houston Texans. “I know it went against a lot of people’s original thought process and even some family members, but it was just something that I wanted to do.” Orlovsky admits that as an 18-year-old quarterback at Shelton High, his own thought process wasn’t about the ramifications of what staying at home would mean after he finished playing at UConn. He was sold on coach Randy Edsall’s vision and felt UConn was right for him. But he’s come to realize — and more so, appreciate — what his decision has meant for his profile in the state and impact it has had on raising money for children with life-threatening illness.

“If I’m answering that question honestly, then my decision to go to UConn didn’t have anything to do with post-football, or that my name would weigh more in the state,” Orlovsky said. “I can’t say I thought, ‘Oh, I’m going to go close to home because after football it’ll be great for me.’ “But I look at it now, and it has been. When my football career ends, hopefully many years from now, the opportunity to come back (to Connecticut), if that’s where my wife and I decide to live, my name will get me in some doors it wouldn’t have otherwise.” He’d be just another good former quarterback in East Lansing, Mich., or West Lafayette, Ind., Here he’s a household name and celebrity, recognized in much the same fashion as Bridgeport’s Chris Smith, who took a chance on Jim Calhoun’s vision in 1988.

“I just think that kids from the state don’t realize the opportunities that they have (after finishing their athletic careers),” Orlovsky said. “I can understand if a highly recruited player wants to go to (a big-time football university). And the reality of the situation is that UConn is not on the level of a Florida or Texas or USC. I understand that. But kids from the state who are top-notch players need to understand that it doesn’t matter where you go to school. If you’re good, you’re good. If you can play, and your thought process is wanting to get to the NFL, they’ll find you.” Orlovsky admits he weighed those very same thoughts of whether playing in the See Solomon, D2 Continued from D1 Big Ten or the Southeastern Conference would enhance his NFL stock. But he said he was coming up “when Byron Leftwich was at Marshall and Chad Pennington was at Marshall and Ben Roethlisberger was at Miami of Ohio. So I realized that you didn’t have to go to the super-huge school. in our site detroit lions tickets

“In Connecticut, we don’t have a professional sports team, so when you’re in high school and start to gather a name for yourself and go to UConn, you are literally beloved by the people of the state. They consider you one of their own. I definitely think that kids from Connecticut need to consider things outside of football alone. There’s an opportunity to do greater things for yourself and your family when you’re 40 if you’re able to make a name for yourself at UConn.” This is the fifth year that Orlovsky will be parlaying his in- state celebrity by raising money for children at the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center in Hartford through his golf tournament and gala. The venue has been changed to more of a weekend destination to try and take the event to the next level.

“We weren’t really going to be able to do that at a country club or a public golf course,” Orlovsky said. “We wanted to offer something different. So we took the chance to turn the weekend into an event at Foxwoods. We think it’s going to add a whole other dimension to the event, and we’ve had a really great response.” Among the approximately 18 players coming to his event will be Texans starter Matt Schaub, former UConn standout running back Donald Brown (Indianapolis Colts), Darius Butler, a cornerback with the Patriots by way of UConn, Dolphins tight end Anthony Fasano, and Tyvon Branch, a UConn defensive back now with the Oakland Raiders, and Don Muhlbach, a center with the Detroit Lions.

Dave Solomon, the Register sports columnist, can be reached at dsolomon@newhavenregister.com.

Mike Wollschlager