Wednesday night was a somber one in Storrs, as 1,000 showed up near the Student Union for a candlelight vigil in memory of Jasper Howard.
Full accounts of the vigil are available via the Courant and the Daily Campus.
The video in the Courant story is particularly touching, as Randy Edsall was given a letterman jacket signed by football team members and faculty, as a way of supporting the coach during this ordeal. Edsall appears to have been everything you could ask for as a counselor and a father figure, and he appeared genuinely moved by the gesture. The team will head down to Miami for Jazz's funeral Monday morning.
The campus appears to be rallying around one another, which is also rather heartening. If you're planning on going to the Rutgers game (10/31, noon), I implore you, get in your seats early for any special tributes UConn may have planned.
Other stories of note:
- Still no arrests as of late Wednesday night, but police say the investigation is making 'significant progress'
- Tributes for Jasper: players from Boston College and Clemson will honor him by wearing No. 6 this weekend; Miami Edison H.S. held a memorial for their fallen alumnus
- West Virginia (along with UConn) will wear helmet decals bearing Howard's number Saturday when the two teams meet. There will also be a moment of silence prior to the game, followed by the teams shaking hands.
- Rob Lunn posts his remembrances of a fallen teammate over at NESN.com
- Slightly older, but still a worthwhile link: Howard's family spoke with, comforted the assembled football team
- Finally, and certainly not least, a former colleague and sports editor at the Daily Campus, Kevin Duffy, penned a very nice piece about Jazz, including a rather funny e-mail exchange between Duffy and Howard I had forgotten about.