Amy Dettbarn represents something often overlooked in professional sports—the foundational influence that shapes champions before they reach the spotlight. As the mother of WNBA first overall draft pick Paige Bueckers, Amy built a life centered on discipline, education, and resilience. Her story extends beyond her daughter’s success. She competed as a collegiate athlete, earned advanced degrees in periodontics, and navigated the complexities of blended family life across state lines.
People search for Amy Dettbarn to understand the person who raised one of basketball’s brightest talents. They want to know her professional background, how she balanced career and motherhood after divorce, and what values she instilled in her children. This article examines Amy’s athletic career at the University of St. Thomas, her work as a periodontist and dental equipment specialist, her family structure, and her approach to parenting from Montana while Paige competed in Minnesota and Connecticut.
This article covers: Amy’s birth and upbringing in Brainerd, Minnesota, her track and cross-country career, her education in biological sciences and periodontics, her marriage and divorce from Bob Bueckers, her second marriage to Brian Fuller, her professional transition from clinical dentistry to equipment consulting, and her ongoing influence on Paige’s development.
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Amy Dettbarn, born December 9, 1976, is a former cross-country and track athlete from the University of St. Thomas. She holds a DDS and Master’s in Periodontics from the University of Minnesota. Currently working as a dental equipment specialist at Patterson Dental in Billings, Montana, she is the mother of WNBA star Paige Bueckers.
Early Life in Brainerd, Minnesota
Amy Jo Dettbarn was born on December 9, 1976, to parents Steven and Joann Dettbarn in Brainerd, Minnesota. She grew up in a close-knit Midwestern community where family values, education, and athletic participation shaped daily life. The environment emphasized hard work and personal responsibility—principles that would later define her parenting approach.
Her childhood centered on academic achievement and competitive sports. She showed early talent in endurance athletics, particularly distance running. This foundation in cross-country and track created the mental toughness she would carry through dental school, career transitions, and co-parenting challenges.
Athletic Career at University of St. Thomas
Amy attended the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota, where she competed for the track and field program. She specialized in cross-country running and distance events, sports demanding consistent training, mental resilience, and time management. Balancing athletic commitments with academic coursework taught her discipline that transcended sports.
Her experience as a college athlete gave her firsthand knowledge of what Paige would face years later. She understood training schedules, performance pressure, recovery protocols, and the mental aspects of competition. This background proved valuable when Paige dealt with knee injuries that sidelined her during crucial seasons at UConn.
The University of St. Thomas track & field program emphasized both athletic excellence and academic achievement. Amy graduated in 1999 with a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences, demonstrating her ability to excel in multiple demanding areas simultaneously.
Education in Dentistry and Periodontics
After completing her undergraduate degree, Amy pursued dentistry at the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry. She earned both a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) degree and a Master’s degree in Periodontics by 2008. This nine-year educational journey required intense focus, clinical training, and mastery of complex medical procedures.
Periodontics focuses on gum health, dental implants, and the supporting structures of teeth. The specialty requires precision in diagnosis and treatment of gum diseases, placement of dental implants, and various oral surgical procedures. Periodontists must develop excellent patient care skills alongside technical expertise.
The demanding nature of periodontics training reflects Amy’s commitment to excellence. She completed this advanced education while navigating early motherhood and eventually divorce, showing the same perseverance she demonstrated as a college athlete.
Marriage to Bob Bueckers and Early Family Life
Amy married Robert “Bob” Bueckers on June 5, 1999, at St. Francis Church in Brainerd, Minnesota. Father Seamus Walsh officiated the ceremony, as noted in their wedding announcement in the Brainerd Dispatch. Bob, a former high school basketball point guard, had recently graduated from St. Cloud University and was beginning his career as a software engineer.
The couple welcomed their daughter Paige Madison Bueckers on October 20, 2001, in Edina, Minnesota. Bob introduced Paige to multiple sports early, including basketball, football, baseball, and soccer. Amy supported this multi-sport approach, believing it would develop well-rounded athleticism and prevent burnout.
Their marriage ended in 2004 when Paige was three years old. The divorce required decisions about custody, living arrangements, and how both parents would remain involved in their daughter’s life despite the separation.
Co-Parenting from Different States
After the 2004 divorce, Paige remained in Minnesota with Bob. Amy remarried Brian Scott Fuller on July 11, 2009, and relocated to Billings, Montana. She and Brian had two children together—Ryan and Lauren. Bob also remarried, wedding Moe Roberts, and they had a son named Drew in February 2013.
This blended family structure spread across two states could have created distance and disconnection. Instead, both parents established a co-parenting arrangement that prioritized Paige’s needs. They communicated regularly about her basketball development, academic progress, and emotional wellbeing. Neither allowed personal differences to interfere with unified parenting goals.
Amy attended significant events in Paige’s career, including her Big East Tournament Most Outstanding Player award ceremony in March 2024. She traveled from Montana to Connecticut, demonstrating that physical distance doesn’t preclude emotional presence. Paige maintains relationships with all her half-siblings—Ryan, Lauren, and Drew—reflecting the effort both households made to create family unity.
Amy’s second marriage to Brian Fuller eventually ended in divorce as well. Brian later married someone named Bridgett. Amy is currently single, focusing on her career and raising her younger children in Montana.
Professional Career Path
Fuller Periodontics & Implant Dentistry (2008-2018)
After earning her advanced degrees in 2008, Amy began her clinical career as an office manager at Fuller Periodontics & Implant Dentistry. She spent a decade in this role, overseeing daily operations while maintaining her periodontics expertise. The position combined clinical knowledge with administrative responsibilities, requiring leadership and organizational skills.
Her work involved patient care, staff management, treatment planning, and ensuring the practice operated efficiently. As a female periodontist, she served as a role model in a dental specialty field where men traditionally dominated leadership positions.
TSI Sales Representative
After ten years at Fuller Periodontics, Amy transitioned to a sales representative role at TSI in Billings, Montana. This career move demonstrated her adaptability and willingness to apply her dental knowledge in new contexts. Equipment sales require technical expertise, communication skills, and the ability to understand diverse practice needs.
Patterson Dental Equipment Specialist
Amy currently works as a dental equipment specialist at Patterson Dental in Billings, Montana. This role represents another professional evolution, moving from hands-on clinical work to equipment consulting. She trains dental professionals, advises practices on technology implementation, and helps clinics select appropriate tools for patient care.
The position leverages her periodontics background while requiring new skills in education, technology, and business consulting. Industry estimates suggest equipment specialists at Patterson Dental earn approximately $106,729 annually, providing Amy with financial stability while working in her field of expertise.
Her career progression from clinical periodontics to office management to equipment sales and consulting shows professional flexibility. She applied her medical knowledge across different roles, each requiring distinct skills while building on her foundational expertise.
Parenting Philosophy and Values
Amy’s approach to raising Paige combined structure with space for independent growth. She didn’t push basketball—Paige’s passion for the game developed naturally. Instead, Amy focused on character development that would serve her daughter regardless of career path.
Academic Excellence: Amy’s multiple degrees sent clear messages about education’s importance. Paige maintained strong grades throughout Hopkins High School and UConn, understanding that basketball existed within a larger framework of personal development.
Mental Toughness: Amy’s background in cross-country and track taught her about mental resilience. She passed this understanding to Paige, who faced significant challenges including ACL injuries that required extensive rehabilitation. Amy provided emotional support while encouraging her daughter to approach recovery with determination.
Humility and Team-First Mentality: Despite Paige’s early success, Amy ensured she remained grounded. Fame didn’t change expectations around respect, kindness, or personal responsibility. Diana Taurasi’s Time magazine article about Paige highlighted her selflessness on the court—traits reflecting values Amy instilled from childhood.
Work Ethic: Amy’s own journey through dental school while managing family responsibilities demonstrated that success requires daily effort. Paige absorbed this lesson, developing a reputation for practice intensity and preparation that matched her natural talent.
Influence on Paige’s Basketball Career
Paige Bueckers became the first freshman to win national women’s player of the year honors in 2021 while playing for the UConn Huskies under coach Geno Auriemma. She led UConn to the 2025 NCAA Championship, averaging 19.9 points per game in her final college season. The Dallas Wings selected her first overall in the 2025 WNBA Draft.
These achievements reflect exceptional talent, but they also demonstrate the foundation Amy helped build. Paige’s work ethic, mental approach to injuries, ability to handle pressure, and team-first mentality all connect to lessons from both parents. Bob provided day-to-day coaching and tactical development during Paige’s formative years in Minnesota. Amy offered emotional guidance, instilled core values, and modeled how to balance multiple life demands successfully.
Brian Cosgriff, Paige’s Hopkins High School coach, noted her ability to make teammates better—a characteristic stemming from the selflessness Amy emphasized. Bob Bueckers told reporters that Paige “wants everybody to eat,” using basketball terminology to describe her willingness to share success. This mentality reflects upbringing focused on character over individual glory.
Life in Billings, Montana
Amy established her post-divorce life in Billings, Montana, creating stability for Ryan and Lauren while maintaining connections to Paige. The distance presented challenges—she couldn’t attend every game or handle daily logistics. She adapted by using phone calls, video communication, and strategic travel to stay involved.
When major decisions arose about Paige’s basketball future, Amy offered perspective based on her understanding of her daughter’s personality, goals, and values. She trusted Bob to manage coaching and day-to-day guidance while she provided emotional support and encouraged balanced decision-making.
Paige’s relationships with all her siblings demonstrate successful blended family integration. She maintains connections with Ryan and Lauren in Montana and Drew in Minnesota, reflecting the intentional effort both households made to preserve family bonds across state lines.
Privacy and Public Profile
Unlike many parents of famous athletes, Amy maintains minimal public presence. She avoids media attention and doesn’t maintain active social media accounts. Her professional work in Billings continues without leveraging Paige’s fame for personal recognition.
This approach aligns with values she taught Paige—meaningful work doesn’t require public validation. Amy finds satisfaction in her daughter’s achievements without needing a visible role in celebrating them. When asked about Paige’s development, she deflects credit to her daughter’s hard work and dedication.
Her choice to remain private also protects her younger children from unwanted attention. Ryan and Lauren grew up away from basketball spotlights, developing their own identities separate from their famous half-sister’s achievements.
Current Status and Future
As Paige begins her WNBA career with the Dallas Wings, Amy continues her work at Patterson Dental while raising Ryan and Lauren in Billings. She attends important games when possible but doesn’t suddenly seek increased visibility now that Paige has reached professional basketball’s highest level.
Her consistency matters. Paige knows she can rely on her mother’s support whether games go well or poorly. This stability provides a foundation allowing athletes to take risks and push boundaries without fearing conditional love based on performance.
Key Takeaways from Amy Dettbarn’s Life
Amy’s journey offers important lessons about parenting, career development, and personal resilience:
Professional identity matters: Amy pursued her own career goals while supporting her children. She maintained professional identity as a periodontist and dental equipment specialist rather than defining herself solely through her daughter’s achievements.
Distance doesn’t prevent influence: Physical separation from Paige didn’t create emotional distance. Consistent communication, presence at key moments, and unified values with Bob maintained strong family bonds across state lines.
Multiple life transitions are navigable: Amy managed divorce twice, career changes, interstate relocation, and blended family dynamics while maintaining stability for her children. Her adaptability and focus on core priorities enabled successful navigation of these challenges.
Values outlast achievements: Basketball careers end. The character traits Amy helped develop—integrity, work ethic, humility, resilience—will serve Paige throughout life regardless of sports outcomes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Amy Dettbarn’s current profession? She works as a dental equipment specialist at Patterson Dental in Billings, Montana.
Where did Amy Dettbarn compete in college athletics? She ran cross-country and track at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota.
How many children does Amy Dettbarn have? She has three biological children—Paige, Ryan, and Lauren—plus stepson Drew from Bob’s second marriage.
When did Amy Dettbarn divorce Bob Bueckers? They divorced in 2004 when Paige was three years old.
What educational degrees does Amy Dettbarn hold? She earned a Bachelor’s in Biological Sciences from St. Thomas, plus DDS and Master’s in Periodontics from University of Minnesota.
Lasting Impact
Amy Dettbarn’s influence extends beyond immediate family. Through initiatives like Buckets with Bueckers basketball clinics operating in both Minnesota and Montana, Paige shares values her mother taught—skill development, sportsmanship, personal growth. These programs reflect the character-first approach Amy modeled.
Parents observing from gym sidelines see what becomes possible when families prioritize development over trophies. Coaches notice Paige’s coachability and selflessness—characteristics stemming directly from her upbringing across two households united by common values.
Amy’s story reminds us that foundational work often happens away from cameras and crowds. Values taught through daily conversations, modeled through personal choices, and reinforced through consistent presence shape people who eventually stand in spotlights. Amy Dettbarn built that foundation through her athletic background, professional achievements, parenting approach, and unwavering commitment to her children’s development as complete human beings—not just athletes.
Her legacy lives not only in Paige’s basketball statistics but in the person Paige became: grounded, team-oriented, resilient, and balanced. That outcome reflects Amy’s quiet strength, discipline, and love expressed through years of consistent presence whether physically near or states away.
