Deborah Esser-Karman (born March 26, 1957) is an American former track and field athlete who competed in the 400-meter hurdles.

She left college with nine All-American honours and 15 Big Eight Conference titles for the Iowa State Cyclones team and was inducted into the institution's hall of fame in 1998.

[1][2] Esser twice broke the American record in the 400 m hurdles in the period before it was a standard international event for women.

She won two national titles, setting a championship record of 57.3 seconds in 1975 and returning to the top in 1978.

[4] Her sole international honour was a bronze medal at the 1979 IAAF World Cup held in Montreal.