34 Facts About Geno Auriemma

Luigi "Geno" Auriemma was born on March 23,1954 and is an American basketball coach who is the head coach of the University of Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team.

Geno Auriemma holds the NCAA basketball records for wins and winning percentage with a minimum of 10 seasons.

Geno Auriemma has won eight national Naismith College Coach of the Year awards.

Outside of college basketball, Geno Auriemma was the head coach of the United States women's national team from 2009 through 2016, winning the 2010 and 2014 World Championships, and gold medals at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics.

Geno Auriemma was inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.

Geno Auriemma emigrated with his family from Montella in Southern Italy to Norristown, Pennsylvania when he was seven years old, and he spent the rest of his childhood there.

Geno Auriemma grew up poor, with his parents working low wage factory jobs.

Geno Auriemma had to teach himself English after coming to the United States.

Geno Auriemma attended Montgomery County Community College before graduating from West Chester University in 1977.

Geno Auriemma then took a two-year absence from college basketball, serving as an assistant coach at his former high school, Bishop Kenrick, before assuming an assistant coaching position with the University of Virginia Cavaliers women's team in 1981.

Geno Auriemma became a naturalized United States citizen in 1994 at the age of 40, noting in his autobiography that he finally decided to naturalize when his University of Connecticut team was slated to tour Italy that summer and he was concerned about potential problems, as he had never done any required national service in his birth country.

The decision to hire Geno Auriemma was part of the university's commitment to better fund women's sports.

Geno Auriemma's was the final interview scheduled by the search staff.

Dailey was identified as the candidate most likely to receive an offer if Geno Auriemma turned down the position.

Connecticut quickly rose to prominence after Geno Auriemma was hired in August 1985.

On December 21,2010, Geno Auriemma led UConn to its 89th consecutive victory, one more than the all-time NCAA men's wins record of 88 held by UCLA; the streak ended at 90 wins.

UConn has won twelve national championships under Geno Auriemma and made the Final Four 23 times.

Geno Auriemma has guided UConn to 21 conference regular season titles and 20 conference tournament titles.

Geno Auriemma won his 600th game on New Year's Eve 2006, accomplishing the feat in 716 games, tying him with Phillip Kahler for the fastest women's basketball coach to reach that milestone.

Geno Auriemma won his 700th game on November 27,2009, in 822 total games, becoming the fastest head coach to that milestone in the history of college basketball at any level, men or women.

Geno Auriemma is one of eight active women's college basketball coaches to have 700 or more wins.

Geno Auriemma became the sixth coach in women's basketball history to reach 800 career victories on March 6,2012, reaching 800 career wins faster than any coach in the history of college basketball men or women at any division level in just 928 career games.

On February 3,2015, Geno Auriemma notched his 900th victory in only 1,034 games, reaching this milestone faster than any college coach in history.

Geno Auriemma was a member of the inaugural class of inductees to the University of Connecticut women's basketball Huskies of Honor recognition program.

Geno Auriemma reached his 1,200th career win against Seton Hall on February 7,2024.

Geno Auriemma created controversy in 1998 when he arranged with Villanova coach Harry Perretta to orchestrate a shot at the beginning of their scheduled game.

Geno Auriemma laid the ball in to break the record.

In 2007, Summitt, who believed Geno Auriemma had used less-than-honorable tactics in his successful recruitment of Maya Moore, canceled the yearly game between the two programs.

Geno Auriemma was named head coach of the US women's team that competed in the Junior World Championship in Brno, Czech Republic in July 2001.

Geno Auriemma was named head coach of the US women's national team in preparation for competition in the 2010 World Championships and 2012 Olympics.

Geno Auriemma was again named head coach of the US women's basketball team for the 2014 FIBA World Championship for Women and the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Geno Auriemma is close friends with former Saint Joseph's University basketball head coach Phil Martelli and his son, Mike Geno Auriemma, attended and played basketball at Saint Joseph's.

Geno Auriemma served as an assistant coach to the gold medalist 2000 US Olympic Team.

Geno Auriemma has parlayed his heritage and his love of Italian cuisine into lines of wines and sauces along with several restaurants in Connecticut.