Geno Auriemma: The Winningest Loser - Dingus of the Week Podcast #21

You may know Geno Auriemma as the winningest coach in NCAA basketball history. Twelve championships. Forty seasons. The kind of record that fluffs up the first sentence of everything written about you. And not for no reason.But last weekend, UConn's undefeated season came to a stunning end in the Final Four against Dawn Staley's South Carolina Gamecocks. Auriemma—who for the record, was losing the entire game—decided his legacy needed one more thing: a full toddler meltdown on national television. He exploded during the post-game handshake line. And the rest is the internet.Staley, for her part, might have told him she was going to beat his ass. But after a season like this, she deserves a break. This week on DINGUS OF THE WEEK, hosts LYZ LENZ and ZACHARY OREN SMITH tell Staley, "Put us in coach." And because they haven't touched a basketball in a decade, they're joined by special guest, veteran sports journalist and author of Bad Company MEGAN GREENWELL to explain why a 72-year-old man who wins all the time can't take the L.Also mentioned this episode: The GOAT Coach Jackie ESPN's panel on the Geno meltdown The Cubs manager who called fans unemployed cocksuckersDINGUS OF THE WEEK is a weekly comedy news podcast where writers Lyz and Zach light a fire under the American rogue's gallery to see who comes spilling out. If you're tired of doom-scrolling but know ignoring the problem doesn't get us anywhere, this is your new weekend listen. New episodes every Saturday morning.SUPPORT THE SHOW by subscribing on Patreon.👑 $5/month - Not a Dingus tier (3 weekly newsletters, 1 podcast, and our entire archive)👑👑 $10/month - Definitely Not a Dingus tier (all the above + polls and topic submissions, a chat community, weekly discussions, comment access, and our love)SEND US YOUR DINGUS. Record a voice memo and tell us who your dingus of the week is. Make it good and you'll hear your voice on the show. You can also email those to [email protected]. FOLLOW DINGUS OF THE WEEKYoutubeInstagramLYZ LENZ is the HBIC of MYAM Media. ZACHARY OREN SMITH writes about politics for Iowa Starting Line. Follow his work on Instagram (http://instagram.com/zacharyorensmith) and TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@zacharyorensmith).MEGAN GREENWELL is a writer, editor, and newsroom leader. Her bestselling book, Bad Company: Private Equity and the Death of the American Dream, was published in 2025. She also writes narrative features, edits stories on contract, and works as a consultant to newsrooms ranging from local startups to major magazines.LAURA BENITEZ wrote the theme song.SHOW RUNDOWN:00:00 — Zach on recession-proof-ing your war profiteering01:03 — Intro and subscribe 01:06 — Guest intro: Megan Greenwell, ball knower01:07 — Dingus: Geno Auriemma01:15 — Geno complicates his legacy and Dawn Staley's rise01:36 — Break01:36 — Game: spot the fake sports crash-out01:43 — The Cubs manager who called fans unemployed cocksuckers01:46 — Lyz exposed 01:46 — Joy: Megan on raising the next gen of journoalists01:48 — Joy: Lyz on loving Tana French01:51 — Joy: Zach makes the case for cheese on cherry pie01:55 — Outro and voicemail plug