Fran McCaffery Named John R. Rockwell Head Men's Basketball Coach

PHILADELPHIA, P.A.– The University of Pennsylvania's T. Gibbs Kane, Jr. W'69 Director of Athletics and Recreation, Alanna Wren, has announced the hiring of Fran McCaffery W'82 as the new John R. Rockwell Head Coach of Men's Basketball.

McCaffery will be introduced to the community on Monday, April 7 during a press conference at 10 a.m. at The Palestra.

The announcement marks a return to University City for McCaffery, who played three seasons for the Quakers after transferring in from Wake Forest. Nicknamed "White Magic," he led the Ivy League in assists (105) and steals (51) as a senior in 1981-82 and was voted recipient of the Bus MacDonald Award as the team's most inspirational player that season. Penn went 36-6 in Ivy League play across the three seasons that McCaffery wore the Red and Blue, winning three Ivy League titles, and playing in the NCAA Tournament his sophomore and senior seasons. McCaffery then made his coaching debut with the Quakers following his graduation, as assistant varsity coach and head sub-varsity coach under head coach Craig Littlepage.

"I am thrilled to bring Fran back to Penn and Philadelphia as our next head men's basketball coach," Wren said. "Fran has had success at every level of Division I and is passionate about restoring our program to glory. His energy and enthusiasm for leading young men was apparent throughout the process and he has proven to be committed to player development and relationship-building with his student-athletes throughout his storied career."

"I am excited and honored to return to my alma mater and the city of Philadelphia to lead the Penn men's basketball program," McCaffery said. "It is a program that I have fond memories of from my previous time there as a student-athlete and assistant coach. My vision is to return Penn to prominence in the Ivy League and beyond and bring an exciting style of play to The Palestra. I want to thank President Larry Jameson, AD Alanna Wren, Provost John Jackson and Senior Executive Vice President Craig Carnaroli for providing me with this opportunity to return home. I relish the challenge and look forward to getting started."

McCaffery has been a college basketball coach for 43 years, 29 of those as a head coach at Lehigh (3 seasons), UNC Greensboro (6), Siena (5), and most recently the University of Iowa where he spent 15 seasons and departed as the Hawkeyes' all-time winningest coach with 297 victories. McCaffery joins Hall of Fame coaches Rick Pitino, Bob Huggins, Eddie Sutton and Lefty Driesell as the only Division I coaches to lead teams to conference tournament titles in four or more different leagues, and he is also one of just 14 Division I head coaches to take at least four different programs to the NCAA Tournament.

McCaffery's head coaching record is 548-384 overall, a .588 winning percentage. Perhaps more impressive, the four programs he inherited over the years had a combined record of 35-84 (.204) the season prior to his arrival. By year three, they had a combined record of 89-45 (.664). McCaffery has coached 12 teams to NCAA Tournament appearances and five to the NIT.

McCaffrey enjoyed a successful 15-year campaign in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes appeared in a postseason tournament 11 of the last 13 completed seasons (7 NCAA, 4 NIT) and he guided them to seven of the last 11 NCAA Tournaments (2014, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023). Iowa also reached the NIT championship game in 2013. Over the last six seasons, Iowa combined to win 123 games, finished fifth place or better in the Big Ten standings four times, won a Big Ten Tournament title (2022), competed in three NCAA Tournaments, and won 21 games over AP Top 25 opponents.

McCaffery recruited and coached a consensus All-America four of his last ten seasons at Iowa.

Iowa was ranked as high as No. 3 nationally during both the 2016 and 2021 seasons. The Hawkeyes were ranked for 16 consecutive weeks in 2019, the final nine weeks of the 2020 season, went wire-to-wire in 2021 in the top 15 of the AP Poll for the first time since the 1989 campaign, and ranked No. 16 in the final poll in 2022.During the 2023 and 2024 seasons, Iowa won 19 games in both campaigns including 10 Big Ten victories—the team's record fifth and sixth straight seasons with 10 or more conference wins. Iowa played in the NCAA Tournament in 2023 and advanced to the second round of the NIT in 2024.

McCaffery's up-tempo style of play is a favorite among his players. Iowa led the Big Ten in scoring in five straight seasons before finishing second in 2024. The team was fifth nationally in both 2021 and 2022. Iowa averaged more than 83 points in consecutive seasons (2021, 2022) for the first time in 27 years. Additionally, Iowa was tops in Division I in assist-to-turnover ratio in 2021 (2.0) and 2022 (1.74).

McCaffery came to Iowa following a five-year stint at Siena where he led the program to the best stretch in its 70-year history—one that earned him entry into the Siena Athletics Hall of Fame in 2018. He led the Saints on an incredible run that ended with three straight conference championships and NCAA Tournament appearances, and in NCAA play the Saints defeated Vanderbilt (in 2008) and Ohio State (in 2009). Under McCaffery—who was the MAAC Coach of the Year in 2008-09 and NABC District I Coach of the Year in 2009-10—Siena was the only Division I program in the country to win both its regular season and postseason tournament titles from 2008-10.

McCaffery's Siena stint came on the heels of a successful six-year run at UNC-Greensboro. In his second season, he guided the Spartans to unprecedented heights with a 19-12 record and the 2001 Southern Conference (SoCon) Tournament championship. The Spartans defeated Chattanooga in the final and received the SoCon's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The following year (2001-02), McCaffery led the Spartans to their first 20-win season since joining the conference, and the program claimed a share of the SoCon North Division title for the first time, as well. After falling to eventual tournament champion Davidson in the conference tournament semifinals, the Spartans were awarded a berth into the 2002 NIT. In his final year in Greensboro, McCaffery brought the Spartans to the brink of the NCAA Tournament before a SoCon Championship game loss to Chattanooga. He led UNCG to a victory over Davidson in the semifinals, defeating a Wildcats steam that had been 16-0 in conference play.

McCaffery was the nation's youngest Division I head coach when, at the age of 26, he was named head coach at Lehigh on September 11, 1985—a promotion after he had spent two years on the bench as an assistant coach. McCaffery capped his three-year tenure with the Mountain Hawks with a 21-win season and an NCAA Tournament berth in 1988, at the time making him the youngest head coach to lead his team to March Madness.

In addition to assistant coaching stints at Penn and Lehigh, McCaffery spent 11 years as an assistant coach at Notre Dame under Digger Phelps and John MacLeod. During his tenure in South Bend, the Fighting Irish made NCAA Tournament appearances in 1989 and 1990, reached the NIT final in 1992, and advanced to the NIT quarterfinals in 1997.

Off the court, The McCaffery family has long been a champion for Coaches vs. Cancer and the American Cancer Society (ACS). The McCafferys have been actively involved with the Coaches vs. Cancer program and have raised significant funds to support ACS efforts, including more than $5.0 million since he became Iowa's head coach in 2010. His efforts were honored during the 2015 Final Four weekend, as McCaffery was honored with the Coaches vs. Cancer Champion Award. The distinction is awarded annually to a college coach who has been engaged vigorously in the Coaches vs. Cancer program's fundraising, education and promotional initiatives and has demonstrated leadership in the fight to save more lives from cancer. The ACS awarded the McCafferys with the Fighting Spirit Award in 2015.

In addition to their work with the American Cancer Society and Coaches vs. Cancer, the McCafferys helped spearhead the launch of a new Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Program in Iowa City.

A Philadelphia native, McCaffery attended La Salle College High School. He and his wife, Margaret, have four children: sons, Connor, Patrick and Jonathan and a daughter, Marit.

Connor and Patrick played a combined 11 seasons for their father at Iowa, helping Iowa win the 2022 Big Ten Championship. Connor is the all-time winningest player in Iowa history with 111 victories and is second in NCAA history in assist/turnover ratio. Patrick scored 1,417 points in his collegiate career at Iowa and Butler.

‍#FightOnPenn‍

‍NOTABLE PLAYERS RECRUITED AND COACHED BY FRAN McCAFFERY…‍

‍AT IOWA (2010-25)‍

‍Kris Murray‍

‍Sporting News, Associated Press, USBWA Third Team All-America; All-Big Ten First Team honoree (unanimous by media); Associated Press All-Big Ten First Team selection; John R. Wooden Award Semifinalist; Naismith Player of the Year Trophy Semifinalist; Lute Olson National Player of the Year Finalist; Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Finalist; NABC First Team All-District and USBWA All-District; Emerald Coast Classic All-Tournament Team; ESPN National Player of the Week and Big Ten Player of the Week (Dec. 5); only Division I player to average 20 points, 7+ rebounds, 1+ block and make 65+ three-pointers in 2023; ranked 21st nationally in points per game (20.2); first Hawkeye in 45 years to total 30+ points and 20+ rebounds in a game (Bruce King in 1977); netted double figures in 27 games, including reaching 20+ a team-best 15 times; totaled six double-doubles.

‍Keegan Murray

‍Posted numbers and accomplishments no other Hawkeye underclassman has achieved in 2022 as a sophomore; consensus first-team All-American; Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year; finalist for the John R. Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy, Lute Olson Award and Lefty Driesell Award; USBWA and NABC All-District; All-Big Ten First Team (unanimous); Big Ten Tournament Most Outstanding Player and All-Tournament Team; Academic All-Big Ten; six-time Big Ten Player of the Week (one of only three Big Ten players to earn at least six Big Ten Player of the Week honors since the weekly award was introduced prior to the 1981-82 season); broke the school single-season scoring (822), and field goals made (307) and attempted (554); accumulated 1,046 points in 66 games as a Hawkeye becoming just the fifth Hawkeye to reach over 1,000 career points in their first two seasons; amassed 822 points, 303 rebounds, 68 blocks, 66 3-point field goals, 52 assists and 45 steal; one of only two Big Ten players this century and eighth overall with more than 800 points in a single season; only the second player in Division I history to amass more than 800 points, 60 blocks, and 60 3-pointers in a single season (Texas' Kevin Durant in 2007); first Division I player with more than 800 points and 300 rebounds with a field goal percentage of 55 percent or better in a single season since North Carolina's Antawn Jamison in 1998; totaled a Big Ten Tournament record 103 points and 38 field goals made in four games in leading the Hawkeyes to their third tournament championship and first since 2006; tied a Big Ten Tournament single game record with eight made 3-pointers made (10 attempts), in 32-point outburst in win over Indiana; tallied 20+ points 26 times and 25+ points 16 times in 2022, both of which ranked first nationally; increased his scoring average by +16.3 points from the previous season, which is the largest points per game increase by a Big Ten player in 49 years; ranked first in the country in Player Efficiency Rating (37.8), fourth in points per game (23.5), 34th in field goal percentage (.554), 46th in blocks per contest (1.94) and 51st in double-doubles (10); his 23.5 points per game average was tops among players from a major conference and marked the third consecutive season a Hawkeye led the Big Ten in scoring (Garza in 2020 and 2021); only player nationally to average 23+ points and 8+ rebounds; reached 30 points a league-best five times; voted to the 2021 All-Big Ten Freshman Team.

‍Luka Garza

‍His No. 55 is retired from the University of Iowa Men's Basketball Program; Iowa's only two-time Big Ten and National Player of the Year, including the 2021 Consensus National Player of the Year, winner of the prestigious John R. Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy, Oscar Robertson Trophy, Lute Olson Award, Senior CLASS Award, and Associated Press, NABC and Sporting News National Player of the Year; two-time Pete Newell Big Man of the Year, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year, USBWA District VI Player of the Year, and unanimous consensus first-team All-America; first Hawkeye in 52 years to earn Big Ten Player of the Year honors; broke Iowa's single-season (747) and all-time scoring (2,306) records; only Big Ten player to ever amass 2,250+ points, 900+ rebounds, 150+ blocks, and 100+ 3-pointers; one of three Big Ten players over the last 50 years to average 23+ points and 8+ rebounds in consecutive seasons; averaged 26.2 points per game (2020), becoming the first player to average at least 26 points in Big Ten play since Purdue's Glenn Robinson in 1994 (31.1 ppg); only player in program history with two 700-point seasons and four 400-point seasons; scored 20 points or more in a school-record 19 straight games; one of two players in program history to score 40+ points in two games; poured in a career-high 44 points at Michigan — the most points scored in a game by an Iowa big man, third most in program history, most by an opposing player in Crisler Center history; netted 41 points versus Southern University, the most points by a Hawkeye in Carver-Hawkeye Arena history; his 34 points versus Iowa State are the most points scored by a Hawkeye against the Cyclones.

‍Peter Jok

‍Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American and Senior CLASS Award All-American; became Iowa's fifth player in school history to lead Big Ten in scoring, averaging 19.9 points per game; established new school free throw records in single-game makes (22), career percentage (.864), and single-season accuracy (.911); first Hawkeye in school history to make 80+ 3-pointers in two seasons; scored 30+ points five times, which tied for first among players from Power 5 conferences in 2016-17 and ties for third best in a single-season at Iowa since 1970; became the first Hawkeye to win the College 3-Point Championships; became the first Big Ten player to win at least one game in all 14 Big Ten arenas. (Peter's older brother, Dau, played basketball for the Quakers from 2011-14 and was a two-time captain for the Quakers.)

‍Jarred Uthoff

‍Garnered the following honors as a senior in 2016: became Iowa's fifth consensus All-American and first since 1952; named the Division I Men's Basketball Academic All-American of the Year; unanimous first-team All-Big Ten honoree — Iowa's first since 1997; one of only three Hawkeyes to amass 1,000 points and 150 blocked shots in a career; ranks 19th in Iowa career scoring, a feat accomplished in only three seasons; NABC and USBWA All-District selection; ranked second in the Big Ten in scoring (18.9) and first in blocked shots (2.6); first Hawkeye in 10 seasons to lead the league in rejections.

‍Devyn Marble

‍Garnered the following honors as a senior in 2014: second Team All-America by College Sports Madness, first-team All-Big Ten, NABC First Team All-District Team, USBWA All-District VI Team and named to the 2013 Battle 4 Atlantis All-Tournament Team. Marble was a third team all-league selection as a junior and named to the 2013 NIT All-Tournament team. He ranks fifth in Iowa career scoring (1,694, sixth in assists (397) and seventh in steals (176). The two-time captain is one of only two Big Ten players since 1985-86 to amass 1,675+ points, 375+ assists, 450+ rebounds and 175+ steals.

‍Aaron White

‍Garnered the following honors as a senior in 2015: first-team All-Big Ten, NABC First Team All-District Team, USBWA All-District VI Team and named to the 2014 2K Classic All-Tournament Team. Finished his illustrious career ranked second in Iowa scoring (1,859) and third in rebounding (901). Became the first Hawkeye to ever amass 1,800 points and 900 rebounds and lead the team in rebounding all four seasons. He made more free throws than any other Big Ten player the last 50 years, raking third in Big Ten annals with 618.

‍Joe Wieskamp

‍Joe Wieskamp became the first junior in program history to amass more than 1,250 points, 550 rebounds, 175 3-pointers, 100 assists, and 75 steals. A three-year starter, Wieskamp was a two-time All-Big Ten honoree and was recognized on the All-Big Ten Freshman Team. He left school ranking ninth in career 3-pointers made and 24th in scoring. Wieskamp was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs in the second round of the 2021 NBA Draft.

‍Matt Gatens

‍Second Team All-Big Ten in 2012; Named Honorable Mention All-Big Ten in 2010; 2009 Big Ten All-Freshman Team Selection; ranks sixth in Iowa scoring (1,635); ranks second in 3-pointers made (239). He us currently playing professionally in Turkey.

‍AT SIENA (2006-10)

‍‍Kenny Hasbrouck

‍2006 MAAC Rookie of the Year; 2008 collegeinsider.com Mid Major Player of the Year; 2009 MAAC Player of the Year and NABC All-District. Hasbrouck, who has his number retired, was McCaffery's first recruit at Siena. He became Siena's first player to ever make an NBA roster when he signed with the Miami Heat as a free agent in 2010. Currently, he is playing overseas in Spain.

‍Edwin Ubiles

‍2007 MAAC co-Freshman of the Year; two-time NABC District 1 selection; 2010 first team all-league honoree; ranks third in all-time career scoring at Siena

‍Ronald Moore

‍2010 first team all-MAAC selection; led the country in assists, was a Bob Cousey Award finalist and an NABC All-District honoree in 2010, and is the MAAC's all-time assists leader.‍

AT UNC GREENSBORO (2000-05)‍

‍Kyle Hines

‍2005 Southern Conference Freshman of the Year; 2007 Southern Conference Player of the Year, becoming the first player from UNC Greensboro to earn the honor; All-American in 2007; three-time USBWA All-District selection; one of only four players to garner All-Southern Conference accolades; one of only six players in NCAA history to ever record 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 300 blocks in a career.

‍Demetrius Cherry

‍1999 Southern Conference Preseason Player of the Year; two-time first team all-league accolades.

‍Courtney Eldridge

‍2002 All-Southern Conference honoree.

‍David Schuck

‍2002 All-Southern Conference honoree.

‍Ronnie Burrell

‍2005 All-Southern Conference honoree.

‍Jay Joseph

‍2001 Southern Conference Rookie of the Year.

‍AT NOTRE DAME (1989-99)‍

‍Pat Garrity

‍Big East Player of the Year 1997; second team All-America in 1998; Academic All-American of the Year in 1998 and a two-time Academic All-American; selected #19 in the 1998 NBA Draft by Milwaukee.

‍Troy Murphy

‍Big East Player of the Year in 2000 and co-Big East Player of the Year in 2001; Big East Rookie of the Year in 1999; two-time consensus first team All-American and All-Big East honoree; selected #14 in the 2001 NBA Draft by Golden State.

‍LaPhonso Ellis

‍Only Notre Dame player to lead the team in blocks each of his four seasons; Selected #5 in the 1992 NBA Draft by Denver.

‍Monty Williams

‍Selected #24 in the 2002 NBA Draft by Utah.

‍AT LEHIGH (1986-88)

‍‍Daren Queenan

‍Co-East Coast Conference (ECC) Player of the Year in 1987; Lehigh's all-time leading scorer and ranked second in the country in scoring in 1988; one of the most prolific scorers in NCAA history, he is one of only eight players to have amassed 2,700 points and 1,000 rebounds; four-time first team all-conference honoree; Played 16 years professionally overseas.

‍Mike Polaha

‍1988 Sporting News All-American; Two-time All-East Coast Conference honoree (1987-88); only Lehigh player to score 1,400 points and have more than 400 rebounds and assists.

‍Mike Androlewicz

‍1986 first team All-East Coast Conference selection.