Prior to his firing, Fran McCaffery, the men’s basketball head coach for Iowa, and his wife reportedly engaged in a blame game with the local press.
One individual seemed to bear the brunt of it.
As shared by The Athletic’s Scott Doctorman, who previously covered Iowa State, McCaffery and his wife, Margaret, targeted Gary Dolphin, the long-serving play-by-play announcer for Iowa State on the Learfield/IMG College Sports Radio Network.
Doctorman remarked, “Gary Dolphin was the worst.” He discussed this on the podcast “Legends and Listeners,” stating that McCaffery faced pressure to step down on more than one occasion.
Margaret reportedly confronted Dolphin for asking athletes about their losing streak.
Doctorman described an incident where “Margaret became so enraged that she had to address leaders from Iowa and Learfield,” expressing her frustration loudly by stating, “I don’t need a babysitter!” This was all to prevent her from raising her voice against Dolphin.
Currently, McCaffery serves as the head coach at the University of Pennsylvania. His record at Iowa between 2010 and 2025 was 297 wins to 207 losses, during which he made seven NCAA Tournament appearances.
The McCafferys’ strained relationship with Iowa State media came up recently, highlighted by sportscaster Keith Murphy, who recounted a tense situation from the “Coaches vs. Cancer” charity event. This took place while McCaffery and Iowa were discreetly negotiating a contract extension.
Reports indicate that McCaffery requested that Murphy not be invited to host the event if he were to attend.
During a discussion on the “Murph & Andy” show, co-host Andy Fares inquired about whether Margaret heckled Murphy from the audience. Murphy confirmed that McCaffery, appearing on stage, did not acknowledge him with a handshake.
Murphy commented, “They avoided me. It wasn’t about taking away his contract; it’s about considering the fans when discussing a coach’s new deal.”
Margaret, addressing the audience, allegedly stated, “Thank you for welcoming me, unlike these hosts here who want my husband fired.” However, Murphy added that she never actually claimed he should be let go.
Fares noted that McCaffery seemed to want to distance himself from the charity event due to these perceived attacks.
The McCafferys have a son, Connor, who played basketball at Iowa State and is notably known for his relationship with WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark.
