Geno Auriemma has redefined the meaning of success in women’s college basketball in his 27 years as head coach of the University of Connecticut.
During his illustrious tenure, Geno Auriemma has transformed the UConn program into the standard that all others are measured, both on and off the court.
Under his guidance, the Huskies have been transformed from a program with only one winning season, to its current state, which includes seven national titles, 13 Final Fours, four perfect seasons (1995, 2002, 2009, 2010) and 37 BIG EAST titles, all since Auriemma‘s arrival in 1985.
On the court, his success includes seven national championships, including perfect 39-0 title runs in 2009 and 2010, as well as complete dominance in the BIG EAST Conference. Off the court, success means a flawless, 100 percent graduation rate among four year players and one of the most beloved and followed sports teams in the country.
This unmatched success, which is the standard for collegiate programs nationally, was recognized with Geno Auriemma‘s induction into both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (Springfield, Mass.) and the Women Basketball Hall of Fame (Knoxville, Tenn.) in 2006.
In addition, Geno Auriemma was bestowed with one of the biggest honors someone in his profession can receive as he was named as the head coach of the U.S. National Team, which won Gold in the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Auriemma led Team USA to the FIBA World Championship in the summer of 2010 to guarantee the US a spot in the 2012 Olympic Games.
He is the first coach in women’s basketball history to guide a team to five consecutive Final Four appearances on two separate occasions. Auriemma is a seven-time national coach-of-the-year and has been named the BIG EAST coach-of-the-year 10 times. In all Geno Auriemma has garnered a combined total of 24 National Coach of the Year honors.
His 27-year overall record stands at 804-129 (.862), by far the best winning percentage among active Division I coaches and he became only the sixth coach all-time to eclipse the 800-win mark on the same night he led the Huskies to a fifth-straight BIG EAST Tournament Championship on March 6, 2012. Geno Auriemma reached win number 800 in fewer games than any coach in the history of the game.
The Huskies’ consistency has been remarkable as the program has won either the BIG EAST Regular Season or Tournament title in each of the past 19 seasons and 22 of the past 24 overall. Under Auriemma, UConn has captured both the BIG EAST regular season and conference title in the same season 15 times.
The Huskies have won the BIG EAST Tournament crown in seven of the past eight seasons. Connecticut extended its streak of consecutive NCAA Regional appearances to 19 straight and advanced to the NCAA Final Four for the 13th time in the program’s history. Auriemma also guided UConn to its 17th 30-win season in 2011-12 and its 17th in the past 19 seasons.
Geno Auriemma is a 1981 graduate of West Chester with a B.A. in political science.
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