Reports: Iowa fires basketball coach Fran McCaffery
ELGIN: IOWA IS ONE OF 13 TEAMS WERE A FATHER’S COACHING A SON. IN FRAN MCCAFFERY CASE HE IS PULLING A DOUBLE SHIFT COACHING TWO. HIS OLDEST SON CONNOR IS HAVING A BREAKOUT SEASON FOR THE HAWKEYES BUT HAVE YOU WONDER WHAT IT IS LIKE PLAYING FOR DAD? I SAT DOWN WITH FRARAN AND CONNO AND IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN DEEPER THAN BASKETBALL. HAVE YOU EVER DONE SOMETHING LIKE THIS WHERE YOU SET DOWN TOGETHER AND GOT TO TALK ABOUT LIFE AND BASKETBALL? >> I DON’T THINK SO, NO. ELGIN: WE HAVE A FIRST. KCCI SPORTS, THIS IS WHAT WE DO. >> WATCHING HIM BALANCE BASEBALL, BASKETBALL AND MOST IMPORTANT THE ACADEMICS, PROBABLY MOST PROBABLE FACT THAT HE WAS ON THE ALL DISTRICT ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAN TEAM THAN ANYTHING ELSE. HE IS SUCH A HUGE PART OF WHAT WE ARE DOING, BUT IT’S BEEN PRETTY EASY TO COACH HIM. ELGIN: DAD SAYS IT IS EASY TO COACH YOU BUT IS IT EASY TO BE COACHED BY DAD? >> SOMETIMES HE’S A LITTLE STUBBORN. SO, I — DEAL WITH THAT. MY MOM HAS DEFINITELY TURNED INTO ONE OF MY BIGGEST FANS. I FEEL LIKE I CAN DO NO WRONG IN HER EYES, EVEN WHEN I DON’T PLAY WELL, IT DOESN’T MATTER. I MEAN, IF I DO SOMETHING BAD, HE MIGHT SAY SOMETHING AND I KNOW SHE MIGHT SAY SOMETHING TO HIM IF HE YELLS AT ME TOO MUCH. ELGIN: WHAT WERE THE CONVERSATIONS LIKE PREPARING HIM FOR THE EXTERNAL PRESSURES OF BEING THE COACHES SON? >> I REMEMBER WHEN HE WAS YOUNG I WOULD TAKE HIM DOWN — ON THE ROAD, SO HE COULD SEE SOME OF THE ROAD VENUES. I WANT YOU TO WATCH HOW THE CROWD RESPONSE IN THIS CAMP. HOW DO OUR PLAYERS RESPOND? LOOK AT THE GAME DIFFERENTLY THAN JUST, HEY, WE SCORED, THAT’S GREAT. HOW DID WE SCORE? WE WOULD HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS. AS A RESULT, HE NEVER FELT I WAS JUDGING EVERY POSSESSION OF EVERY GAME HE PLAYED IN. ELGIN: IT WASN’T LIKE, HEY, DAD, READ ME A BEDTIME STORY? I’VE GOT SOME GAME FILM FOR YOU. DID YOU HAVE THOSE MOMENTS WERE YOU’RE ABLE TO BE DAD AND SON? >> IT JUST KIND OF HAPPENS NATURALLY LIKE WHEN WE ARE SITTING AT DINNER, WE TALK ABOUT GAMES. WE’LL TALK ABOUT — >> DRIVES HIS MOM CRAZY. >> SHE IS LIKE, MY GOD, CAN WE NOT TALK ABOUT THIS ONE TIME? >> WE NEVER GOT INTO EVERYTHING THAT MOST REALLY YOUNG KIDS GET INTO. >> LIKE PASSER DID — LIKE PATRICK DID. ELGIN: HOW COOL IS IT ADDING PATRICK ON THE TEAM AS WELL? >> REALLY COOL. WE PLAYED TOGETHER IN HIGH SCHOOL. I GET TO SEE HIM EVERY DAY. AND GIVE HIM RIDES PLACES AND STUFF LIKE THIS BECAUSE HE STILL CANNOT DRIVE. ELGIN: YOU GET TO BE BIG BROTHER. >> YOU WOULD THINK TWO BROTHERS WHO ARE AS COMPETITIVE AS THEY ARE, 18 MONTHS APART, WOULD I FIGHT MORE. THEY REALLY HAVEN’T. THEY HAVE BEEN BEST BUDDIES. ELGIN: IT IS PROBABLY BECAUSE HE LETS HIM DRIVE SOMETIMES. >> EXACTLY. NO, I WOULDN’T TRUST HIM. NO. >> YOU DO NOT WANT PATRICK BEHIND THE WHEEL.
Reports: Iowa fires basketball coach Fran McCaffery
Updated: 2:16 PM CDT Mar 14, 2025
Fran McCaffery is out as Iowa basketball coach, according to reports. CBS Sports reported Friday afternoon that University of Iowa Athletics Director Beth Goetz fired McCaffery after 15 seasons. He’s the all-time wins leader for the Hawkeyes, with a 297-207 record since 2011.Video above from 2020: KCCI sits down with Connor and Fran McCafferyKCCI reached out to a spokesperson for the athletic department, who declined to comment on the report early Friday afternoon.The Hawkeyes went 17-16 overall this season and 7-13 in the Big Ten Conference to finish 12th. They opened the Big Ten tournament with a 77-70 win against Ohio State but fell to Illinois in the second round, 106-94. McCaffery received two technical fouls and was ejected in the second half of Iowa’s loss against Illinois.McCaffery, 65, has seven NCAA Tournament bids with the Hawkeyes — 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023. McCaffery is 548-384 in more than 30 years as a head coach, with previous stops at Lehigh, UNC-Greensboro and Siena. Iowa basketball: Top 5 winningest coachesFran McCaffery: 297-207, 2011-2025Tom Davis: 269-140, 1987-1999Lute Olson: 165-93, 1975-1983Steve Alford: 152-106, 2000-2007Rollie Williams: 139-131, 1930-1951
IOWA CITY, Iowa —Fran McCaffery is out as Iowa basketball coach, according to reports.
CBS Sports reported Friday afternoon that University of Iowa Athletics Director Beth Goetz fired McCaffery after 15 seasons. He’s the all-time wins leader for the Hawkeyes, with a 297-207 record since 2011.
Video above from 2020: KCCI sits down with Connor and Fran McCaffery
KCCI reached out to a spokesperson for the athletic department, who declined to comment on the report early Friday afternoon.
The Hawkeyes went 17-16 overall this season and 7-13 in the Big Ten Conference to finish 12th. They opened the Big Ten tournament with a 77-70 win against Ohio State but fell to Illinois in the second round, 106-94.
McCaffery received two technical fouls and was ejected in the second half of Iowa’s loss against Illinois.
McCaffery, 65, has seven NCAA Tournament bids with the Hawkeyes — 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023.
McCaffery is 548-384 in more than 30 years as a head coach, with previous stops at Lehigh, UNC-Greensboro and Siena.
Iowa basketball: Top 5 winningest coaches
- Fran McCaffery: 297-207, 2011-2025
- Tom Davis: 269-140, 1987-1999
- Lute Olson: 165-93, 1975-1983
- Steve Alford: 152-106, 2000-2007
- Rollie Williams: 139-131, 1930-1951
