Lisa Bluder

ST. LOUIS — Former Northern Iowa women’s basketball player and Drake coach Lisa (Geske) Bluder will enter the Missouri Valley Conference’s Hall of Fame as a member of its 28th induction class.

The Valley will hold its annual Hall of Fame ceremony as part of the MVC Men’s Basketball Championship on March 7, 2025, in St. Louis.

While best known for her time as the head coach at the University of Iowa, Bluder got her roots in college basketball playing with the UNI Panthers from 1979-1983. The Marion native and Linn-Mar High School graduate was a three-year starter at UNI, averaging 9.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.

Upon graduating from Northern Iowa, Bluder immediately began her coaching career at St. Ambrose in Davenport. In six seasons, the Queen Bees compiled a 169-36 record under Bluder, who was the NAIA District 15 Coach of the Year four times. Three St. Ambrose teams reached the NAIA National Tournament, including the No. 1-ranked team that went 34-1 before bowing out in the national semifinals in 1990.

At Drake, Bluder was a three-time MVC Coach of the Year in her 11 seasons in Des Moines. The Bulldogs won four MVC Tournament titles and three regular-season crowns as Bluder compiled a cumulative record of 188-105. She was named the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s Coach of the Year in 1997, and in 2000, she was named the new head coach at the University of Iowa.

In 24 seasons with the Hawkeyes, Bluder’s teams made 22 postseason appearances (18 NCAA Tournament, four WNIT). She was named the Big Ten Conference Coach of the Year three times, the WBCA Regional Coach of the Year four times, and the Naismith College Coach of the Year in 2019.

Iowa won the Big Ten regular-season title twice and the Big Ten Tournament five times before Bluder retired in 2024 with a 528-254 record at Iowa and a career record of 884-396.

Bluder also served as head coach of the U.S. women’s basketball coach at the 2015 Pan American Games, earning a silver medal.