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Our guest is UConn Defensive Back Roy Hopkins from my neck of the woods in Rochester, NY. He was an outstanding athlete who was the first player in UConn Football history to start a game in 5 years.

Carl "Shank" Bond did a run in and it was cool listening to them reminisce. Stories about competing during one on ones as Carl was a receiver and Roy matched up against him in practice. Both guys had speed to go with incredible talent, which was a big reason why Roy became a starter by the 4th game his freshman year.

Roy discussed the toughest receivers he covered during his career being Andre Davis from Virginia Tech and Andre Johnson at Miami. I remember Roy making Superman like plays when he matched up with Andre Johnson who will be in the NFL Hall of Fame.

Shank and Roy both coach high school football now, doing a great job preparing the next group of kids to compete in college. We also shared a few hilarious stories about when Roy and I would carpool to UConn together. He didn't have a license at the time but definitely would have drove better than me! Shank and Roy = High Entertainment value!

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For the first time ever, our guest on Husky Talk is former UConn legendary soccer player Luis Arauz. Voted All Conference for the Big East and more impressive was being an All American his senior year.

His story is truly astounding, born in Bolivia, he was accepted into one of the best soccer academies in the world at 3 years old. Luis entire family had success, starting with his father who played professionally, and his brothers also had great careers.

After attending St. Benedict prep school in New Jersey, Luis went to community college to learn the English language and won a National Championship as he was a phenomenal goal scorer on offense.

Luis played two outstanding seasons at UConn, leading them to the Final Four after decades of losing.

He is married with two kids, living in Washington DC where he teaches Spanish and coaches girls soccer. His wife received her PHD from Northwestern and is an activist for the environment.

Luis is one of a kind and has built an amazing life, he wanted to teach so he would have more time to spend with his kids. A dedicated father with a family, thank you for being a guest on Husky Talk.

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This was a WILD episode of Husky Talk that was absolutely hilarious. We have Murray "The Cat" Clayton, Carl "Shank" Bond, and Shane Stafford on as guests. Madness ensued early as Murray The Cat shared his first experiences in Storrs.

Shane and Carl should have their own reality show together. Great story tellers but when it comes to talking football, we get to witness their passion and love for the game explode. Memories of specific plays, details from 25 years ago was special to witness and be part of. Shane describing how he would give Carl a look and he knew what route to run, along with understanding Shane was coming to him.

The Cat was a speedster who was part of a separate personnel grouping that took advantage of his blazing speed and quickness. No matter the surface he was running on, Murray was blazing by everyone.

It was an incredible moment for me doing an episode with legends like Shane Stafford and Carl Bond who are still in the record books for UConn football today. Also to learn the story of Murray "The Cat" Clayton was icing on the cake!

Procyon Partners is a full-service financial planning company and a proud sponsor of Husky Talk. They specialize in employee benefits, retirement planning along with being in the top 50 fastest growing financial services firms in the country. President Sean Rabinowitz has led an outstanding team and will provide you exceptional outcomes. Go to their website at www.procyonpartners.net.

Husky Talk checks in with former UConn Football kicker Dave DeArmas as he recovers from major surgery. Last month, he went under the knife for a procedure on his heart that had 3 arteries with a 98 percent blockage.

They were lucky to catch the problem early and he is already back in the office 18 days after surgery. Dave will soon be on the field when training camp begins.

We are happy for Dave and his family and it was great to hear that everything went well. We wish him the best and I personally think he may be a cyborg to recover so fast and is already planning out practices!

Procyon Partners are a proud sponsor of Husky Talk and one of the top 50 fastest growing financial services firms in the country. Procyon is led by President Sean Rabinowitz. If you are looking for a firm who specializes in wealth management, retirement planning and more, contact Procyon Partners or go to their website at www.procyonbenefits.net.

Husky Talk has grown and expanded with each episode, along with the new shows we have added. If you want to sponsor or advertise with us email me at [email protected]. Any former Huskies from all sports who would like to be a guest, please do the same.

We were extremely lucky to have Alfred Fincher on the show, a legendary Linebacker for UConn Football. He came in and hit the ground running as a 4-year starter who is in the top 5 for tackles made a single game, as well as tackles for a career.

Instantly, he drove me nuts because he was loud, knocked me around, was always happy, and pushed the entire team to be better. Al was a difference maker, playing with passion, confidence, an incredible work ethic, and desire to be the best.

He took a leadership role on early in his career and helped bring UConn football to the next level. Winning the Motor City Bowl, playing in the Senior Bowl, attending the combine with QB Dan Orlovsky.

Alfred Fincher was truly a difference maker, along with Dan Orlovsky, both were the first draft picks for the NFL in the Randy Edsall era.

He was selected in the 3rd round by the New Orleans Saints and talks about his experience in the NFL. The major differences from transitioning from college to the pros.

We had a great interview, a nicer guy he couldn't be, and Al joined on with the Husky Investment group which we hope to collaborate with in the future. Thank you Al!

Procyon Partners are a proud sponsor of Husky Talk and one of the top 50 fastest growing financial services firms in the country. Procyon is led by President Sean Rabinowitz and they make sure their clients have exceptional outcomes. If you are looking for a firm who specializes in wealth management, retirement planning and more, contact Procyon Partners or go to their website at www.procyonbenefits.net.

Husky Talk has grown and expanded with each episode, along with the new shows we have added. If you want to sponsor or advertise with us email me at [email protected]. Any former Huskies from all sports who would like to be a guest, please do the same.

Husky Talk was pumped to have an outstanding guest, who is on the ground floor of a special company that has grown tremendously worldwide in its 7th season. Jim Tucker, Senior Vice President of Global Brand Partnerships for The Professional Fighters League, also known as the PFL joined the show.

Co-hosts Frank Cristiano and Tyler King participated because their love of MMA. Jim shares his remarkable career path from working in the NFL office, NASCAR, UFC, along with other stops along the way before joining PFL. Jim was gracious in answering our questions, having 3 co-hosts slinging them rapid fire is never easy. We were all excited about the PFL and learning about his role, as well as the future.

Procyon Partners are a proud sponsor of Husky Talk and one of the top 50 fastest growing financial services firms in the country. Procyon is led by President Sean Rabinowitz and they make sure their clients have exceptional outcomes. If you are looking for a firm who specializes in wealth management, retirement planning and more, contact Procyon Partners or go to their website at www.procyonbenefits.net.

Sean, with his wonderful family met up with me to watch the Worcester Red Sox over the weekend. His wife and two children had an outstanding time attending their first baseball game ever. Sean has been an amazing supporter of Husky Talk and always makes time to give feedback or provide advice. Truly a special person who has helped in many ways.

His daughter noticed that I said the cotton candy looked tasty. Minutes later she asked her dad for one and gave it to me! Sean's son Ben became a fan of The Mustache Man Micky Gasper, my favorite player, and we cheered him on after Mickey hit a two run Home Run that iced the game for the WOOSOX.

Don't miss Husky Talk, we had more fun talking about the weekend than anything. Take a listen !

Procyon Partners are a proud sponsor of Husky Talk. They offer financial services and are one of the 50th fastest growing companies in the country. Specializing in Wealth Management, Employee Benefits, and retirement planning, go to their website at www.procyonpartners.net.

Husky Talk is back with a former teammate I competed against in practice every day for 3 years, Coach Nicolas "Hakeem" Kashama. For starters, I always thought his name was Hakeem and 23 years later, he kindly told me it was his nickname. Better late than never I guess? Kashama loved basketball and Hakeem stuck because he played like NBA Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon.

College Football is different because there are 110 guys on the roster, and you don't always have an opportunity to get to know even close to everyone on the team. Talk about a special story, Nicolas Kashama's path to UConn was sincerely fascinating.

A description from me will fall short, listen to this episode. Born in the Congo, Hakeem's father wanted more for his family and sensed turmoil within the country. He left for Canada, worked for a year saving money, and moved the family to Toronto.

Kashama had friends but enjoyed playing with his brothers the most. What's amazing is that he never played American Football until being a sophomore in high school, and he struggled as a Defensive End. At the time, they moved to Montreal and Nicolas spoke primarily French.

He began taking classes to learn English in school. Hakeem watched tapes on all the best pass rushers of the era, Reggie White, Bruce Smith, Lawrence Taylor and would practice moves with his brothers in the back yard. UConn saw him at a Canadian summer showcase camp and offered a scholarship, he committed after his visit.

Coming to Connecticut in January, Kashama made an impact immediately during spring practice. Athletic, extremely talented, Hakeem is one of the rare college football players to start all 4 years. Earning accolades of All Conference and All ECAC as a DE. Injuries kept him from having a long professional career, but he was a force on a tough defensive line at UConn.

Nicolas was married shortly after college and coming up on 20 years of marriage. He teaches and coaches high school football in Georgia, one of the top gridiron states in the country.

Kashama has 4 kids, 2 who play for him now and the older one is being recruited by division 1 schools as a Strong Safety. Loved catching up with Nicolas, thrilled to see him having the big family he wanted and happy that he is a leader, mentor, someone his players look up to. Enjoy!

All new Husky Talk brought to you by Procyon Partners, the complete financial services firm. They specialize in Wealth Management, Employee Benefits, as well as Retirement Planning. President Sean Rabinowitz will deliver you an exceptional outcome. Procyon Partners, a boutique consulting and service company serving business owners and executives Nationwide. Check out their website at www.procyonpartners.net

One of the most spectacular journeys I have ever heard, sit back and listen because anything I write will not do it justice. From growing up in Vermont, attending Boston College, falling in love with working in athletics, Larry navigates you through it all. Loving his time at UConn, along with coming up 20 years of love as an Assistant Athletic Director at Kansas, Larry always puts his family first. He is beloved by former players, coaches, and collogues.

Larry has always had a tremendous work ethic and willingness to do anything asked of him. He makes sure to take time along the way to thank several people who made a positive impact on his life and helped his career.

A must listen Husky Talk, Larry and I had a fantastic time. Larry is first class all the way, an amazing person, devoted husband, dedicated father, and thank you for coming on the show!