Iowa announced Friday that athletic director Gary Barta will be retiring on August 1. Barta, 59, has served in that position since 2006 while also holding prestigious positions across the collegiate sports scene such as chair of the College Football Playoff Selection Committee for the 2020 and 2021 seasons. The school will announce a provisional athlete next week.
“This decision did not come suddenly and did not come without thinking, discussion and supplication,” Barta said. “As I thought, I have come to the conclusion that there is never a good time to walk away… because there is always more to be done. However, I am confident that this is the right time for me and my family.”
While the Hockey team remained mostly stable in terms of coaching turnover in football, men’s basketball, and women’s basketball during Barta’s tenure, the athletic department also dealt with its share of controversies under his leadership.
the school announced this month It had alerted the NCAA about possible violations within the division related to sports betting involving 26 athletes. Earlier this year, the school and the sports department $4 million lawsuit settlement of 12 former soccer players who have alleged racial discrimination.
Parta’s tenure was also marked by many victories. The women’s basketball program has achieved success and national prominence in recent years under the direction of head coach Lisa Plunder with superstar Caitlin Clark emerging as one of the faces of college basketball. While the men’s program never made the Sweet 16 during Barta’s tenure, it has qualified for four consecutive NCAA tournaments and won the Big Ten championship in 2022.
As for soccer, the program has been among the most consistent in the country under head coach Kirk Ferencs, who had already worked for several years prior to Barta’s arrival. However, Iowa’s offensive incompetence in 2022 combined with the cloud of recent racial discrimination allegations from former players has cast a shadow over the program as Ferentes enters his 25th season in action.
Barta arrived at Iowa State in 2006 after three years as athletic director at Wyoming. Beth Goetz, deputy director of athletics and director of operations at Iowa State, has been identified as one of the candidates to watch Barta’s potential replacement, According to Hawkeye Insider.