In the midst of a budget crisis in Connecticut which would cut $309 million of UConn’s funding, Geno Auriemma remains UConn’s hero.
Auriemma told the Hartford Courant, “I’ll tell you what. I’ll work for free next year.”
He claims that the UConn is “[the biggest] selling point” for Connecticut, and he’s afraid that these large budget cuts are going to strip Connecticut of its value.
Auriemma has a strong dedication to future generations as shown by his statement, “I want to be proud of our town’s education system. Why is it that older people turn their back on education when somebody paid for their kids when they were in school? We’ve lost sight of what we have to do for other people.”
Auriemma has been the head coach of the UConn women’s basketball team since 1985, and in that time, the UConn women’s team has won 11 NCAA national championships, breaking the national record of 10 titles in 2016.
Needless to say, Geno has played a large role in making UConn what it is today, and he continues to pour his support into the university during this crisis.
“Whether athletics survive, whether women’s basketball is around in 10 years from now, that’s not my concern on this point,” he says.
“But this is way bigger than football or basketball. When I came here this was the kind of school where people didn’t have a choice that was better than this one.”
Hopefully, UConn can find a resolution to this budget crisis that doesn’t involve anyone working for free, but Geno’s offer to give up his 2.4 million dollar salary just goes to show how much he truly cares about the future of the students and the University.