Geno Auriemma has turned UConn women's basketball into one of the most successful programs in college sports history, and he is now officially the winningest coach in NCAA Division I basketball.
On Wednesday, Auriemma reached his 1,217th career win, passing longtime Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer, with an 85-41 victory over Fairleigh Dickinson. VanDerveer is now retired, as is former Duke men's basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski -- who is third on the all-time winningest coach list -- and no other coach is close to 1,200 wins.
Auriemma started his journey with UConn in 1985 and currently holds a 1,217-162 record. He has only had one losing season, and that was his first year with the Huskies. Before him, the program only had one winning season under its belt.
In addition to putting UConn on the map, Auriemma has been an integral part of growing women's basketball. He was recognized for his efforts by being inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.
There are far too many highlights to list, but here's a look at some of Auriemma's biggest career achievements by the numbers:
1,217
The most wins by a coach in NCAA basketball history.
111
The Huskies won 111 straight games from 2014–2017, which is still a record for D-I women's or men's basketball.
88.2%
Auriemma has a 1,217-162 record since taking over UConn in 1985. That 0.8825 winning percentage is the best in D-I basketball history.
45
Auriemma has coached 45 eventual WNBA players at UConn. Leading the star-studded list are Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore, Tina Charles, Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier.
29
Under Auriemma, the Huskies have won 29 conference regular-season championships -- seven in the AAC and 22 in the Big East.
28
UConn has tallied 28 conference tournament titles -- seven in the AAC and 21 in the Big East.
22
Auriemma has guided the Huskies to 22 Final Fours, including a record 14 straight from 2008–2022. The only program to come close to that many consecutive final weekends is the UCLA men's basketball team with 10 from 1967-76.
11
Auriemma has won 11 national championships, the most of any D-I coach (1995, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016). Because of Auriemma, the UConn women's basketball team is tied with the UCLA men's basketball team for the most national titles. 10 of UCLA's titles came under John Wooden.
8
Auriemma has been named Naismith National Coach of the Year eight times: 1995, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2008, 2009, 2016 and 2017.
6
Only 10 teams have won a national championship while going unbeaten, and six of those have been Auriemma's Huskies: 1985-86 Texas (34-0), 1994-95 UConn (35-0), 1997-98 Tennessee (39-0), 2001-02 UConn (39-0), 2008-09 UConn (39-0), 2009-10 UConn (39-0), 2011-12 Baylor (40-0), 2013-14 UConn (40-0), 2015-16 UConn (38-0) and 2023-24 South Carolina (38-0).
3
In D-I basketball history, only three coaches have reached 1,200 career wins: Krzyzewski, VanDerveer and Auriemma. Earlier this year, Auriemma joined the 1,200 club the fastest, as he did so in Year 39 as opposed to Krzyzewski and VanDerveer, who took 47 and 45 years, respectively. Auriemma is also the only coach to reach 1,200 wins all with one program.
2
Auriemma coached Team USA to Olympic gold medals in 2012 and 2016.
