The Huskies’ win over Fairleigh Dickinson made Auriemma the winningest basketball coach in NCAA history.
STORRS, Conn. — Coaching career Geno Auriemma in UConn has already been defined by incomparable feats. Eleven national titles. Twenty-three Final Four appearances, including 15 in the last 16 seasons. Six undefeated seasons. Separate winning streaks of 98 and 111 games.
The triumph of Huskies sobre Fairleigh Dickinson por 85-41 turned to Auriemma is the winningest basketball coach in NCAA history.
Auriemma broke a tie he had held since Friday with legendary Stanford coach Tara VanDerveerwho retired in April. Her 1,217 wins are the most in NCAA history, for both women and men, for any division. The record was his 329th. victory of at least 40 points; He has had more than twice as many 40-point wins in his career as total losses (162).
“We never sat down and said, ‘Hey, let’s do a 40-year plan and see if we can make this happen,'” he said. Auriemma. “It’s about coming here every day and trying to be better than we were yesterday.”
The game also served as a 40th celebration. season of Auriemma and associate coach Chris Dailey at Storrs. Red t-shirts and lighting adorned Gampel for the duo’s ruby anniversary. A fan festival was held with a goat zoo near the stadium. Three different Auriemma and Dailey-themed ice cream specials were sold at the school’s Dairy Bar. Surrounded by a crowd of former Huskies wearing commemorative jerseys, the program’s legends Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird and Maya Moore They spoke at a postgame ceremony to pay tribute to the coaching pair.
“Who knew that playing hard, playing smart and having fun would get them here?” Bird said. “I guess you two knew that, and that’s all that matters.”
The student section of UConn he held up signs spelling out 1,217 in the final minutes of Wednesday’s game. Confetti and streamers fell from the rafters, followed by fake bills reading “1,217 wins” with Auriemma and Dailey’s photo.
Auriemma He also received a sign from Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont that read “Welcome to Connecticut, home of the winningest coach in basketball history,” and his current team gave him a framed jersey with 1,217 on it.
“Look around you,” he said. Rebecca LoboUConn legend, during the ceremony. “It’s not very often in life to experience something that’s never been done before. And it’s not very often in life to experience something that will never be done again.”
The celebration ended when a live goat was escorted to Auriemma on a red carpet.
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Geno Auriemma surprised by a live goat after historic victory
UConn coach Geno Auriemma receives a live goat after setting the record for most wins in NCAA basketball history.
