As a result of her legendary women’s college basketball head coaching career and work as a color analyst for the Big Ten Network and NBC/Peacock, Lisa Bluder has been honored with the 2026 Joe Lapchick Character Award.
Presented annually since 2007, the Joe Lapchick Character Award celebrates the basketball figures from all levels of men’s and women’s basketball who have demonstrated honorable character throughout their careers.
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This year, Bluder is joined by Notre Dame men’s basketball head coach Mike Brey, Yale men’s basketball head coach James Jones, and sportscaster and longtime host of “Inside the NBA,” Ernie Johnson Jr.
Bluder spent her final 24 seasons of an incredible 40-year head coaching career with Iowa women’s basketball, where she finished as the Hawkeyes’ and Big Ten Conference’s winningest women’s basketball coach (528-254). She retired in 2024 after leading the Hawkeyes to the national championship game in two straight seasons while coaching the legendary Caitlin Clark.
She began her coaching career as the head coach at St. Ambrose University for six seasons (1985-90), leading the Bees to two NAIA Final Four appearances. She then spent 10 years at Drake, where she coached current Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder, before coming to Iowa in 2000.
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When she retired from coaching after the Hawkeyes’ appearance in the 2024 National Championship Game, she had 894 all-time wins, ranking her No. 3 among active head coaches at the time.
With Bluder scheduled to cover Iowa’s (18-4, 9-2 Big Ten) Feb. 5 matchup against Minnesota (17-6, 5-6 Big Ten) from Carver-Hawkeye Arena as color commentator for the Big Ten Network’s coverage, she will likely be acknowledged by the Hawkeyes for her latest achievement during the broadcast.
Fans can tune into Bluder’s call tonight when Iowa and Minnesota tip off at 6 p.m. CT.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa women’s basketball legend receives Joe Lapchick Character Award
