Former Iowa men’s basketball head coach Fran McCaffery has been named the new head coach at Penn, the school announced on Thursday.
“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 in a press release. “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.”
The McCaffery era of Penn Men’s Basketball starts now
Welcome home, Coach!
» https://t.co/YQTsSbB8my#FightOnPenn
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— Penn Men’s Basketball (@PennMBB) March 27, 2025
McCaffery, a Philadelphia native, played for Penn from 1979-1982, leading the Ivy League in assists and steals as a senior. The Quakers went 36-6 in conference play during McCaffery’s three years on campus, and McCaffery’s stellar play during his Penn career earned him the nickname “White Magic” a reference to Los Angeles Lakers superstar Magic Johnson.
McCaffery spent one season with the Quakers as an assistant coach before moving on to successful coaching stops at Lehigh, Notre Dame, UNC Greensboro, Siena, and most recently with the Iowa Hawkeyes. McCaffery compiled a 297-207 mark with Iowa, leading the Hawkeyes to seven NCAA tournament berths and the 2022 Big Ten tournament championship. He was fired from his post as Iowa head coach on March 14 after a disappointing season.
McCaffery would often speak fondly of his alma mater while with the Hawkeyes, and made his return to campus in 2020 when his Iowa team played Penn State at The Palestra, losing in an 89-96 thriller.
McCaffery will now have the chance to rebuild a Penn program that has fallen on hard times. The Quakers have made the NCAA tournament only once since 2007, posting two consecutive losing seasons in the process.