After 15 years with Fran McCaffery as the leader and face of Iowa Hawkeyes men’s basketball, the program has decided to go in another direction. On Friday, one day after Iowa was knocked out of the Big Ten Tournament, the Hawkeyes fired McCaffery, who had been employed since the 2010-11 season.
The school’s athletic director, Beth Goetz, made the announcement, which was described as a “leadership change.”
McCaffery’s final game was a 106-94 defeat to No. 24 Illinois in the second round of the 2025 Big Ten Tournament. McCaffery watched the final 13:33 of the game from the locker room because he was ejected after picking up two technical fouls for arguing with referees. The Hawkeyes trailed by nine points when he was tossed before Illinois proceeded to make all four ensuing free throws to push the lead to 13 points and would coast to a victory afterward.
Due to getting ejected, McCaffery didn’t get to take part in the college basketball tradition of embracing seniors as they exit the court for the last time. After the game, he was asked if there was any wistfulness in not being able to embrace his departing players.
The Hawkeyes won their first-round game on Wednesday, 77-70, over Ohio State, but a deep conference tournament run—and likely a tournament title—was seemingly necessary not only for Iowa to make the NCAA Tournament, but also for McCaffery to keep his job. At just one game over .500 at 17-16, Iowa may not even get an NIT invitation, as just two NIT teams from last year’s tournament had a record of 17-16 or worse.
Iowa also missed out on the NCAA Tournament a year ago, but it did make March Madness seven times during McCaffery’s decade-and-a-half at the helm. He finishes with a 297-206 (.590) record with the Hawkeyes, with the 297 victories being the most by any coach in program history. His 143 Big Ten wins are also the most in Hawkeyes history.
McCaffery also led Iowa to the Big Ten Tournament championship in the 2021-22 season and guided seven players to First-Team All-Big Ten status. That includes Luka Garza, who was the two-time Big Ten Player of the Year (2020, 2021) and was named the National Player of the Year twice by some publications.
However, there also appeared to be a glass ceiling during McCaffery’s run. His teams never advanced past the first weekend of March Madness. Four times the Hawkeyes lost in the second round, and three times they fell in the first round. Even the presence of Garza—along with three other future NBA players—in the 2020-21 season wasn’t enough for Iowa to see the Sweet Sixteen as the Hawkeyes, as a No. 2 seed in that year’s NCAA Tournament, were upset by 7-seed Oregon in the second round.
Apart from Garza and fellow consensus All-American Keegan Murray, McCaffery also notably coached his sons at Iowa. Connor McCaffery played for his father from 2017-23 and finished his college career with 166 games played, the second-most in Big Ten history. His younger brother, Patrick McCaffery, played with his sibling for three years, and under his father for five years, from 2019-24. Prior to this season, Patrick transferred away from Iowa to play his final college season at Butler, where Connor is currently an assistant coach.
The 65-year-old Fran McCaffery had head coaching stints at Siena (2005-10), UNC Greensboro (1999-2005), and Lehigh (1985-88) before joining Iowa. For his career, he sports a 548-383 (.589) record. He made the NCAA Tournament five times at his previous head coaching jobs, but again, couldn’t advance past the second round in any of those years. He has a 6-12 all-time record in the NCAA Tournament.
McCaffery’s first coaching job came in Philadelphia, his hometown, and with his alma mater, as an assistant at the University of Pennsylvania. He played for the Quakers from 1979-82 after beginning his college career at Wake Forest (1978-79).
Iowa said it will begin a national search to replace McCaffery immediately.
