Penn announced they have hired ex-Iowa coach Fran McCaffery as its men’s basketball coach on Thursday, two weeks after he was fired at Iowa (where he was replaced by former Drake coach Ben McCollum.
McCaffery, 65, said in a statement: “I am excited and honored to return to my alma mater and the city of Philadelphia to lead the Penn men’s basketball program. 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.”
McCaffery was Iowa’s all-time wins leader (with a 297-207 overall record and 143-141 against Big Ten competition) and longest-tenured coach in program history after 15 years at the school. He is one of only five head coaches to guide teams to conference tournament titles in four or more different leagues (Big Ten, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, Southern Conference, East Coast Conference). In 29 seasons, McCaffery has a 548-384 overall record with NCAA Tournament (6-12 record) stops at Lehigh, UNC Greensboro, Siena and Iowa.
Penn athletic director Alanna Wren said in a statement: “I am thrilled to bring Fran back to Penn and Philadelphia as our next head men’s basketball coach. Fran has had success at every level of Division I and is passionate about restoring our program to glory. His energy and enthusiasm for leading young men was apparent throughout the process and he has proven to be committed to player development and relationship-building with his student-athletes throughout his storied career.”
Penn fired coach Steve Donahue earlier this month; over the last 10 seasons he led the Quakers to a 131-130 record. including an 8-19 mark in 2024-25.
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