Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On March 4, 2017, Tanya Warren became the all-time winningest women’s basketball coach in UNI’s history. A hardwood legend at Des Moines Lincoln, Warren has spent decades shaping basketball in Iowa.
A standout from her freshman season onward, Warren dazzled audiences while on the court of the Railsplitters. She posted 47 points in a playoff win over Waukee during her season while earning first-team All-State honors for the second consecutive year. Local newspapers took to calling her the “Little Magician” while she racked up 2,990 points during her high school career. Warren also dished out 800 assists over her four-year career, scored in double figures in every high school game except one, and averaged 40 points per game as a senior.
Heading west to Creighton, Warren continued to shine. Warren scored 1,566 points, dished out 650 assists, and earned NWIT All-Tournament Team honors in 1987. One of only two women’s basketball players to have seen their jersey retired at Creighton, Warren transitioned to coaching after the completion of her playing days.
Warren broke into the college game as an assistant at Iowa State after spending several years coaching at the high school level. An assistant at the University of Northern Iowa from 1995 to 2001, Warren left to serve as an assistant coach at first Missouri and then at Creighton before returning as the UNI head coach in 2007. Warren led Northern Iowa to consecutive MVC tournament titles in 2010 and 2011, leading to automatic NCAA tournament qualification. Northern Iowa later became runner-up in the 2012 WBI and made the WNIT in 2013 and 2016 while moving toward the all-time Panter women’s hoops wins record. In February 2024, Warren became the all-time Missouri Valley Conference women’s basketball wins leader. #IowaOTD #IowaHistoryDaily #IowaHistoryCalendar
