Fran McCaffery has been the Iowa men’s basketball head coach for 14 years. Over those 14 years, he has added to a widely respected culture that prioritizes life over hoops.
Anyone who knows McCaffery — from players to fans and media members — recognize that he’s all about character and family, despite this season’s highs and lows.
In November 2023, Iowa fourth-year guard Tony Perkins’ grandmother died. Perkins was very close with her, and the team embraced him with open arms while his family was back home in Indiana.
“I found out in practice — [the team has] been helping me with everything,” Perkins said. “Everyone has my back — coaches
as well.”
Perkins went on to play a fantastic game the following day on Nov. 29 against North Florida, contributing 21 points to the 103-78 blowout win.
“He obviously had a point to prove, and he had a little bit more to play for,” forward Owen Freeman said postgame. “To go out and see him do that, it’s really something special … Tony, he’s a special player.”
As the Hawkeyes’ next match came against Purdue in West Lafayette, Indiana, McCaffery allowed the Indianapolis local to remain with his family after the game while the rest of the team returned to Iowa.
It wasn’t long after that when another tragedy struck the team: Freeman learned of the his grandma’s passing the day Iowa hosted Purdue on Jan. 20.
Freeman never spoke publicly about the loss, but McCaffery confirmed that he allowed the first-year standout to bypass
the following practice as he went home to his family in Moline, Illinois.
“The important thing is that Tony [Perkins] knows, that Owen [Freeman] knows, that everybody in that locker room loves them,” McCaffery said at a media availability soon after. “I told [Freeman’s] mom that we’re going to put our arms around him and love him up — and his teammates, to a man, and the coaches, to a man, have done that for him. He’s got a beautiful family.”
Then, the team heard more devastating news. Payton Sandfort’s grandmother died Jan. 24, the day Iowa suffered a close loss to Maryland.
Sandfort told reporters the news after Iowa’s bounce-back win at Michigan. The point guard had an electric game against the Wolverines with 26 points, tying his career high. After the contest, Sandfort said it made him happy to think about his grandparents watching him play from heaven.
“One of the most special things that ever happened to me was the way that Tony treated me after Wednesday’s game,” Sandfort said. “Obviously, I made some big mistakes down the stretch. But he just kinda put his arm around me, and we were sitting in that press conference, and we were walking down the hallway, and he just told me how much he loved me.”
Former Iowa center Jack Nunge was prepared to begin his fourth season with the Hawkeyes in November 2020 when his father died just a few days before the home opener against North Carolina Central.
Nunge immediately traveled home to Indiana, and McCaffery assured him to take as much time away as he needed.
“It was obviously heartbreaking and devastating — it was horrible news,” said fourth-year center Luka Garza, who had played with Nunge for four years up to that point. “We’re going to circle around him and just try to build him up, and hopefully when he comes back, we can make him feel at home.”
Almost six years previously to the date, Iowa center Gabriel Olaseni lost his father the morning of a home game against Northern Illinois.
After the game, McCaffery and the fourth year talked with Olaseni’s mother and set up a plan to buy him a round-trip flight to London through the NCAA’s Student Assistance Fund.
When Nunge’s dad died, McCaffery stressed the plan of connecting Olaseni with Nunge to discuss how to cope through the family tragedy.
McCaffery and his wife, Margaret, have raised more than $1.25 million through fundraisers and donations for cancer research and treatment since moving to Iowa City in 2010. Their motive behind such efforts comes from their son and current Hawkeye fourth-year forward Patrick McCaffery’s battle with thyroid cancer as a 14 year old in 2014.
After two surgeries, multiple ultrasounds, and some time off, Patrick was cancer-free and back to playing basketball again. He’s now an Iowa Hawkeye playing Division I basketball coached by his dad.
The journey, however, hasn’t been all that smooth.
During the 2022-23 season, Patrick took a leave of absence, citing mental health struggles.
“I think [Patrick discussing his anxiety] opened up a lot of conversation and opportunity for us to come together,” Sandfort said, who was a second-year player at the time. “We love him, and we’re doing everything we can to help him.”
Fran said he noticed the effects of Patrick’s anxiety both on and off the court over the previous weeks and gave him the utmost support as a coach and a father.
“All of us admire his courage and willingness to be open about this struggle, and we hope others know that they are not alone,” Fran said. “We will be with him every step of the way.”
In a game against Minnesota on Jan. 15, the Hawkeyes notched their 11th win of the season and McCaffery’s 272nd victory as Iowa head coach, pushing him ahead of Tom Davis for the most wins by a head coach in Iowa men’s basketball history.
Garza was in attendance to witness his former coach make history — an expression of gratitude for all McCaffery did for his progress, which culminated in him breaking the program scoring record and the retirement of his jersey.
Fran McCaffery has been around to fondly know of most Iowa records as his players do, including former Hawkeye guard Jordan Bohannon, who had the chance to own a record himself but had his mind set on the bigger picture.
On Jan. 19, 1993, Hawkeye star and to-be NBA Draft selection Chris Street was tragically killed in a car accident. Street was one of the best players to ever put on an Iowa jersey and was even more beloved for his character.
The Hawkeye great set a program record with 34 consecutive free throws made before his passing. On Feb. 25, 2018, Bohannon had a chance to break the record. After tying Street’s record with one made, he intentionally missed the second shot.
“It’s been in my mind for a while,” Bohannon said on the matter, emphasizing it’s not his record to have. “I knew I wanted to leave it short a little bit. I didn’t want to make it too obvious.”
It’s not just basketball, and it’s not just the players and coaches — but it’s the entirety of the Iowa Hawkeyes — the fans, media, fellow students, parents, and much more — that makes a beloved community.
Because at the end of the day, family will always be there through the good or bad, and that’s exactly what the Iowa men’s basketball team embodies.
“It’s a family in that locker room,” McCaffery added. “It’s a journey, a lot of hard work, and ups and downs. How you deal with that is many times going to be a function of the support that you get from your teammates and your coaches, and we’ll continue to do that.”
