Geno Auriemma's wife Kathy recounts receiving diamond ring 15 years post-wedding: "If he'd given me a diamond back then I'd have had him investigated"

UConn Huskies coach Geno Auriemma is enjoying an eventful 2024-2025 season, which is his 40th with the program. On Wednesday, the 70-year-old steered his team to a 38-point beatdown of the St. John's Red Storm (78-40), and just before that, a 77-40 drubbing of the Providence Friars on Sunday.

On Monday, the coach and his wife, Kathy, took to their Connecticut restaurant, Café Aura, with the South Carolina-Tennessee game on in the background. Auriemma and Kathy bought the establishment back in 2019 (which was called 'Cavey's' at the time) due to their adoring it for many years.

Speaking to the Stamford Advocate at Café Aura, Kathy and Geno Auriemma recounted their journey during the game, and how different life was for them when they were younger, especially financially. Kathy quipped about their situation at the time of their wedding, which was in 1978:

“There was none of this,” Kathy said of their lifestyle. “We met our first year of community college. If he had given me a diamond back then I would have had him investigated.”

As per the Stamford Advocate, Auriemma loaned money from his sister for the reception. It took many years for the couple to reach today's prominence, and after Geno became the UConn Huskies head coach in 1985, the rest was history. His impact on the program would be felt when he first brought the school to its first NCAA Final Four in 1991 and its first national championship in 1995.

To celebrate their 15th anniversary in 1993, Geno Auriemma called Kathy and their children into a room, where he gave her a diamond ring, telling them:

"We’re going to Cavey’s."

Café Aura is very special to Kathy and Geno Auriemma

Café Aura has become a passion project of Geno Auriemma. This is a part of their lives that Kathy adores, and it is special for them because it is separate from basketball. Speaking with the Stamford Advocate this week, Auriemma discussed the restaurant:

"It’s been fun, mostly because there’s a lot of people that we employ that count on us, and there are a lot of people who come here who appreciate that we have a place like this in this town.

“There are very few places like this, if any, this side of the Connecticut River,” Auriemma said. “I don’t think there are any places like this in Hartford, either.”

As for the name, Auriemma explained:

“The word for gold in Italian is Aura. Our last name in Italian means golden gem. And my mother’s maiden name [Biancaniello] means white ring. So you’ve got golden gem and white ring.”

Geno Auriemma has a passion for wines too, as he explained to CT Dish in an exclusive 2020 interview:

"I love finding wines, talking about good wine. ... Obviously, I’m a huge proponent of Italian wines in general. I’ve always been anxious to promote southern Italian wines in this country because I think they’re underrepresented and offer great value. There are great tasting wines, really neat varietals that you don’t find. They’re not the Napa wines, not the Tuscan wines.

"Southern Italian wines have a distinct flavor to them and interesting character about them. The volcanic soil down there just produces some incredible wine."

Geno Auriemma and the Huskies return to action on Sunday, Feb. 16, against the defending national champions in the South Carolina Gamecocks on the road. This will be a huge test for both teams, with both harboring serious ambitions in 2025.