Lisa Bluder has been married to husband David Bluder since 1984. David is the author of the book The Great Gamble: At What Price.
The Iowa Hawkeyes' head coach Lisa met David while enrolling at the University of Northern Iowa. A year after graduation in 1984, the couple exchanged vows.
Lisa began her coaching career at St. Ambrose University the same year, where she coached for six seasons. She also coached for ten seasons at Drake University before becoming the head coach at the University of Iowa in 2000, earning a salary worth half a million.
Bluder, the head coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball team, successfully guided her team to the Final Four of the NCAA Basketball Tournament on March 27, 2023. The Hawkeyes claimed a resounding victory over the Louisville team led by Hailey Van Lith with a score of 97-83.
One of Bluder's star players, Caitlin Clark, achieved a remarkable feat by becoming the first player in NCAA Tournament history to record a 40-point triple-double.
Lisa Bluder Has Been Married For 38 Years
Lisa Bluder family includes spouse David Bluder and three kids living in Iowa. David is professionally an author and previously worked at a Bluder-owned restro.
The story published by Des Monies Register states that David's parents owned a restaurant called Country Kitchen in Marion, where Lisa Geske, a high school senior, worked as a server.
David's mother wrote a letter to him, mentioning that she had found a potential girlfriend for him and describing Lisa as a cute, bubbly, and blonde girl. In this way, David's mother acted as a matchmaker for them, just like in the musical "Fiddler on the Roof."
Lisa and David's love story may likely have flourished during their time at the University of Northern Iowa, as they both enrolled there, and it was where they met.
Who Is David Bluder?
David L. Bluder is an author who has worked in various fields before starting his writing career.
He obtained a degree in business from Northern Iowa University and completed his MBA at St. Ambrose University. Besides teaching business policies at the University of Iowa, he also served as a banker, politician, business owner, and investor.
Bluder's first novel, The Great Gamble, was published shortly before the NCAA canceled the championship tournaments, just as March Madness started heating up. Despite working as an adjunct professor, Bluder is familiar with basketball.
Originally from Wheaton, a city in the Chicagoland area, Bluder has established himself as a versatile professional with diverse experiences.
Furthermore, Bluder had a successful career in finance, starting with his work at banks and later moving on to the Iowa Transfer system, which eventually became Shazam.
Interestingly, his boss is credited with inventing the ATM card, which made its first debit transaction at the former Dahl's store on Ingersoll Avenue, now known as Price Chopper.
Lisa Bluder Children
Lisa Bluder is a mother to three grown-up children named Hannah, Emma, and David Bluder Jr.
The couple first welcomed their daughter, Hannah Bluder, in May 1997. Like her mother, she is actively involved in basketball and has been part of Iowa's women's basketball program as the director of operations.
Two and half years later, Lisa was pregnant with her second child, Emma, born in May 2000, whereas the youngest, Bluder David Jr., was born in 2002.
Bluder has shared multiple images on her Instagram account, highlighting her time with her kids.
The 61-year-old has also shared images of her children's growth and accomplishments, which she shares with her 5k followers on the platform.
Hannah Bluder
Hannah Bluder graduated from the University of Iowa in 2020 with a degree in sports and recreational management with a business emphasis.
She is pursuing a master's degree in sports administration from Northwestern University.
Bluder is working in her third season with the Iowa women's basketball program as the director of operations. She collaborates closely with the Hawkeye basketball staff to oversee and manage the program's daily operations.
Her duties include planning team travel and activities, overseeing public service opportunities for the team, and organizing summer camps and training tables.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Bluder has work experience as a part-time server at Pullman Bar & Diner and as a wedding event assistant at The Celebration Farm.
Emma Bluder
Emma is also a student at the University of Iowa, where she began to enroll in 2019.
In the same year, on March 24, Emma sang the National Anthem before the second-round game in the 2019 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City.
Emma's athletic pursuits have not been as prominent as those of her older sister. However, a Twitter post revealed her interest in golf, as she wished her friend a happy birthday and thanked her for being her golfing partner.
She is more invested in the fashion world and has launched a fashion page sharing photos of herself wearing trendy casual outfits.
Her Instagram account, which contains 203 posts, is set to private. Her bio features a biblical verse, Psalm 37:4, which reads, "Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart."
Furthermore, Lisa has also shared pictures of Emma on her social media accounts, including a photo of her from her high school prom in May 2017, as well as images of the two enjoying a Mother's Day celebration in Chicago and a pleasant day at the Mercury Theater.
David Bluder Jr.
Lisa's son David Jr is a Grinnell College Men's Basketball team member. He is an alumnus of Solon High School, where he actively played basketball.
In fact, he garnered a plethora of awards, such as the first-team All-Conference, Substate All-Star, and Academic All-Conference.
His impressive performance helped lead his team to a remarkable 21-3 record. David also exhibited a solid academic record and was awarded the Gold Academic Medal upon graduation.
Regarding his basketball statistics, he averaged 14.5 points and three rebounds per game, shooting 47 percent from the field, 39 percent from beyond the arc, and 75 percent from the free-throw line.
Lisa Bluder Parents Are From Marion
Lisa Bluder parents are Shirley Bluder and Larry Geske. Lisa is one of their five children, and she grew up in Marion, Iowa.
According to kcrg.com, her mom and dad were amazed at how Lisa could balance her prominent college basketball coach career with raising a family.
Nevertheless, Shirley and Larry have been there for their daughter, supporting her by attending every Hawkeye game and cheering her on from the stands.
Bluder was a basketball player at the University of Northern Iowa and a three-year starter during her time there. She graduated from UNI in 1983 with a bachelor's degree in marketing.
Her athletic achievements were recognized when she was inducted into the Linn-Mar Athletic Hall of Fame on September 4, 2008.
In addition to this, Bluder's outstanding contributions to the game of basketball were recognized with her induction into the Northern Iowa and St. Ambrose Halls of Fame.
These are prestigious honors bestowed on individuals who have achieved excellence in their field and made significant contributions to their respective institutions.
