Geno Auriemma has tied Tara VanDerveer for the most wins as a Division 1 head coach in college basketball history with 1,216. Auriemma, 70, is the current Head Coach of the UConn Huskies women’s basketball team, while VanDerveer, 71, was the Head Coach of the Stanford Cardinal women’s basketball team from 1985 to 1995 and 1996 to 2024. VanDerveer’s successor was Kate Paye beginning this season. Paye, 50, spent 17 years on VanDerveer’s coaching staff after playing WNBA, ABL, and NCAA basketball.
Auriemma’s most recent accomplishment propelled him into the spotlight. Auriemma is now one of the winningest college basketball coaches of all time. His UConn Huskies women’s basketball teams has won 11 NCAA Division 1 Tournaments. He won titles in 1995, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016. Read on for further details surrounding his latest accomplishment.
Geno Auriemma Ties Tara VanDerveer
On Friday, ESPN posted on X, “Geno Auriemma ties Tara VanDerveer for most wins (1,216) as a D-I head coach in college basketball history.” ESPN also uploaded a photo of Auriemma and VanDerveer together with the caption, “TARA VANDERVEER & GENO AURIEMMA. WINNINGEST COLLEGE BASKETBALL COACHES OF ALL TIME.” In short, ESPN’s post featured two coaching legends and one heck of a milestone.
Auriemma tied the career wins record, as the No. 2 UConn women’s basketball team beat the North Carolina women’s basketball team, 69-58, at Carmichael Arena in Greensboro, North Carolina, on Friday evening. Auriemma’s tie signaled that the game’s best continued to inspire potential coaches and players. His lasting impact on the sport has been significant in recent years.
Auriemma vs. VanDerveer
Geno Auriemma and the Uconn Huskies women’s basketball team and Tara VanDerveer and the Stanford Cardinal women’s basketball team are successful rivals in the sport. Whenever the Huskies and Cardinal play each other, their games are action-packed from start to finish, regardless of the venue. Previously, No. 1 Stanford fell to No. 2 UConn, 63-58, in the Final Four of the 2022 NCAA Tournament on April 1, 2022.
The Cardinal and the Huskies have met seven times in the NCAA Tournament, with six of the meetings in the Final Four, dating back to 1988. As of 2022, UConn leads the series 12-7. UConn’s lead could be reversible, so we’ll keep an eye on Stanford’s progress as the 2024-25 season continues. No. 24 Stanford’s next game will be Sunday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. Eastern against the Indiana Hoosiers in the Bloomington Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana.
About Auriemma
Geno Auriemma has widely been known as the Head Coach of the UConn Huskies women’s basketball team since 1985, but there’s more to Auriemma than meets the eye. Auriemma was born in Montella, Italy, on March 23, 1954, and emigrated to Norristown, Pennsylvania, when he was seven. He graduated from West Chester University in West Chester, Penn., in 1977 and was hired as an Assistant Coach. From there, he worked hard to become a Head Coach.
Growing up, Auriemma’s favorite NBA team was the 1970s New York Knicks, coached by Red Holzman. Holzman passed away in 1998 due to leukemia at the age of 78. Auriemma and his wife, Kathy, reportedly maintain a home in Avalon, New Jersey, near their parents in the Philadelphia area. He became a naturalized United States citizen in 1994 after running into potential immigration issues when UConn was set to tour Italy in the Summer of 1994. He never completed the required military service in his home country. He was eventually inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.
