The Huskies will honor the pair against Fairleigh Dickinson by inviting every alumni back to campus.
With Geno Auriemma and Chris Dailey set to enter their 40th season with UConn women’s basketball this fall, the school is planning a series of celebrations throughout the 2024-25 campaign to honor the pair.
The main event will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 20 at Gampel Pavilion when every student-athlete who played under Auriemma and Dailey will be invited back for the Huskies’ contest against Fairleigh Dickinson.
The coach could make history that night. Auriemma is just three victories behind the recently retired Tara VanDerveer on the Division I basketball all-time wins list, and Fairleigh Dickinson is the fourth game of the season. If UConn starts the season 3-0 (with wins over Boston University, USF and UNC), he’ll become the sport’s all-time wins leader by beating the Knights.
In addition to that game, the Huskies will have other “promotions, giveaways and announcements” across the course of the season, which will be revealed at a later date.
Auriemma has won more than anyone in the history of college basketball since being hired at UConn in 1985. He has a record 11 national championships, guided his team to separate win streaks of 111 and 90 games, reached 14 consecutive Final Fours between 2008-22 and has collected 59 conference titles. Auriemma was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.
Dailey, meanwhile, joined Auriemma’s staff when he arrived in Storrs and has been his top lieutenant ever since. She earned her own place in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018 and owns a perfect 16-0 record as acting head coach when Auriemma’s missed time.
UConn’s upcoming season is one of the most anticipated in recent memory. Coming off the program’s best average attendance since 2005-06, there are less than 600 season tickets left at Gampel Pavilion.
First Night will mark the unofficial start to the campaign next month (date still TBA) before it kicks off in earnest on for Nov. 7 against Boston University.