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
- A Dose of History: Love is the Best MedicineAs Valentine’s Day approaches, the UConn School of Pharmacy wants to celebrate the chemistry we find in and out of our classrooms. Meeting at UConn and bonding over their passion for pharmacy, here are two heartfelt love stories. From the heart of UConn Pharmacy, these couples have inspired us to do what we love with the people we love. After all, love is the best medicine!
- Eagles Autism Foundation Awards Research Funding to UConn School of MedicineCutting-edge autism research of UConn Neuroscientist Dr. Eric Levine and his Lab wins $400,000 in research funds thanks to football fans donating to the annual Eagles Autism Challenge
- UConn Firsts: The First Online ClassesSeptember 1994 saw the beginning of what has become a daily part of the college experience for students in the 21st century: online classes
- Message to the Community on the Proposed State BudgetPresident Maric discusses university strengths, priorities
- UConn Nursing Hosts Air Force Representatives to Explore Potential Career PathsRecruiters from the US Air Force Nurse Corps present benefits of joining to capstone class
- Department of Defense Program Funds Study of Cranial RegenerationCongressionally Directed Medical Research Programs Grant for UConn Health researchers studying ultrasound-stimulated regrowth