Ending Caitlin Clark Effect Adds $250,000 to Undefeated Dawn Staley’s Account, Further Distancing Herself From Lisa Bluder

Dawn Staley and her South Carolina Gamecocks scripted history on Sunday, lifting the National Championship while staying undefeated throughout the season. In the process, they became only the 10th team to achieve such a feat. Ending Caitlin Clark’s legendary collegiate career on a sour note, the Gamecocks were well worth the money. After Sunday’s win, their record in the last three years stands at 110-3. With such records, Staley’s salary compensation is also staggering, being much higher than Lisa Bluder’s, who was on the other side of the court on Sunday.

According to Steve Berkowitz of USA TODAY Sports, Staley earned a $250,000 bonus after the final besides her $3.1 million in basic pay from school. Her total bonuses for the year are now at $680,000. With $3,380,000 million in total, she is one of the highest-paid college coaches in the country.

On the other hand, Lisa Bluder, the Iowa Hawkeyes head coach, managed to win $310,000 in bonuses. Bluder also triggered a 2-year contract extension. From next year onwards, the 62-year-old will also see her base salary increased by $150,000.

Iowa’s legendary head coach Lisa Bluder, who has been at the helm of the program since 2000, gets paid a fixed $1.4 million with a maximum bonus of $570,000, which is less than half of Dawn Staley’s salary at South Carolina. Bluder earlier received an automatic pay increase for the team winning the Big Ten Conference Tournament and playing in the NCAA Tournament.

Read More: “Loved Me Like Your Own”: Angel Reese Celebrates Yet Another Caitlin Clark Loss With Special Message to Dawn Staley

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, as per Front Offices Sports. LSU’s Kim Mulkey and UConn’s Geno Auriemma take the 1st and 2nd spots, respectively.

Closer look at Dawn Staley vs Lisa Bluder

Dawn Staley entered rare territory when she won her third national championship on Sunday, becoming only the 5th coach to win 3 championships. To add another interesting statistic, the South Carolina Gamecocks remained undefeated through the season with a record of 38-0.

In the last three years, both coaches have been in the final twice. 2023 and 2024 for Lisa Bluder. 2022 and 2024 for Dawn Staley. Their long careers serve as proof that they don’t depend on one particular player. The National Championship Game between South Carolina and Iowa also brought the coaches’ abilities to the forefront.

After facing a Caitlin Clark barrage in the 1st quarter, where she scored 18 points to help the Hawkeyes take the lead, Dawn Staley imposed masterful tactics to restrict the NCAA all-time scoring leader’s impact. Clark was only able to add 12 points in the rest of the game as the Gamecocks won 87-75.

With Clark joining the WNBA, the focus will be on Bluder to see if the Hawkeyes can continue their success. On the other hand, one can be sure of the fact that Dawn Staley will continue to dominate.

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