Sitting Behind the Eight Ball

Hawkeye Magic and the Fran Stare Down

When your coach stares down a ref, creates magic and the national news, life is priceless!

I am a die-hard Iowa Hawkeye Fan. I haven’t missed a single men’s or women’s basketball game this season. (Well, it could happen as I’m traveling right now, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I get to see the women play in the Big Ten tournament on Friday, and the men’s team play Nebraska on Sunday.) Anyone who is an Iowa Men’s Basketball Hawkeye Fan will understand the statement that you do not always know what team will show up, but when the amazing team shows up, it’s a wonderful experience.

Last Saturday it looked like we were going to get beat by Michigan State. In the last one minute and a half, we had one of the biggest comebacks ever in NCAA history. The guys shot a bunch of three pointers and tied the game, went into overtime, and handily won. The thing that is so funny is that Iowa’s coach Fran McCaffery had a stare down with one of the officials. There’s a video on Twitter showing the whole encounter which was shared multiple times. If you want a great laugh, try to find it. Anyway, when it seemed like everything was over for the Hawkeyes, Fran stared down this ref, the big switch occurred, and we were able to tie up the game and go into overtime. The stare down is still being talked about on podcasts, and I even saw it mentioned on a cable news program.

I just love it when these kinds of strange things occur because it feels like you’re witnessing a miracle. I sure hope it continues, and I guess if we get beat, I will have to move on, but it’s really, really hard. I wish I wasn’t so crazy passionate about it because it definitely affects my mood. I’d just love to see both teams go really far in the Big Ten and the NCAA tournaments. In the meantime, I hope I get to see more magic!

Here’s a link to the stare down: https://www.google.com/search?q=Fran+McCaffrey+stare+down&source=hp&ei=2RQAZOXTJ–awbkPpOuzwAE&iflsig=AK50M_UAAAAAZAAi6Q2p-S3gSeJwGf2-03WYN2pgb-Fl&ved=0ahUKEwilpJjxo7z9AhVvTTABHaT1DBgQ4dUDCAo&uact=5&oq=Fran+McCaffrey+stare+down&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAM6CAgAEI8BEOoCOhEILhCABBCxAxCDARDHARDRAzoLCAAQgAQQsQMQgwE6EQguEIMBEMcBELEDENEDEIAEOgUIABCABDoICC4QsQMQgwE6CAguEIAEELEDOgsILhCABBCxAxCDAToLCC4QgAQQxwEQrwE6CAgAELEDEIMBOggIABCABBCxAzoECAAQAzoLCC4QgwEQsQMQgAQ6BggAEAoQAzoNCC4QgwEQsQMQgAQQCjoNCAAQgAQQsQMQgwEQCjoHCAAQgAQQCjoHCAAQDRCABDoICAAQCBAeEA06BQgAEIYDUNVVWOTqAWDghAJoBHAAeACAAbAOiAG_oAGSAQs0LTEuNi43LjYuMpgBAKABAbABCg&sclient=gws-wiz#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:41bd328d,vid:UR3iKrv51Co

Barb Edler Avatar

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Barb Edler
Hello, I am a retired English teacher. I live along the Mississippi River and enjoy watching birds, the river, and nature in general. Writing for me is a gateway to healing, and I love to wrestle words in hopes of capturing an emotion or image others may relate.
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9 responses to “Hawkeye Magic and the Fran Stare Down”

  1. Glenda Funk Avatar
    Glenda Funk

    Barb, I admit to scratching my head when I hear someone is a die-hard fan of any college team. And I remember living in Iowa when teams were less than stellar. I do hope you get to see those games and the Hawkeyes win. Now I’m off to watch the stare-down!

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  2. WOWilkinson Avatar
    WOWilkinson

    Thanks for sharing. The MSU fans in my area have different feelings about that stare down.

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  3. Maureen Young Ingram Avatar
    Maureen Young Ingram

    My brothers played basketball, and I have always been fond of the sport. Thanks for including that video – that was an awesome stare-down, lol. I loved how one of his players tapped the coach’s side, as if to encourage him not to keep staring at the ump. Very exciting!

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    1. Barb Edler Avatar
      Barb Edler

      Maureen, I’ve tried to comment on your posts for the last two days, but I cannot get them to go through. They always say unacceptable.

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  4. franmcveigh Avatar
    franmcveigh

    Carver Hawkeye Magic last weekend with Fran’s stare down Saturday and Caitlin’s buzzer beater on Sunday. Always a treat even when the outcome doesn’t match expectations!

    Go, Hawks!
    Nice Slice!

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  5. Stacey Shubitz Avatar
    Stacey Shubitz

    By Fran, are you referring to Fran McVeigh? (I know you know Glenda, but I was unsure if you know Fran.) LMK via email… happy to make an intro.

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    1. Barb Edler Avatar
      Barb Edler

      Fran McCaffery is the Iowa Hawkeyes men’s basketball coach who stared down the ref last Saturday and then we miraculously tied the game, went into overtime, and won the game.

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  6. kimhaynesjohnson Avatar
    kimhaynesjohnson

    Basketball is such a fun sport to watch. Such coordination and quick energy. I’m too slow for all that. A colleague of mine and I are the only South Carolina Gamecock fans in our office in rural Georgia (it’s not easy being a chicken among bulldogs, let me tell you). I hear we are in the top in women’s basketball – – but I mostly watch football in the fall. Good luck to your team! I will have to watch that stare down. I may need to learn the art of this.

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  7. Denise Krebs Avatar
    Denise Krebs

    Barb, Wow, a diehard fan. I hope the men’s and women’s teams do well. Crossing my Iowa fingers for them. The link you left above is interesting; it kept coming back to this page before I could click on the video–like a tease. But I did watch the stare down on Twitter. It was easy to find there. Funny! It did put a fire in his players, it seems.

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