UConn Firsts: ESPN College GameDay
ESPN College GameDay, the network’s weekly college basketball preview show, has originated from Gampel Pavilion five times. UConn played host to the first-ever GameDay for men’s basketball twenty years ago this week on January 22, 2005, and the first-ever for women’s basketball on January 16, 2010. GameDay has also made the trip to Gampel for men’s games in 2012, 2014 and, most recently, in 2024. The show is televised before a raucous audience of mostly students and sets the stage for important basketball weekends. Among the hosts of GameDay that have made their way to UConn are Rece Davis, Jay Bilas, Digger Phelps, Dick Vitale, Doris Burke, Jay Williams, Seth Greenberg, Andraya Carter, and Christine Williamson. UConn and the Bristol-based ESPN have a long tradition dating back to a demonstration weekend of programming in November of 1978. A UConn men’s basketball exhibition game and a men’s soccer match were part of that early programming. UConn’s first-ever NCAA championship in any sport was won by the field hockey team in 1981 and the final game was televised live on ESPN. UConn graduates have gained fame on ESPN’s airwaves, including Rebecca Lobo, Dan Orlovsky, Darius Butler, and Molly Qerim.
Latest UConn Today
- Professor John Mathieu to Receive Academy of Management Organizational Behavior Lifetime Achievement AwardMathieu was nominated for the award by a team of former Ph.D. students, who contacted 30 professional acquaintances and asked them to submit recommendations to the 21,000-member Academy. While Mathieu said he is proud to see the impact of his work, he is equally excited to have mentored so many outstanding students.
- Leading with Resilience Personally and ProfessionallyMeet Resilient Administrative Program Coordinator Cassandra Keola of UConn School of Medicine’s Department of Medicine
- Increasing Contingency Management Incentives Will Help More Patients Recover from AddictionJAMA Psychiatry study recommends nationwide Contingency Management care guardrails with data-driven, evidence-based reward amounts to ensure effective and better care outcomes
- UConn School of Nursing Hosts Third Annual Early Introduction to the Nursing Profession Program‘Fostering a strong, diverse, and prepared future workforce.’ - MaryAnn Perez-Brescia, Ph.D., RN
- Despite Ad Bans, Young Children Frequently See Junk Food Promotions on YouTube and YouTube KidsNew study from UConn Rudd Center finds that children as young as age 3 are exposed to unhealthy food brand promotions when viewing videos on mobile devices
- CT DEEP Releases New Wildlife Action Plan with Support from UConn’s CAHNRWith the goal of identifying species in need and actions to take, the Statewide Wildlife Action Plan incorporates scientific expertise and comments from the public
