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April 9, 2024

UPDATED: Plans announced for UConn victory parade, as men's basketball team celebrates 6th national championship

UConn Athletics The UConn men's basketball team celebrates its sixth national championship Monday night in Phoenix, Arizona.
By Greg Bordonaro

It didn't take long for Hartford-area business leaders who stayed up late Monday night watching the UConn men’s basketball team earn its sixth national championship — its second in two years — to receive a wake-up call from boosters looking for financial and other support for a victory parade in Hartford. 

Gov. Ned Lamont announced details of the parade shortly after 12 p.m.

The parade will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday, stepping off at the state Capitol at the intersection of Trinity and Elm streets in downtown Hartford.

From there, it will proceed north on Trinity Street, through the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch, turn right onto Jewell Street, left onto Trumbull Street, and end at the intersection of Asylum and Trumbull streets.

Then, a rally will begin at about 11:30 a.m. outside of the main entrance of the XL Center on Trumbull Street, where players, coaches and other guests will give speeches. 

“For the second year in a row, the UConn men’s basketball team wowed the nation by dominating the NCAA tournament, and now it’s time for Connecticut to give them the victory celebration they deserve,” Lamont said. “I urge basketball fans from all over Connecticut to come to Hartford on Saturday morning and show the Huskies how much this team means to our state and how proud we are of their accomplishments.”

The UConn men’s team Monday night completed a dominant 37-3 season with a 75-60 victory over Purdue to win the 2024 NCAA Division I national championship. It’s the second national championship in two years, and the men’s team’s sixth national championship overall. 

UConn is now among the winningest college basketball programs of all-time, moving ahead of Duke, which has five national titles. Only UCLA (11) and Kentucky (eight) have more national championships. North Carolina also has six national titles. 

The UConn women’s basketball team, which lost in this year’s Final Four to Iowa, has won a record 11 NCAA championships.

An estimated 45,000 people descended on downtown Hartford last April to attend the victory parade after the UConn men’s team won its fifth national championship.

The parade last year was funded by private dollars only, with the business community donating over $75,000 in just a few days to support it. 

Sponsorship opportunities

This year, parade and rally organizers are again asking for private donations and business sponsorships to finance the event. No state or city funding is expected to be used.

The event is produced by the Hartford Business Improvement District with help from the state and city, along with a number of civic and business organizations.

To sponsor the event, businesses may choose from several sponsorship levels ranging from $10,000 to $2,500 or less. Those interested in sponsorship opportunities should contact Chip McCabe at the Hartford Business Improvement District as soon as possible at 860-770-0788 or cmccabe@hartfordbid.com.

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