Iowa men’s basketball director of operations Jerry Strom stepped down on Monday after 33 years of service, head coach Fran McCaffery announced.

“I was living my dream,” Strom said in a release. “Working 33 years at Iowa were the greatest years of my life. It is, and always has been, about the people. That’s what makes Iowa and the community so special.”

Strom first joined the Iowa staff as a graduate assistant in 1981 under former head coach Lute Olson. He was promoted to director of operations two years later and was a part of six coaching staffs that earned NCAA Tournament and NIT berths.

Strom coordinated travel and handled the day-to-day operations of the men’s basketball program. He served as the Hawkeye Challenge tournament director for 26 years, and also spent six years delivering color commentary with Jim Zabel for basketball games on the Palmer Radio Network.

“Jerry Strom has been a very good friend of mine for over 20 years,” McCaffery said in a release. “I was thrilled to have the opportunity to have him on our staff. For the three years that we worked together, his contributions were beyond exceptional. He’s part of the Iowa basketball family forever.”