For nearly two decades, Fran McCaffrey was a courtside fixture for the Iowa Hawkeyes. Now, after two missed NCAA Tournaments and a double-technical in a blowout loss to Illinois, he’s gone.
Videos circulated Thursday night, showing an exasperated and infuriated McCaffrey in the second half of Iowa’s 106-94 loss to the rival Illini.
Fran McCaffery is assessed double tehcnicals and ejected from the game after exchanging words to the officials. pic.twitter.com/M5rl524Dmw
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) March 14, 2025
To add insult to injury, Iowa fired McCaffrey after 15 years running the men’s basketball program. Connor McCaffrey, the boyfriend of WNBA star Caitlin Clark and former Iowa men’s basketball player, took to X to make his thoughts known on his father’s firing, posting three clown emojis.
Connor then re-posted a pic of his father’s 200th collegiate victory and a double hearts over a video of his father’s tearful comments following Iowa’s victory over Rutgers.
Both Connor and his brother Patrick played college basketball.
Connor currently serves as an assistant coach at Butler. Of course, he is far better known as Caitlin Clark’s boyfriend. Despite his father’s less-than-ceremonious exit, Iowa will likely continue to hold a special place for Connor. That’s where he played 166 games from 2017 to 2023, and that’s where he met the greatest women’s college basketball player of all time, Caitlin Clark.
Connor’s Butler squad suffered a blowout loss to St. John’s on Thursday, 78-57. As for Caitlin Clark, the WNBA starts up again on May 16.
