UConn To Wear Helmet Stickers To Honor Ben Flick This Saturday

Oct 12, 2013; East Hartford, CT, USA; Connecticut Huskies interim coach T.J. Weist talks to his players as they take on the South Florida Bulls in the second half at Rentschler Field. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Like the Western Michigan Broncos a few weeks back, the UConn Huskies football players will wear “77” helmet stickers this Saturday to honor Ben Flick.

What’s particularly moving about this gesture by Connecticut is that they will be playing the Bearcats this Saturday in a game that very much matters in the AAC standings. While they are enemies on the field, this act illustrates that the UC and UConn players are very much brothers off the field in the universe of college football. The tragedy transcends a mere football game. No one wants to lose a teammate, a friend, and in many ways a family member under any circumstance. And I’m sure the Huskies empathize with Cincinnati here.

Additionally Ben Flick’s death must hit UConn’s interim head coach TJ Weist close to home. He personally recruited Flick last year when he was the wide receiver coach at Cincinnati. Undoubtedly Weist spent hours and hours talking to the offensive lineman, getting to know both him and his family, and building a close relationship. I’m sure the now UConn head coach felt like his own son was taken from him in this tragedy.

Overall, this is a really, really touching act on the part of the Huskies.