Almost a decade ago, Michael Mehigen was the one to see as Rentschler Field rose from the ground in East Hartford.
Wearing a hard hat, Mehigen gave tours to reporters and others in 2001 as the property was transformed from a simple, flat, empty area off Silver Lane to a state-of-the-art college football stadium. Back in those early days in the winter of 2001, the site was nothing but a deep hole in the ground with tons of dirt being moved around.
Java has the details of his retirement party at Rentschler Field, which included former Gov. John G. Rowland, at http://www.courant.com/entertainment/celebrity/java/hc-nujavarent0309.artmar09,0,3562189.column