Iowa's coach Fran McCaffery was fired after 15 seasons with the Hawkeyes, the school announced Friday.
McCaffery, the leader of all school time with 297, leaves with a record of 143 victories of Big Ten.
“Fran McCaffray has been an integral part of our Hawkeye family during the last 15 years. He is a tremendous coach and teacher, and we are grateful for the positive impact he has had on the institution and the community,” said Athletics Director Beth Goetz in a statement on Friday. “We have a deep appreciation for their dedication to our athletes students and their passion for the game that will have a lasting impact on our program.”
Lowa will begin a national search for a new coach immediately, the school said.
Iowa's season ended Thursday with a 106-94 defeat against Illinois in the second round of the Big Ten tournament. McCaffery was expelled in the second half after two technical offenses to discuss with the officials were evaluated.
The Hawkeyes finished the 17-16 and 7-13 campaign in the Big Ten. There was some optimism after a 12-4 start that included a 25-point victory over Indiana on January 11, but lost 11 of their next 14 games as the season quickly unraveled.
During the 15 seasons of McCaffray to the helm, he took Iowa seven appearances in the NCAA tournament, advancing to the second round four times, but never reached the sweet 16. It consistently produced some of the best offenses of the nation, qualifying in the top 20 in offensive efficiency adjusted in each of the last eight seasons.
Iowa has had four players selected in the NBA draft since 2021, including the first Rondores Keegan Murray and Kris Murray in 2022 and 2023. That group included Luka Garza, the two-time winner of the All-American and 2021 Wooden award.
However, since he went to four consecutive tournaments from the NCAA from 2019 to 2023, Iowa has had problems in the last two seasons. The Hawkeyes lost the NCAA tournament last season, ending 19-15 in general and 10-10 in the League game.
In 15 seasons, McCaffery was 297-207.
Before taking charge at Iowa City in 2010, McCaffery was the chief coach in Siena for five seasons, going to three consecutive NCAA tournaments to finish her mandate. He also went to an NCAA tournament as a chief coach at UNC Greensboro and Lehight, and a time spent a coach at Notre Dame, Lehight and Penn spent.
