UConn football’s Halloween presence: From Gov. Lamont’s costume to scary pranks in Storrs

The UConn football program was all over social media Halloween night.

Gov. Ned Lamont handed out Halloween treats dressed up as a UConn football player, while his wife Annie was a cheerleader. Lamont greeted trick-or-treaters at the Executive Residence in Hartford, wearing a UConn uniform with No. 89 to signify that he’s the state’s 89th governor.

Lamont, it should be noted, has been a big supporter of UConn football. Lamont and his chief of staff, Paul Mounds, were among those who took part in the hiring process that landed Jim Mora in November 2021.

“I love this guy,” Lamont told CT Insider soon after Mora was hired. UConn is 4-5 and coming off an upset win over Boston College, which had not lost to a New England school since 1978.

Meanwhile in Storrs, the Huskies were all about the ‘tricking’ this Halloween. The football program had linebacker Ian Swenson act as a mannequin dressed in a UConn football uniform and placed him near the entrance of The Burton Family Football Complex.

As players and staff members entered, Swenson scared them.

The UConn media team put a hidden camera near the door to capture all the reactions. As freshman running back Victor Rosa walked in, Swenson leaped in front of him, causing Rosa to roll away visibly spooked. 

Although one the most animated reactions came from tight end Justin Joly, who after being scared let out an exasperated, ”Sweeny!”

Then he threw a ‘flag on the play’ and jokingly referred to the stunt as ‘mean.’ 

You can watch the other hilarious reactions on a tweet from UConn: