After hammering out the details of the players gearing up for tomorrow’s final showdown, it’s now time to shed some light on the driving force behind those dribblers. The landscape of college women’s basketball has changed in recent times, and that too has happened with the efforts of the head coaches’ guidance and the players’ pivotal gameplay. On one hand, it’s determined Dawn Staley, and on the other, it’s relentless Lisa Bluder.

Now dawning upon us is this year’s national championship game scheduled to be played tomorrow. Meanwhile, let’s explore some insights about these magnificent coaches’ salaries, college basketball careers, and their journey in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

How much do Dawn Staley and Lisa Bluder earn as head coaches?

According to USA Today‘s data on women’s college basketball head coaches, South Carolina’s head coach Dawn Staley gets paid a total pay of $3.1 million in the SEC, with a maximum bonus of $680,000. Diving a little deeper, Dawn Staley did face some pandemic-related pay reductions of around $35,416 in the 2021–22 season. During the same season, Staley received a pay increase. Simply put, Staley received a total pay of $1.8 million beginning April 1, 2021 and ending September 30, 2021. Then, from October 1, 2021, until April 20, 2022, she received a total pay at an annual rate of $2.9 million.

On the other hand, Iowa’s head coach Lisa Bluder gets paid less than half of Dawn Staley’s at $1.4 million in the Big Ten, with a maximum bonus of $570,000. Bluder also received an automatic pay increase for the team winning the Big Ten Conference Tournament and playing in the NCAA Tournament. But there is still a catch to Bluder’s salary situation, i.e., she will receive an increased base pay for the next season only if the Hawkeyes win the 2023–24 national championship title.

In terms of salary, Dawn Staley ranks at #3, while Lisa Bluder ranks at #8 on the list of highest-paid coaches in women’s college basketball. Now, having that discussed, let’s look at Staley and Bluder’s NCAA careers.

Staley and Bluder’s NCAA journey

Staley attended the University of Virginia from 1988 to 1992. During her college basketball career, Staley garnered some remarkable accolades, including the ACC Player of the Year, USBWA Player of the Year, WBCA Player of the Year, Naismith College Player of the Year, and Honda Sports Award in her freshman and sophomore seasons. Finishing her collegiate career with 2135 points, Staley previously held an NCAA record of 454 career steals, which was later broken by Natalie White. Staley concluded her college basketball career as the school’s all-time leading scorer, along with the ACC’s all-time leader in assists with 729. However, Staley’s record was broken by later UVA trailblazers Monica Wright and Sharnee Zoll.

In 1979. Bluder then attended the University of Northern Iowa, where she played for the school’s women’s basketball team as a forward starter for three seasons. In her collegiate career, she played 108 games with an average of 9.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. With her stellar performance at the time, Bluder entered under her name in the Panthers’ record books, playing 31 games in a single season. Moreover, her 19 rebound games against Illinois-Chicago became the second highest stat in Northern Iowa’s history, while her team tallied a collective record of 57-30.

For Bluder, life has been more interesting in coaching. As a result, after graduating from Northern Iowa in 1983, Bluder began her coaching career at St. Ambrose University. There she spent six successful seasons, transforming the Bees into strong competitors who made it to four straight national tournaments, including two consecutive appearances in the Final Four. The year 1990 was Bluder’s last season at St. Ambrose, when she was named the NAIA Converse Coach of the Year.

Next, Bluder changed her course of action at Drake University, garnering a record of 187-106 (.638) in 10 seasons. Then her life took a turn for the better on April 7th, 2000, when she was called into a room filled with reporters at the Carver-Hawkeye Arena and was introduced as Iowa’s 5th head coach. From that point on, there was no looking back for Bluder, and she became the all-time winningest coach in the history of Iowa’s women’s college basketball program with 500 wins. In her span of 24 years at Iowa, Bluder has led the Hawkeyes to 16 postseason appearances, including 12 NCAA and 4 WNIT in 17 seasons. Bluder received several accolades as Iowa’s head coach, including three Big Ten Coach of the Year awards in 2001, 2008, and 2010. Set the record for the winningest Big Ten coach.

Fast forward to their time now in the 2024 March Madness; let’s narrow down some interesting details of their journey in this year’s tournament.

Competing in the 2024 NCAA Tournament

Keeping her team undefeated throughout the regular season, Dawn Staley has remarkably steered her squad to maintain the same momentum in the 2024 March Madness, as the team entered the tournament with a stellar record of 37-0. The Gamecocks’ ‘unbeatable’ feat has placed Staley alongside the legendary coach Geno Auriemma. Set to face the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer, Caitlin Clark, who has been given a potential ‘GOAT’ moniker by Staley, if Iowa succeeds in winning this year’s title.

Which brings us to Lisa Bluder, who has embarked on a thrilling March Madness journey. The Hawkeyes kept their lead in the tournament by defeating West Virginia in a 64-54 victory. As a reward, Bluder received a $50,000 bonus and an additional $20,000 for the coming 2024–25 season.

Now, hours away from the national championship title, the two coaches are all geared up to enter the season’s national title game.

READ MORE: “Officiating Favoring South Carolina Is Disgusting”: Dawn Staley and Co.’s March Madness Win Gets Overshadowed by Fans Due to Controversial Calls