Geno Auriemma likens UConn's progress over the years to rise of New York Stock exchange

Geno Auriemma rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday. His appearance came in light of UConn's NCAA championship last month over the defending champions, South Carolina. While reflecting upon his four decades with the Huskies, the coach drew a powerful comparison to underscore the university's rise.

Referencing a video segment, Auriemma said that the NYSE and the program share a common story when it comes to relying on the vision, effort and work of many individuals.

"You watch the video of New York Stock Exchange and what it's meant to this country, what it's meant to the world and an awful lot of people had a hand in taking a small thing and making it into the best in the world - At UConn, we're kind of a little bit of a smaller version of that," Auriemma said. [5:48]

"We've taken something that was a small thing, a small regional university that a lot of you went to back in the day and it's become world-renowned. And it started as a New England University, and now it's a national worldwide university and sports has had a lot to do with that."

Geno Auriemma also showcased his signature humor on the stage. While crediting UConn's leadership for pushing boundaries, he joked that President Radenka Maric's challenging ideas tend to keep the staff awake at night.

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Geno Auriemma built UConn's winning culture from scratch

When Geno Auriemma became the all-time winningest coach in college basketball history in November 2024, he reflected on his early years as the program's coach. The Huskies only had one winning season at the time and were still searching for their first NCAA tournament appearance.

Auriemma landed the role of the head coach in 1985, with his responsibilities extending beyond just coaching and culture building. Alongside Chris Dailey, he was also spearheading ticket sales, media relations and a lot more.

"When we started coaching together, we didn’t have anyone else that we could rely on to help us build what we were trying to build," Auriemma said.

"We relied on each other for everything. We were the ticket office, the recruiting coordinators, the media people, the coaching people. Anything that had to be done, we had to do it."

With its latest NCAA championship, Geno Auriemma's program now has the most national trophies in men's and women's basketball (12). The UCLA Bruins' men held the previous record, 11 title's program.