Gary Barta is set to retire from his role as athletics director at Iowa.
According to a report from ESPN's Pete Thamel Friday, Barta – who has been the Hawkeye AD for 17 years – is expected to announce his retirement in short order. Scott Dochterman of The Athletic reported that Barta's retirement will be effective as of Aug. 1.
Sources: Iowa athletic director Gary Barta is expected to announce his retirement.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) May 26, 2023
After a four-year stint as the athletic director for Wyoming from 2003-06, Barta took over the post at Iowa on August 2006. Barta also served as the chairman of the College Football Playoff selection committee in the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
Barta's time at Iowa hasn't been without controversy, though, as the school settled a $4 million lawsuit from 12 former football players alleging racial discrimination earlier this year, and is currently embroiled in a sports betting investigation involving 26 student-athletes across several sports.
The Iowa football program also came under fire this past season for coaching personnel decisions as Brian Ferentz, son of head coach Kirk Ferentz, continues to serve as the program's offensive coordinator despite the Hawkeyes finishing the 2022 season with the second-worst total offense in college football.
In 2016, Barta was named an Under Armour Athletics Director of the Year award recipient by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics.
