Iowa fires head coach Fran McCaffery

Iowa is parting ways with head coach Fran McCaffery after 15 seasons, the school announced Friday.

"Fran McCaffery has been an integral part of our Hawkeye family for the past 15 years," the school's director of athletics Beth Goetz said in a statement. "He is a tremendous coach and teacher, and we are grateful for the positive impact he has made on the institution and the community. We have a deep appreciation for his dedication to our student-athletes and his passion for the game that will have a lasting impact on our program."

Iowa's season ended Thursday with a 106-94 loss to Illinois in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament. Officials ejected McCaffery from the contest after he received two technical fouls for arguing.

The Hawkeyes finished the campaign at 17-16 overall and 7-13 in conference play.

McCaffery is Iowa's all-time coaching wins leader with 297. He led the school to seven NCAA Tournament appearances and progressed to the second round four times but never reached the Sweet 16.

Four Hawkeyes players - Kris Murray, Keegan Murray, Joe Wieskamp, and Luka Garza - have been selected in the NBA draft since 2021.

Iowa qualified for four consecutive NCAA tourneys from 2019-23, but the program struggled the past two seasons and missed the Big Dance in 2024 after finishing 10-10 in league play.