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Uncovering the Height of Iowa Hawkeyes Head Coach Fran McCaffery

By / 14 February 2023 03:53 AM

Fran McCaffery is the head coach of the Iowa Hoops
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How Tall Is Fran McCaffery? Iowa Hawkeyes basketball coach Fran McCaffery has a height of 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m).

Fran McCaffery is an American college basketball coach currently serving as the head coach of the University of Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball team. He has been with the program since 2010 and has had a successful coaching career. 

Following his playing career, Fran went into the coaching business in 1982. He served as an assistant coach at Penn to start his career as a college coach. In 1983, McCaffery joined Lehigh as an assistant coach and the college appointed him as the head coach in 1985. At the time, he was the youngest Division I head coach. 

However, McCaffery's career-defining role as a coach came with Sienna in 2005. He led the program to three consecutive conference tournament championships. His coaching career at Sienna is considered the most decorated in the program's history. 

After building a reputation as one of the greatest coaches in the division, Iowa acquired Fran in 2010. He led the Hawkeyes to several postseason games, including the final of the 2013 National Invitation Tournament. 

The former point guard played for Wake Forest and Penn State as a player. 

Fran McCaffery Height Comparison With Other Big Ten Conference Coach

Fran with pre-game prep work
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Fran McCaffery has had an excellent coaching career in collegiate basketball. He currently coaches the Iowa Hawkeyes of the Big Ten Conference. 

The six-foot-four was a great basketball player in his days. He was a point guard for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons and the Penn State Nittany Lions. The former player used his height and athleticism to the full extent to excel as a player. 

Throughout his collegiate career, Fran played 84 games and averaged 2.9 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game. The point guard found passion in coaching and immediately joined the coaching staff at Penn State after graduation. 

The Iowa coach with Filip Rebraca
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As we know height is a significant factor in basketball. It is a prerequisite for a great basketball prospect as tall players enjoy benefits in several areas such as dunking, blocking, and stealing. 

Not only players but coaches can also benefit from their height. A tall person can pose an intimidating figure and keep his players in disciplinary check whenever required. 

In the context of Fran McCaffery, he may not be the tallest coach in the division, but he isn't also the shortest. He has fully utilized his height to develop a ruthless team that only thirsts for wins. 

Fran McCaffery is taking the Hawkeyes to elevated levels
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Here are the comparisons of the heights of several Big Ten Conference coaches:

Fran McCaffery (Iowa)6 feet 4 inches
Matt Painter (Purdue)6 feet 6 inches
Mike Woodson (Indiana)6 feet 5 inches
Brad Underwood (Illinois)6 feet 4 inches
Chris Collins (Northwestern)6 feet 3 inches
Kevin Willard (Maryland)6 feet
James Franklin (Penn State)6 feet 2 inches
 

Irrespective of height and physique, McCaffery is one of the most tactical coaches in the conference. He is known for his tactical switch when the team is struggling. Many analysts have considered him an "offensive mastermind." 

As a result, there are always rumors of him taking a position of offensive coordinator in an NBA franchise. 

Breaking Down Fran McCaffery Coaching Career

One of the best NCAA Division I coaches, McCaffery overtook Iowa's coaching position in 2010. 

With a 7-6 conference record in 2022, he is set to finish in the upper half of the conference. The Hawkeyes have a 15-9 overall record, losing many games away from home. 

The Hawkeyes coach with his players at half time
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However, McCaffery's tenure at the Hawkeyes is nothing short of success. The former Sienna coach led the Hawkeyes to their first-ever National Invitation Tournament final in 2013. The program lost to Baylor in the finals. 

 In the 2020/21 season, the Iowa Hawkeyes earned the second seed in the NCAA tournament, the best in the program's history, And given their performances, the top five doesn't seem far away this season too. 

Throughout his 12 years of coaching at Iowa, Fran failed to lead them to the postseason tournament on two occasions in 2011 and 2018 when they finished tenth and eleventh in the conference. 

Fran McCaffery Was Shining At Siena

The coach came into the spotlight after Siena hired him in 2005. 

After two ordinary seasons with the Saints, he finished the next three seasons in first place in the Metro Athletic Atlantic Conference. With three consecutive MAAC tournament championships, the Saints played three consecutive postseason tournaments for the first time in their history. 

Before Fran, Siena was one of the lowest-ranked teams in the tournament. But he transformed them into a fierce side that took down a lot of top 10 ranked sides including Vanderbilt, Stanford, and Ohio State among others. 

Fran McCaffery's Salary At Iowa

The Iowa Hawkeyes head coach earns $2.9 million annually. 

McCaffery signs a contract extension expiring in 2028
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He joined the program in 2010 and signed a 7-year contract extension in 2013. In 2020, he extended his contract for another seven years with a base salary of $2.2 million per year. 

In the 2021/22 season, the coach made $2.9 million as per the Iowa Salary book

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