Geno Auriemma, the legendary UConn women’s basketball coach with a record-setting 1,217 victories in November 2024, didn’t build his dynasty alone. Behind every championship, every locker room speech, and every tough coaching moment, there’s been his wife, Kathy Auriemma (née Osler), and their three kids, Jenna, Alysa, and Michael, forming the backbone of his personal and professional life.
Their story isn’t just about basketball; it’s about a 46-year marriage that started with a reluctant car ride in 1972 at Montgomery County Junior College, where Geno played basketball and Kathy cheered. “There’s probably two versions of the story of how we met,” Geno once joked. “My version is she has been following me around for about a week, or something like that, you know, stalking me. And hers is probably closer to the truth.”
The truth? After a game, Kathy asked for a ride home to her apartment above a drugstore. Geno, pretending to be annoyed, said, “The rest is history.” They married in 1978, borrowing money from Geno’s sister for their wedding reception, and Kathy remembers sneaking off to open gifts early because they needed cash to pay the venue that same day.
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Kathy isn’t just the coach’s life partner; she’s the heart of UConn’s program, a role players like Diana Taurasi and Stefanie Dolson openly celebrate. Taurasi once shouted her out during a ceremony at Gampel Pavilion, recalling driveway conversations where Kathy would laugh and say, “Me too, Dee. Me too,” when Taurasi joked about quitting because of Geno’s intensity.
The Auriemmas’ home in Manchester has been a sanctuary for players for decades. “There were times when players would show up at my house, and I’ll be, like, ‘What are you doing here?’” Geno said. “They came to have dinner with Kathy. I would just leave.” Kathy’s ability to mediate, whether calming Geno down during team conflicts or offering players a safe space, has been pivotal. “She’s the first one to take their side,” Geno admitted. “She’ll say, ‘Why are you thinking that? Put yourself in their shoes.’” Her influence extends to road trips and locker rooms, where she’s been a constant presence, celebrating wins and soothing losses.
The couple’s three kids (whose ages or birth years have not been publicly disclosed) grew up in this whirlwind, each carving their own paths. Jenna, the eldest, lives privately with her husband, Todd Stigliano, and their son, Christian James, born in 2010—Geno and Kathy’s first grandchild.
Alysa, the middle baby, inherited her mom’s love of words and wit. A UConn grad with a degree in English literature, she teaches at her alma mater, Miss Porter’s School, and coaches basketball there. “My mom’s independent streak is what makes her marriage to my dad work,” Alysa wrote. “Someone more accustomed to co-dependency would not be OK with all that alone time. But my mom shrugs it off.” She also described Kathy as a “handler, like Scandal’s Olivia Pope,” a former English teacher who ruled with guilt trips, not yelling.
Michael, the youngest, studied media at Assumption University and now works at Comcast Business as an Enterprise Account Executive. The family expanded with three more grandchildren, giving Geno precious downtime away from the court, like when he and Kathy held their granddaughter Gia during Super Bowl parties at their restaurant, Café Aura, a converted favorite spot, Cavey’s, which they bought in 2019.
Kathy’s Philadelphia roots, where she grew up in the suburbs as the daughter of a child actress who knew Judy Garland and a decorated war hero, shaped her steel backbone and progressive values. That toughness served her well as Geno’s career took off, from assistant coaching gigs to UConn’s helm in 1985. She balanced raising kids while Geno traveled, even as the family moved from a Willimantic apartment to Manchester.
Her role as “Mrs. A” became unofficial team mom. Former players like Meghan Culmo included her in their weddings, and current stars lean on her for advice. “When you think of the brains of UConn basketball, you think of coach Auriemma,” Dolson said. “But when you think of the heart, you think of Mrs. A.” Kathy’s presence is so ingrained that when Geno Auriemma won his 12th NCAA title on April 6, 2025, a dominant 82-59 victory over South Carolina, she was there, just as she’d been for all the others, a quiet force in the chaos.
