HARTFORD, Conn. — Geno Auriemma isn’t going anywhere.
The 11-time national championship-winning head coach of the UConn women’s basketball team signed a five-year contract extension, retroactive for 2020-21, that’s worth at least $15 million — suggesting the 67-year-old Hall of Famer isn’t intending on retiring anytime soon.
Auriemma, who has been the head coach at UConn since 1985, remains the highest-paid coach on average in the sport, even after former Baylor coach Kim Mulkey inked an eight-year, $23.6 million package with LSU this spring. UConn men’s coach Dan Hurley recently signed a two-year contract extension through 2027 that’ll pay him $2.9 million in 2021-22.
“I would like to thank David Benedict and the University of Connecticut leadership for their continued commitment to me and the women’s basketball program,” Auriemma said in a statement. “UConn has been great to me for the last 36 years and I look forward to being here for at least a few more years. I think the future for our program, and UConn Athletics, is exciting.”
“Geno Auriemma has meant so much to the University of Connecticut, and to our entire state, for the last 36 years,” added UConn director of athletics David Benedict. “The program that Geno has built is the gold standard in college athletics and I’m thrilled that he will continue to lead it for the foreseeable future.”
Auriemma’s contract, which The Hartford Courant obtained, has an annual base salary of $600,000, up from $400,000. The bulk of Auriemma’s compensation comes from media, consulting and speaking appearance fees, starting at $2.2 million in the first year and increasing to $2.6 million by the final year of the contract. He and the university can mutually agree to extend the contract by up to two additional one-year periods.
Auriemma will receive additional payouts for postseason success and coach of the year awards, which could total over seven months worth of annual salary if UConn wins the national title. He also receives perks such as tickets to UConn games, a car allowance and a family membership to the Hartford Golf Club.
Auriemma was paid $2.8 million in 2020-21. With his total compensation increasing by $100,000 each year, he is set to take home $3.2 million in 2025, when he will be 71.
Should Auriemma resign or retire in good standing, Auriemma can take a job in the athletics department for a maximum of five years worth $500,000 ($100,000 more than stipulated in his previous contract). Otherwise, he will receive a payment of $1.5 million, up from $1 million, within 90 days of his departure.
Auriemma’s buyout, if he were to be fired without just cause, remained consistent, starting with $5 million in the first year of his contract and decreasing by $500,000 each year afterwards. This is also the same payment structure Auriemma would owe the university should he take another head coaching job in Division I basketball or in the pros.
When asked about retirement in recent years, Auriemma said he suspects he’ll just know when it’s time to step away. Part of his equation, he’s mentioned, would entail whether he can still recruit the hard-working, championship-minded kids he’s had come to Storrs over the last 36 years.
Bringing in the right kids also doesn’t seem to be a problem in the immediate future. Auriemma gave glowing remarks on UConn’s incoming freshman class, which features No. 1 overall recruit Azzi Fudd, Caroline Ducharme, Amari DeBerry and early enrollee Saylor Poffenbarger.
“It’s a combination of kids that I love,” Auriemma said of the 2021 signees in November. “I love them as kids, I love them as people because they are really, really exceptional human beings. ... We got four exceptional people, as exceptional as any group of players I’ve ever brought in, ever, in my 35 years, in what kind of people they are, and their backgrounds and their situations, all that stuff.”
The coach had to navigate this year’s team through a COVID-19 disrupted season, something he admitted took a mental toll. He also contracted the virus prior to the team’s departure for the NCAA Tournament. In the face of those challenges, Auriemma found himself rejuvenated by the 2020-21 freshman class, headlined by national player of the year Paige Bueckers.
Auriemma surpassed Pat Summitt’s 1,098 career wins mark in January and now has the second-most wins in the sport with 1,119, six behind 2021 national champion Tara VanDerveer of Stanford. The freshmen-dominant Huskies fell to Arizona in the Women’s Final Four in San Antonio this April, their 13th consecutive national semifinal appearance but fourth straight NCAA Tournament without taking home the title.
Alexa Philippou can be reached at aphilippou@courant.com
