Hartford Parade, Rally Set for Sunday

The parade, starting at 4 p.m., will honor UConn's NCAA champion men's and women's basketball teams.

The women's basketball team greets the fans from the bus during a victory lap of campus on April 9. (Angie Reyes/UConn Photo)

The women's basketball team greets the fans from the bus during a victory lap of campus on April 9. (Angie Reyes/UConn Photo)

A victory parade and rally honoring the NCAA champion men’s and women’s basketball teams will take place in Hartford, on Sunday, April 13. All students, faculty, staff, alumni, and other Husky fans are encouraged to attend.

The parade, which will begin and end at the State Capitol, starts at 4 p.m. It will be immediately followed by a victory rally on the north steps of the State Capitol building.

Show your Husky pride and come decked out in your best blue-and-white UConn gear. This is a family-friendly event, so be sure to bring your little Huskies.

Alumni who would like to join fellow Huskies and Jonathan XIV, the Husky dog, as they march behind the UConn Alumni Association banner, should meet at 3 p.m. at the east entrance to the State Capitol (Trinity Street and Capitol Avenue) and look for the Webster Bank/Husky head flag. To march with this group or for more information, email parade@UConnAlumni.com by 5 p.m., today, Friday, April 11.

The parade and rally are being financed by private donations, and are hosted by the Hartford Business Improvement District, in collaboration with the City of Hartford and the State of Connecticut, and a number of civic and business organizations.

“A decade after claiming both titles, UConn women and men have once again focused the spotlight of college basketball on Connecticut by bringing home another dual national championship and proving to the nation why the road to the Final Four always runs through Connecticut,” said Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, who announced the parade and rally. “I’m looking forward to joining thousands of Husky fans in Hartford on Sunday to let both teams and Coaches Auriemma and Ollie know how proud we are of their success this season.”

The parade will begin at the State Capitol, travel north on Trinity Street, take a right on Jewell Street, bear left at Gold Street, turn right onto Main Street, and then make a right onto Capitol Avenue, before returning to the State Capitol where the rally will be held. Download the parade route and parking map.

Watch the women’s team during their Victory Lap on campus on Wednesday.

Among the celebrations following the dual championship wins, UConn’s two basketball head coaches, Geno Auriemma and Kevin Ollie, together with athletics director Warde Manuel, visited the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday to ring the closing bell.

UConn NCAA men’s and women’s championship coaches Kevin Ollie, left, and Geno Auriemma, right, ring the Closing Bell at The New York Stock Exchange on April 10, accompanied by athletics director Warde Manuel. (Photo by Dario Cantatore/NYSE Euronext)
UConn NCAA men’s and women’s championship coaches Kevin Ollie, left, and Geno Auriemma, right, ring the Closing Bell at The New York Stock Exchange on April 10, accompanied by athletics director Warde Manuel. (Photo by Dario Cantatore/NYSE Euronext)