When the UConn Huskies kick off their 2009 football campaign tomorrow night against the Ohio University Bobcats , it will be the 18th straight year that Connecticut football will be broadcast on the WTIC/UConn Radio Network. Anchoring the network will be WTIC AM-1080 in Hartford, the state’s only 50,000 watt AM station.
Joe D’Ambrosio, known as “Joe D” around these parts, will be broadcasting UConn football for his 17th consecutive season. He is an anchor at WVIT-TV (NBC 30) and is a host heard nationwide on ESPN Radio, hosting “Countdown to Kickoff” on Sunday mornings during the NFL while also hosting the Sunday Night Baseball Game of the Week pre and post game shows.
Joining Joe D in the booth is Wayne Norman who handles the color commentary for Huskies. He’s been the Huskies football analyst since 1981. Norman has been in radio for over 40 years having called over 1100 UConn sporting events since 1981. Norman is also the Sports Director/Program Director and morning host for WILI in Willimantic. The pair also partners up for the men’s basketball games as well.
Kevin Nathan will be providing in game updates from the sidelines and during games. This will be the 3rd straight year that Nathan has done the sideline reporting. You can also catch Nathan on WVIT-TV (NBC 30).
WTIC offers 10 hours of Husky football talk on home game Saturdays on WTIC’s powerful signal. Ray Dunaway, the popular co-host of WTIC’s morning drive show “Mornings with Ray” and Scott Gray start things off at 5:30 a.m. live on Saturdays from Rentschler Field with “Ray at the Rent.” That tandem then yields to the duo of Arnold Dean and Kevin Nathan at 9:30 a.m. prior to the contest with “The Tailgate Show,” which runs for one hour followed by UConn Football Magazine with Bob Joyce from 10:30 a.m. until kickoff. Nathan will also serve as a features producer for “UConn Football Magazine,” the halftime show, and also plays host to a post-game call-in show after home games with Joyce filling that role for road contests.
Stations on the WTIC/UConn Football Network are:
WILI-AM 1400 in Willimantic CT
WXLM-FM 102.3 in New London CT
WLIS-AM 1420 in Old Saybrook CT
WMRD-AM 1150 in Middletown CT
WICC-AM 600 in Bridgeport CT
WLAD-AM 800 in Danbury CT
For the eighth consecutive season, WTIC AM-1080 will air the “Randy Edsall Show,” featuring UConn head coach Randy Edsall and broadcaster Joe D’Ambrosio. The show will air on Thursday evenings of standard game weeks.
For a full look at the 2009 UConn football schedule, click here.
