Fran McCaffery mourns passing of Dale Howard

IOWA CITY, Ia. – Iowa basketball coach Fran McCaffery opened his postgame news conference Saturday by saying goodbye to a friend.

Dale Howard of Iowa Falls lost his battle with cancer Friday night.

"We lost a very important member of the Hawkeye basketball family in Dale Howard," McCaffery said. "In the time I've been here, we've become very close friends."

Dale and Marilyn Howard donated $5 million to University of Iowa Foundation to support Iowa athletics in 2008. A majority of that gift went to enhancements to Carver-Hawkeye, which included a practice facility, new coaches offices and locker rooms.

"We would not have our practice facility, our office complex, the Carver-Hawkeye renovation, without the generosity of he and his wife Marilyn," McCaffery said. "Great husband, great father, great basketball man, and we're going to miss him."