AP/IOWA CITY, Iowa Lisa Bluder’s teams at Drake and Iowa for 32 years, assistant coach Jenni Fitzgerald announced her retirement on Wednesday.
Fitzgerald, who was Bluder’s teammate at Drake from 1986 to 1990, chose to retire with Bluder rather than stay on the Iowa coaching staff under new head coach Jan Jensen.
Fitzgerald worked with Bluder for eight seasons at Drake before joining him as a special assistant and an assistant coach for 24 years at Iowa.
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Fitzgerald remarked, “It’s been an honor to be a member of the Hawkeye family for the past 24 years.” When Lisa, Jan, and I first arrived on school, our goals were to fill arenas and lift trophies. These aspirations became our reality because of the women who came through our program and our Hawkeye community. While retiring is heartbreaking, I know that I’m among the select few who can claim to have worked 32 years with their dearest friends.
As the team’s main recruiter, coach in charge of the guards, and chief strategist, Fitzgerald contributed to Iowa’s 22 playoff appearances, including 18 NCAA Tournaments. The Hawkeyes participated in the last two NCAA championship games, with standout Caitlin Clark leading the way.