Gary Barta, enduring and sometimes troubled athletic director at the University of Iowa for 17 years, will retire on August 1.
The details came in an explosive Friday morning announcement that will rock the top of an Iowa athletics department that has had its most high-profile figures in the same seats for more than a decade.
According to a press release, it was Barta’s decision and not made suddenly. His contract was due to expire on June 30, 2024, but he chose to step down from a high-paying, high-pressure job 11 months earlier. Under the terms of Barta’s deal, he received more than $1 million a year – $650,000 in base salary and $400,000 a year in deferred compensation.
There is no so-called “golden parachute” included in the separation agreement, which was made public Friday by the state’s Board of Regents. Barta will be paid for remaining sick days and vacation and he and his wife will receive college health care benefits until Barta’s 65th birthday (September 4, 2028) unless he takes another job. before this date.
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Here is the majority of what Barta said in a statement about his departure:
“It has been an absolute privilege and honor to serve in this role for the past 17 years. I am honored to have worked alongside and on behalf of so many student-athletes, coaches, staff, donors, supporters and community leaders over the past two decades. The success achieved by our student-athletes and coaches throughout my tenure, and especially in recent years, has been impressive and record-breaking on many levels.
“My wife, Connie, and I have been blessed to be able to raise our two children (Luke and Madi) in this wonderful community. The four of us will be Hawkeyes for life.
“I’ve made some incredible friendships within the athletic department, on campus, in the greater Iowa City community, and across the state.
“This decision did not come suddenly, nor without significant thought, discussion and prayer. Reflecting on it, I have come to the conclusion that there is never a good time to walk away, because there is always more to do. said, I am convinced that this is the right time for me and for my family.”
Barta, who turns 60 in September, will leave behind a mixed legacy in Iowa.
It has retained successful head coaches at the top of the university’s four most visible sports: Kirk Ferentz of football (since 1999), Lisa Bluder of women’s basketball (since 2000), Tom Brands of wrestling ( since 2006) and Fran McCaffery of men’s basketball (since 2010).
He was a fundraising titan, generating over $650 million in private support for scholarships, operations, facilities and endowments. He spearheaded major facility upgrades totaling $380 million, with the opening of the $55 million Football Performance Center in 2014 and the $90 million Kinnick Stadium North Area renovations. dollars completed in 2019.
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After the COVID-19 pandemic, Iowa Athletics revenue soared to nearly $152 million in fiscal 2022 and posted a slight surplus.
He made several wonderful recruits, including Rick Heller from baseball and Joey Woody from track and field — both of whom turned previously inactive programs into regular Big Ten conference contenders (and sometimes champions). The Heller’s Hawkeyes are 2-0 in this week’s Big Ten tournament in Omaha and are set for their first regional NCAA appearance (not an easy feat for a Northern school) since 2017.
Still, this spring brought to mind the contentious and costly nature of Barta’s tenure in Iowa. In March, the university agreed to pay $4.2 million to settle a racial discrimination lawsuit brought by 12 black former footballers. At that time, $2 million of the settlement was to come from state taxpayers, and state auditor Rob Sand said he would vote against the settlement unless Barta was fired. That’s because the Iowa Athletics has now paid about $11.2 million in four discrimination lawsuits under Barta’s watch since 2016 — including a $6.5 million payout in a lawsuit for gender discrimination that was adjudicated in Polk County around his abrupt 2014 firing of field hockey coach Tracey. Griesbaum. These huge dollar figures don’t count all the legal fees incurred by state and university attorneys defending Barta’s athletic department and/or its coaches.
Barta also awkwardly tried to cut four sports in 2020, but ultimately had to restore women’s swimming and add women’s wrestling following another lawsuit. Three men’s sports – gymnastics, swimming and tennis – were eliminated, moves that created animosity among many alumni.
Iowa has won four NCAA championships under Barta (all in men’s wrestling: 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2021), and the women’s basketball team reached the NCAA title game in last March. The Hawkeyes have won 27 Big Ten Tag Team Championships under Barta, most in recent years (including a basketball tournament title sweep in 2022).
Hired August 1, 2006 to succeed Bob Bowlsby, Barta is the second-longest serving AD in the Big Ten by a wide margin, behind only Ohio State AD Gene Smith (who was hired in March 2005). Among the other 12 Big Ten ADs, Patrick Hobbs of Rutgers (hired November 2015) is third in seniority. There has been a high turnover rate in the league in recent years, with Michigan State, Nebraska, Northwest, Penn State and Wisconsin changing their athletic directors since June 2021.
And now there’s a change coming to Iowa.
“Gary’s accomplishments at the University of Iowa are significant, and our coaches and student-athletes have enjoyed tremendous success on and off the field during his tenure,” said IU President Barbara Wilson. , in a statement, after Barta declined to comment after the racial discrimination settlement in March. “I am grateful for his leadership as Hawkeye, and wish him well in retirement.”
The university has announced that it will appoint an interim athletic director next week.
Hawkeyes columnist Chad Leistikow covered the sport for 28 years with The Des Moines Register, USA TODAY and Iowa City Press-Citizen. Follow @ChadLeistikow on Twitter.