2024-2025 FB Record: 8 - 5

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 2024-2025 WBB Record: 23 - 11

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859 highlight videos and 686 full game videos gathered from the internet about the past 6,991 Iowa Hawkeye football (since 1889), men's basketball (since 1901), women's basketball (since 1974), women's wrestling (since 2023) and men's wrestling (since 1910) games. We also have profiles for 1933 players and 134 coaches.


8/30/2025 Football vs  Albany

9/6/2025 Football @  Iowa State

9/13/2025 Football vs  Massachusetts

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Lute Olson

Lute Olson  

Robert Luther "Lute" Olson coached Iowa for nine seasons, from 1974 to 1983, with an overall record of 167-91 (.647), leaving as the schools all-time wins leader.

Olson inherited an Iowa team that had gone 8-16 under Dick Schultz, finishing 10th in the Big Ten and suffered four consecutive losing seasons. Olson turned the Iowa Basketball program around, going 19-10 in just his second season. Iowa then won the Big 10 Conference Title in 1978-1979, earning the first of five consecutive NCAA Tournament births.

In 1979-1980, Olson led the Hawkeyes to a Final Four appearance in the 1980 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. The team made the now 48-team NCAA tournament with a 18-8 record (10-8, 4th in the Big 10), despite playing a good portion of the season without injured (knee) All-American guard Ronnie Lester. Lester returned for end of the regular season and the tournament. In the NCAA, Iowa received a #5 seed in the East Regional. They beat Virginia Commonwealth (86-72), North Carolina State (77-64) and #1 seed Syracuse (88-77). In the East Regional Final, Iowa was down by as many in 14 in the second half, before rallying to defeat Georgetown (81-80) on a last second basket and free-throw by Steve Waite to advance to the Final Four.

In the NCAA Semi-Final, Lester injured his knee early in the game, after scoring 10 of Iowa's first 12 points. He did not return and Iowa fell to eventual NCAA champion Louisville 80-72. Overall, Iowa was 15-1 with Lester fully in the lineup and 8-9 in his absence.

After leading the Hawkeyes to the Final Four, Olson's Iowa teams made the next three NCAA Tournaments, advancing to the Sweet Sixteen in 1983, his final season at Iowa. Nicknamed "The House That Lute Built", Carver-Hawkeye Arena, a facility Olson had envisioned for the future of the University, opened on January 5, 1983 against Michigan State. Iowa had played in the antiquated Iowa Fieldhouse. After the season, Olson left Iowa for the University of Arizona. He won an NCAA National Championship with the Wildcats in 1997.

Born 9/22/1934 and died on 8/27/2020 at the age of 85.


HEAD COACH SEASONS


VIDEOS


Lute Olson and Ronnie Lester Interview
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Lute Olson: With Ronnie Lester, we win 1980 Final Four
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Lute Olson Era at Iowa
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LINKS

 


BOOKS and MOVIES

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FAMOUS QUOTES from Lute Olson


FAMOUS QUOTES about Lute Olson

Dan Frost Coach Olson didn't want me out of high school. I could see his point, though. I grew late and never was really that good. But I was impressed with Coach Olson and his philosophies. He was open and honest. I guess what impressed me most was that he had faith in me. I learned all the basics there (Long Beach City College). I learned the most basketball ever from Coach Olson. I think my biggest asset was that while I was growing I didn't lose my quickness. - Link to source
Dan Frost on 3/6/1975... - Quoted in a Daily Iowan article about returning from injury in 1975 and his time with Lute Olson at both Long Beach City College and Iowa.

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Lute Olson - Iowa Hawkeyes Coach Profile | Basketball - Summary of Iowa football and basketball games