Do you like basketball? Do you know who Lisa Bluder is? She is the head coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball team and one of the most successful coaches in the history of the sport. She has won over 850 games in her career and has led her team to many championships and awards. But before she became a coach, she was also a student and a player. In this article, we will answer the question: Where did Lisa Bluder go to college?
Name: Lisa Bluder
College Attended: University of Northern Iowa
Degree(s) Earned: Bachelor of Arts in Marketing
Graduation Year: 1983
Notable Achievements: Four-year letter winner, team captain, Academic All-American
Impact of Education: Learned valuable skills and knowledge for her basketball career and future endeavors
Educational Journey
Lisa Bluder attended the University of Northern Iowa from 1979 to 1983, where she majored in marketing. She chose this major because she wanted to learn more about the business side of sports and how to promote her career as a professional athlete. She also had a passion for basketball and wanted to play at the college level.
Bluder was a member of the Northern Iowa Panthers women’s basketball team, one of the best programs in the Midwest. She played both guard and forward positions for the Panthers and was a four-year letter winner. She was also a team captain in her senior year and led her team to a 23-6 record and a berth in the AIAW national tournament.
Bluder was not only a star on the court but also in the classroom. She maintained a high-grade point average throughout her college years and was named an Academic All-American in 1983. She also received the Purple and Old Gold Award, which is given to the most outstanding senior student in each major.
Bluder was also active in the campus community, participating in various clubs and organizations. She was a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, which represents the interests and concerns of student-athletes. She was also involved in the Marketing Club, which provides opportunities for students to network and learn from professionals in the field.
Early Life and Background
Lisa Bluder was born in Appleton, Wisconsin on April 16, 1961. She is the daughter of Robert and Mary Geske, who were both teachers. She has two brothers, Mark and Scott, who also play basketball.
Bluder started playing basketball at age 5 and showed a natural talent for the sport. She attended Linn-Mar High School in Marion, Iowa, where she moved with her family when she was 12 years old. She was a standout player for the Lions and helped them win two state championships in 1977 and 1979. She also earned many individual honors, such as all-state, all-conference, and all-metro selections.
Bluder graduated from high school in 1979 and received several scholarship offers from colleges across the country. She decided to attend Northern Iowa because she liked the campus atmosphere and the coaching staff. She also wanted to stay close to her family and friends.
Post-College Journey
After graduating from college in 1983, Bluder went on to play professional basketball in Germany for two years. She played for a team called TuS Lichterfelde Berlin, where she averaged 30 points per game. She also learned to speak German fluently during her time abroad.
Bluder returned to the United States in 1985 and began her coaching career at St. Ambrose University, a small Catholic school in Davenport, Iowa. She coached there for six years and turned the Bees into a powerhouse in NAIA Division II. She won four national tournaments, two Final Fours, and one national championship. She also earned several coaching awards, such as NAIA Coach of the Year and District Coach of the Year.
Bluder then moved to Drake University, a larger school in Des Moines, Iowa, where she coached for 10 years. She led the Bulldogs to nine postseason appearances, six conference titles, and four NCAA tournaments. She also developed many star players, such as Jan Jensen (who later became her assistant coach at Iowa), Tricia Wakely (who became an Academic All-American), and Wanda Ford (who became an Olympian).
In 2000, Bluder became the head coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball team, one of the most prestigious programs in the Big Ten Conference. She has been coaching there ever since and has achieved many milestones and accomplishments. Some of them include:
- Winning over 850 games in her career
- Becoming Iowa’s all-time winningest coach
- Leading Iowa to 21 postseason appearances (17 NCAA tournaments)
- Winning four Big Ten tournament titles (2001, 2019,2022,2023)
- Winning two Big Ten regular season titles (2008,2022)
- Reaching the Final Four for the first time in 2023
- Being named Naismith Coach of the Year in 2019
- Being named Big Ten Coach of the Year three times (2001, 2008, 2010)
- Being inducted into the Quad City Times Hall of Fame in 2012 and the Des Moines Register Hall of Fame in 2016
Impact and Significance
Lisa Bluder is one of the most respected and admired coaches in women’s basketball. She has proven herself as a leader, a mentor, and a role model for her players and staff. She has also shown that she is a well-rounded and well-educated person, who values her college education and uses it to enhance her basketball career and future endeavors.
Bluder has often spoken about how her college experience helped her grow as a person and as a player. She said that she learned valuable skills and knowledge in marketing, such as communication, creativity, and problem-solving, that she can apply to her own career and business ventures. She also said that she enjoyed the academic challenge and the social environment of college and that she made lifelong friends and connections there.
Bluder has also expressed her gratitude to Northern Iowa for allowing her to play college basketball and earn a degree. She said that she is proud to be a Panther and that she still follows and supports the Northern Iowa Panthers women’s basketball team. She also said that she hopes to inspire other young basketball players to pursue their college education goals, and to show them that they can balance both academics and athletics.
Conclusion
In this article, we have answered the question: Where did Lisa Bluder go to college? We have learned that she attended Northern Iowa from 1979 to 1983, where she majored in marketing. We have also known about her educational journey, her early life and background, her post-college journey, and her impact and significance.
Lisa Bluder is a remarkable example of a successful basketball coach who also has a college education. She has demonstrated that she is not only a talented athlete, but also a smart and savvy businesswoman, a dedicated student, and a generous community member. She has shown that a college education can be beneficial for professional athletes and that it can open up many opportunities and possibilities for them.
We hope that you have enjoyed reading this article and that you have learned something new about Lisa Bluder. ]