Great rise for Lisa Bluder, the coach? The governor of Iowa said and thought the following.
KTIV – Des Moines, Iowa Lisa Bluder, the head coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball team, has accomplished more than anybody else. Not only did she lead the team to its first-ever National Championship game the previous year, but she has now accomplished it twice in a row.
The Hawkeyes were defeated by South Carolina 87-75 on Sunday.
Is Coach Bluder’s salary enough in light of the team’s recent, historically successful performance?
“No, I don’t believe that. At the Iowa Statehouse on Tuesday, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds told reporters, “They should up her pay,” before joking, “I’m teasing.”
According to the University of Iowa sports website, Bluder has coached the Hawkeyes for 24 seasons. These are his accomplishments:
850-391 (.685) total score in total
494-249 (.664) Iowa record
Big Ten record, 247–142 (.635), at Iowa
On February 10, 2014 (Northwestern, 90–84), surpassed Hall of Famer C. Vivian Stringer (269 wins) to become Iowa’s all-time winningest coach in school history. Stringer was also surpassed in terms of most victories against Big Ten opponents (247)
The 14th-most successful coach in NCAA Division I women’s basketball (850 wins)
2019 Dean of the Big Ten Coaching Staff Coach of the Year at Naismith
led the Hawkeyes in 2021–22 to their first Big Ten regular-season crown and Big Ten Tournament Championship in the same year. In 2018–19, he guided the Hawkeyes to their first Big Ten Tournament crown since 2001.
led the 2022–23 Hawkeyes to their first Final Four since 1993 and their first National Championship appearance in school history
During her 23 years, she led Iowa to 16 and 20-win seasons, including 14 of the previous 16 years.
led Iowa to its first Sweet Sixteen since 1996 in 2015; the state would return in 2021; and in 2019 it would reach its first Elite Eight since 1993.
2015 Winner of the Carol Eckman Award
Big Ten Coach of the Year three times (in 2001, 2008, and 2010)
WBCA Regional Coach of the Year three times (in 2001, 2008, 2018, 2019)
had a winning record over her 23 years at Iowa, including 17 Big Ten Conference upper division finishes.
appointed to the WBCA Board of Directors’ Division I Midwest Representative in 2003
has served on the Midwest Regional Advisory Committee for the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championships, the WBCA Kodak All-American Selection Committee, the Quad City Times Hall of Fame (2012), the Des Moines Register Hall of Fame (2016), and 800 CLUB
One of the four head coaches in Division I currently in practice with more than 850 victories
1 out of 14 women’s coaches to win more than 850 games
1 of 24 coaches (male or female) to win more than 850 games
The Hawkeyes men’s basketball coach Fran McCaffery makes $3.2 million year, which is more than double Bluder’s basic pay of $1.4 million. The McCaffery squad was unable to secure a spot in the 68-team 2024 NCAA Tournament.
McCaffery has won more games as coach of the Hawkeye men’s team than any other coach in his 14 years in the position. In the NCAA tournament, his teams have never gone past the round of 32.
Reynolds wants Bluder to be recognized for her achievements, even if she isn’t asking for a wage raise in honor of her work. “She did a fantastic job. The athletes and talent this season have been amazing. That group has permanently altered women’s sports.
This season, the team—led by Caitlin Clark, a generational superstar—broke attendance and watching records. For the very first time, more people watched the women’s National Championship than the men’s.
While 14.8 million people watched the University of Connecticut men’s game on Monday, when they defeated Purdue University 75-60, an estimated 18.7 million people watched the women’s game on Sunday.
