Gov. Dannel P. Malloy praised the UNH Chargers’ performance in the fall 2011 football season on Jan. 11 in a radio interview.

“I’m very proud of the University of New Haven football team this year. What a season they had,” Malloy said while speaking to WNPR News Director John Dankosky, who hosts the morning call-in show, “Where We Live.” WNPR is based in Hartford.

The Chargers made their first appearance since 1997 last year in the NCAA Division II Football Championship, but lost the Quarterfinal Round in North Carolina on Dec. 3 against Winston-Salem State University. The Chargers finished their season with an overall record of 11-2.

Malloy also said he was proud of the sports teams at the University of Connecticut and Trinity College.

His comments came in response to a caller who asked if bringing a professional sports team to the state similar to the Hartford Whalers would help the economy and increase pride. The Whalers left Hartford in 1997.

Malloy said that he did not believe there was any professional team coming to Hartford in the next couple of years.