Patrick McCaffery's dad, Fran McCaffery, makes feelings known on moving away from Iowa job: "Take great pride in coming to work here"

Patrick McCaffery's dad, Fran McCaffery, was at the helm of the Iowa Hawkeyes team for 15 seasons before being fired from his position in March. The Hawkeyes had one of the worst seasons of his tenure, finishing 17-16 with just seven wins in Big Ten play.

They failed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament two years in a row, which played a big part in the university moving on from McCaffery.

Less than a month after being fired by Iowa, McCaffery accepted the head coaching job at the University of Pennsylvania, where he had started his coaching career as an assistant. He also played college basketball for the Quakers for three seasons.

On Wednesday, McCaffery appeared on the Off the Carousel episode of "The Field of 68" podcast, where he discussed his departure from Iowa and how he felt coming back to his hometown for the Penn job with host Rob Dauster.

"I didn't want to go anywhere else. I knew I was going to continue to coach. I'm very happy with the 15 years I spent at Iowa," McCaffery said (TS- 7:50). "I worked with some great players and was honored to coach them. When you're at a place for 15 years and you go to the postseason 13 times, there's a lot to be proud of. I'm especially proud of the guys we put in the pros and of winning the Big Ten Championship in 2022.

"But to come back here — there's just something really special about that. It's where I grew up, where I played, and where my family is. So many reached out and had personal conversations with me ... I take great pride in coming to work here every day and maintaining the incredible tradition of Penn basketball."

---

Fran McCaffery aims to restore Penn Quakers' dominance in Ivy League

The Penn Quakers finished last season 4-10 in Ivy League play and 8-19 overall, failing to make the postseason. Fran McCaffery is hoping to get the program back to its former glory as head 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," McCaffery said in a statement, per ESPN.

Before arriving at Iowa, McCaffery coached at Siena and UNC Greensboro, where he also experienced success.