Barbara Ehardt | |
|---|---|
| Member of theIdaho House of Representatives from the33rd district | |
| Assumed office December 27, 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Janet Trujillo |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Barbara Dee Ehardt (1964-02-29)February 29, 1964 (age 61) Idaho Falls, Idaho, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Coaching career | |
| Biographical details | |
| Alma mater | North Idaho College (AS) Idaho State University (BS) |
| Playing career | |
| 1983–1985 | North Idaho |
| 1985–1987 | Idaho State |
| Position | Point guard |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1987–1988 | Pocatello HS (asst.) |
| 1988–1995 | BYU (asst.) |
| 1995–1997 | UC Santa Barbara (asst.) |
| 1997–1999 | Washington State (asst.) |
| 2000–2003 | Cal State Fullerton |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 12–72 (.143) |
Barbara Dee Ehardt (born February 29, 1964)[1][2] is an American politician and former college basketball coach serving as a member of theIdaho House of Representatives from the33rd district.
Ehardt was born inIdaho Falls, Idaho in 1964. After graduating fromIdaho Falls High School in 1983, she earned anassociate degree in general studies fromNorth Idaho College in 1985 and a Bachelor of Science degree in English and language arts education fromIdaho State University in 1988.[1][2] A 5-foot-9point guard, Ehardt also played basketball at North Idaho from 1983 to 1985 and Idaho State from 1985 to 1987.[2][3][4] In her senior season of 1986–87 under head coach Mark French, Ehardt played in 20 games, averaging 1.0 points, 0.6 rebounds, and 0.5 assists.[5]
In the 1987–88 season, Ehardt was an assistant coach atPocatello High School.[4] After completing her undergraduate degree at Idaho State, Ehardt joinedUC Santa Barbara as an assistant coach in 1988, again under head coach Mark French.[2] Ehardt helped turn around a struggling UC Santa Barbara program, tripling its win total from nine in 1988–89 to a 27–5 record in 1991–92. UC Santa Barbara also had back-to-backBig West Conference championships andNCAA Tournament appearances in 1991–92 and 1992–93.[2]
After seven seasons at UC Santa Barbara, Ehardt was an assistant coach atBYU from 1995 to 1997 under head coach Soni Adams andWashington State from 1997 to 1999 under head coach Harold Rhodes.[2]
On May 10, 2000,Cal State Fullerton hired Ehardt as women's basketball head coach.[2] Ehardt inherited a team that last had a winning season nine years ago and won only 16 out of 80 games in the last three seasons.[6] Winning only one game in her first season, Ehardt had a 12–72 record as head coach in three seasons.[7] As announced by Cal State Fullerton on March 12, 2003, following a 7–21 season, Ehardt's contract expired without a renewal on March 31, 2003.[8]
In 2003, Ehardt returned to Idaho Falls, where she has since operated a sports camp for children and managed basketball programs.[1]
Ehardt had been active in Republican Party politics since college; as a student at North Idaho College, she led the Young Republicans chapter.[1] She was also president of theBonneville County Republican Women.[1]
In 2013, Ehardt was elected to the Idaho Falls City Council.[9]
Ehardt was appointed to theIdaho House of Representatives on December 27, 2017. In November 2019, Ehardt was labelled "aRepublican lightning rod" byEast Idaho News. During her first term in the House, she authored a bill that would restrict statewidesex education.[10]
In the legislature, Ehardt sponsored a bill that would required transgender athletes to play on teams corresponding to the gender they were assigned at birth. The bill has attracted significant criticism, both withinIdaho and nationally.[11][12][13][14][15][16] Ehardt was interviewed as a part of theHBO seriesReal Sports with Bryant Gumbel, in which she defended the bill.[17]
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cal State Fullerton Titans(Big West Conference)(2000–2003) | |||||||||
| 2000–01 | Cal State Fullerton | 1–27 | 1–13 | 8th[18] | |||||
| 2001–02 | Cal State Fullerton | 4–24 | 2–14 | T–8th[18] | |||||
| 2002–03 | Cal State Fullerton | 7–21 | 5–11 | T–7th[18] | |||||
| Cal State Fullerton: | 12–72 (.143) | 8–38 (.174) | |||||||
| Total: | 12–72 (.143) | ||||||||