One of the Big Ten’s longest-tenured coaches has been fired Friday as Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Fran McCaffery was let go. After 15 seasons with Iowa, McCaffery was fired following a disappointing 17-15 season and early loss in the Big Ten tournament.
Fran McCaffery Fired from the University of Iowa
Fran McCaffery’s 15-year run with the Iowa Hawkeyes came to an end on Friday. Following a loss in the Big Ten Tournament to the Illinois Fighting Illini, in a game where McCaffery was ejected in the mid-second half, the head coach was fired the next day.
McCaffery’s Hawkeyes only won 17 games this season. Joint-leading scorer Owen Freeman played only 19 games in the campaign due to a season-ending finger injury, while the other top scorer, Payton Sandfort, took a step back in the shooting percentage department. In an expanding Big Ten conference, the Hawkeyes finished 15th and barely qualified for the conference tournament that now omits the bottom 3 teams in the conference standings.
It was McCaffery’s third consecutive year without 20 wins and his second-straight season without a March Madness appearance. Additionally, he has now gone 4 seasons without a win in the NCAA Tournament, as their last victory in the Big Dance was against Grand Canyon in 2021. The 2-seed Hawkeyes then fell to 7-seed Oregon in the second round.
Although McCaffery earlier made comments stating that he was not looking to move on from Iowa, the university has made the decision for him by announcing his firing.
Fran McCaffery Remains One of the Most Accomplished Iowa Coaches
In 2010, Fran McCaffery took over an Iowa Hawkeyes team that was coming off a 10-22 record. Three years later, the Hawkeyes had 25 wins. McCaffery’s Iowa tenure falls just short of 300 wins, as he had a record of 297-206 over his decade and a half at the helm. His 297 wins is the most in school history.
He guided the team to 7 March Madness appearances and 4 tournament wins over that stretch, but never won more than one game in a single tournament. He has also brought the team to the NIT Championship Game in 2013.
Iowa won the 2018 2K Classic under McCaffery, as well as the 2022 Big Ten Tournament. A 5-seed entering the conference tournament, the Hawkeyes went on an unbelievable run and beat the Purdue Boilermakers in the final. Future NBA star Keegan Murray was named as the Tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
McCaffery coached players like Luka Garza, who won National Player of the Year for the 2020-2021 season, Hawkeyes legends like Joe Wieskamp and Tyler Cook, and of course, his sons Connor and Patrick McCaffery, who were great players during their time. His other son, Jack, also is a good college player for Butler.
Fans are paying their respects to the legendary coach following his dismissal.
Very sad to see Fran go, and especially to go out this way. He resurrected what was an absolutely dead program, was a fantastic member of the community, and raised three great sons and one great daughter. I wish him and the rest of the McCaffery family nothing but the best.
— Tony Roe (@tonysroe) March 14, 2025
Thank you Fran McCaffery for bringing Iowa hoops back from the dead, for your leadership of countless young men, for your sons, and for your tireless support of cancer research and advocacy. Thank you for a constant stream of great memories during your tenure at Iowa. pic.twitter.com/YmZ5o3QEjI
— On3 Hawkeye Images (@webcentrick) March 14, 2025
ICYMI: @GoodmanHoops on Fran McCaffery:
“I know it’s run its course, but I’ll say this: Fran made them nationally relevant for a decade. He had pros come through there, he had NPOYs… he didn’t make a deep tourney run, but I think he did one heck of a job for that program” pic.twitter.com/p3qPJr1FLs
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) March 14, 2025
Iowa is set to dismiss basketball coach Fran McCaffery after 15 seasons..
“I love Fran McCaffery and he’s always got his guys back..
He’s a great guy and a good person to everybody”@tyschmit #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/LH0kYwzGJP
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 14, 2025
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