St Ambrose Bees.

Drake Bulldogs.

Iowa Hawkeyes.

38th year coaching.

799 wins.

It’s been quite the run for Iowa Women’s Basketball Head Coach Lisa Bluder and she is one win away from hitting a big milestone. 800 wins.

“When it does happen…It’s just one of those times that you just step back and are so thankful. Thankful for the people that you’ve been able to be around,” said Coach Bluder. “Jan Jensen and Jenni Fitzgerald have been a part of how many of these victories and all the kids you’ve gotten the opportunity to coach, and you just don’t accomplish these things without an administration that supports you.”

Her coaching career started right out of college, when she took the helm at St Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa. She was able to guide the Bees to four straight NAIA Tournaments, including back-to-back Final Four appearances. She was named the NAIA Coach of the Year in 1990 and is in the Quad City Sports Hall of Fame for her coaching efforts at SAU.

After St Ambrose, Bluder would spend ten seasons at Drake University, where she would guide the Bulldogs five postseason appearances in her last six seasons, including four NCAA Tournament appearances and a WNIT semifinal appearance.

In 2000, she made the move just a couple hours to the east to take over the Iowa Hawkeyes Women’s Basketball program.

“When I signed at Iowa, 21 years ago, I got a five year contract and I said “oh I get five years”.

Now in her 22nd season with the Hawkeyes, she has taken her teams to the postseason in all, but two seasons, including 15 NCAA Tournament appearances. She has coached so many great players, including three All-Americans and many All-Big Ten selections.

Recent names may ring a bell like Megan Gustafson, Ally Disterhoft, Kathleen Doyle, Samantha Logic and now Caitlin Clark, who is on the #8 team in the country.

“I am very very thankful, that’s the only way that I can explain it.”

With the win against Southern this evening, Lisa Bluder sits just one win away from the 800-win milestone and she has the opportunity to achieve it on Sunday against her former school Drake.

“It almost makes it kind of weird to be quite honest. I spent ten years there. That’s a decade of your life…I kind of wish it was against someone else to be real honest.”

She currently sits in the top 20 on the all-time women’s basketball wins list and at just 60 years old, 1000 wins may not be out of the question. However, Coach Bluder says that there is no way of knowing if that is reachable based on a number of factors, but 800 wins is in the very very near future.