1 week Ago By USA TODAY Sports
USA TODAY and Yahoo may earn commission from links in this article. Pricing and availability subject to change. 's Hall of Fame resume includes 11 national championships and eight national coach of the year awards across his 40-seasons as the head coach of the Add to the list.
The UConn Huskies defeated Fairleigh Dickinson, , on Wednesday to secure Auriemma's 1,217th career win. With the victory, Auriemma broke the all-time wins record for an NCAA college basketball coach by surpassing , who retired after last season with 1,216 career wins. Many of Auriemma's former players who helped him achieve the unprecedented feat returned to Storrs, Connecticut to witness history, including Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi and Maya Moore.
"You told me this things I needed to hear to be a better person, a better teammate, a better basketball player," Taurasi, who played for UConn from 2000–04 and won three national championships under Auriemma. "As I see every one here, whether we played on the same team or decades apart, we always put this jersey on to represent you because we know how much you love this team, the game of basketball and your family." Taurasi continued: "Banners, Hall of Famers, MVPs, champions, players of the year, we always come back because of you coach.
.. don't you ever forget that.
" Here's how the basketball community reacted to Auriemma's milestone: Former Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer, who held the previous all-time wins record (1,216) set in January, said Auriemma’s success “will never be duplicated.” Auriemma is one of four coaches to have — VanDerveer, Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski and the late Pat Summitt of Tennessee. 🫡 — Stanford WBB 🌲🏀 (@StanfordWBB) UConn men's basketball coach Dan Hurley, who was on hand for Wednesday's victory, said Auriemma is "one of the greatest to ever do it.
" Other coaches at the University of Connecticut joined in with praise. Geno inspires all of us. Congrats to the GOAT! 🐐 — UConn Huskies (@UConnHuskies) The DePaul women's basketball program sent congratulations to Auriemma.
Doug Bruno, head coach of the DePaul women’s basketball team, told USA TODAY Sports that Auriemma "built his program from the ground up." People think he’s just this glamour puss walking around in front of TV cameras. No, he’s worked from the ground up, built his program from the ground up.
Those great players weren’t just dropped on his doorstep — he established a program where they wanted to go. Congratulations, Geno. — DePaul Women's Basketball (@DePaulWBBHoops) Governor Ned Lamont, the Governor of Connecticut, said Auriemma displayed "40 seasons of excellence.
" Lamont was part of the celebration at Storrs, Connecticut and debuted a new road sign that will be put up around the state. It reads, "Welcome to Connecticut: Home of the Winningest Coach in Basketball History." 40 seasons of excellence.
Thank you, Geno Auriemma 💙 — Governor Ned Lamont (@GovNedLamont).
