Geno Auriemma 'Winningest Coach' Bobbleheads Unveiled Friday

STORRS, CT — Friday morning marked the unveiling of special edition bobbleheads honoring University of Connecticut women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma.

The bobbleheads are being produced by the Milwaukee-based National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, an official licensee of UConn.

Standing on rectangular base with a grass-like texture and UConn Huskies across the front, the first Auriemma bobblehead is positioned next to a highway sign that reads, "Welcome to Connecticut … Home of the Winningest Coach in College Basketball History … Coach Geno Auriemma." The Auriemma bobblehead is also holding a basketball adorned with the UConn Huskies logo.

Positioned on a rectangular base with a red carpet-like texture and his name across the front, the second Auriemma bobblehead is standing next to a framed UConn home jersey with the number 1,217.

The third bobblehead is a Geno Auriemma Win Counter that can be adjusted with each UConn victory. Standing on a basketball court base, the Auriemma bobblehead is giving the No. 1 signal and holding a basketball adorned with the UConn Huskies logo.

The bobbleheads, which will be individually numbered to 2,024, are only available through the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum. The bobbleheads are $40 each or $110 for the set of three. There is a flat-rate shipping charge of $8 per order. The bobbleheads are expected to ship in May.

On Nov. 20 at Gampel Pavilion, Auriemma became the winningest coach in NCAA college basketball history when he earned his 1,217th victory as UConn beat Fairleigh Dickinson, 85-41.

The 70-year-old Auriemma, who is in his 40th season leading the Huskies, broke a tie with retired Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer for the most victories all time. Former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski holds the men’s record with 1,202.

The Huskies celebrated Auriemma and associate head coach Chris Dailey’s 40 years at the school with more than 60 former players, including former UConn greats Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore and Rebecca Lobo in attendance.

Auriemma has led UConn to 11 NCAA championships, 23 Final Fours, six perfect seasons, 17 undefeated conference seasons, 28 regular season conference titles, 27 conference tournament titles, and separate win streaks of 98 and 111 games.

He has won eight national Naismith College Coach of the Year awards and has been named AP National Coach of the Year nine times, WBCA National Coach of the Year seven times and conference Coach of the Year 16 times.

A 2006 inductee to both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, Auriemma was the head coach of the United States women’s national basketball team from 2009 through 2016. During that time, his teams won the 2010 and 2014 World Championships, and gold medals at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics, going undefeated in all four tournaments. Under Auriemma, 27 Huskies have been selected as WBCA All-Americans for 48 total recognitions while a Husky has been named National Player of the Year 14 times. Off the court, the Huskies boast a 100 percent graduation rate among four-year student-athletes while regularly participating in community service and outreach.

"We're excited to unveil these bobbleheads of legendary basketball coach Geno Auriemma in honor of his milestone victory,” National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum co-founder and CEO Phil Sklar said. "One of the most successful coaches in the history of sports, Coach Auriemma’s UConn teams have been the standard of excellence for 40 years. These bobbleheads are a must-have for fans of the Huskies and Coach Geno."

Click here to access the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum store.