The Barta Conundrum

M

Mademyaccount4u

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I keep hearing that Barta needs to go, and honestly for the last few years I have felt the same way. However, the last few months I have really began to question this opinion.

First, I know everyone hates him because of the "contract" and honestly given how well Ferentz had done, despite the lack of facilities etc. I really can't blame him for the contract. That said, it is just one, albeit large, part of his job.

Looking at basketball I feel content where the program is heading. He hired the "coach of the year" and when that didn't work out he hired Fran when it was apparent that Lick wasn't going to work. Not keeping him well past the time needed. Heller is looking great. I don't know that there are many coaches out there better than Brands. The golf team is nationally relevant, I even remember hearing about the coach talking about aiming for the national championship. The Volleyball coach sounds like he is the "right" hire.

I guess my question is whether or not he should go?

How much influence did Mason have when she was president on Barta? Also how much did he have to do with the terrible Iowa decisions such at the red and white pom-poms against Wisconsin? Does he need to be replaced immediately or should he be given the chance, if/when, Ferentz needs to be replaced?
 


Mason/Barta have killed the goose that laid the golden egg. Football is dying and football feeds the entire department. One could propose that the gameday stuff (curtailed tailgating in university lots) was driven by Mason...but I have a hard imagining Barta desperately fighting Sally to preserve the game day vibe.

No AD worth a damn, would offer the kind of contract Barta did to KFz. And that too...is responsible for what has happened in and around Kinnick. The secondary program stuff is nice, but so what. Baseball is great, it didn't take a genius to hire Brands (you can bet a guy named Gable had something to do with that) And while Fran appears to have things back on track (1 NCAA win in 5 years is hardly chest-thumping material) he also destroyed the program with Lick. (much like where football is heading now). And finally, if we're reduced to bragging about golf and volleyball...well...nuff said.

Rarely will you see an example of somebody in business pizzing away more equity and strength...than has happened in Iowa City over the last 8 years.

End of discussion. He needs to go.
 
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Nonsense... Barta runs one of the more successful athletic departments in the nation. He isn't going anywhere any time soon. Unless he chooses to.
 


The more I think about this, the more I think Barta will end up making the next football hire......And like the kids like to say he will ride or die with that hire. In other words, his football hire will define his legacy here and dictate his future career aspirations.......at this point can he really eff this up?.....He has to know what kind of coach, what kind of philosophy it takes to win here.
 


I dont think it is much of a conundrum. Barta has lost control of the events around football. KF still has some control but if the football team stumbles this year and next and Barta cant pull the trigger to fire KF or make him retire then the new president needs to fire barta. We have all seen how the house cleanings take effect. The AD is let go, the new AD comes in and he is not wedded to the coach, and he can fire the coach or make changes.
 


uihawk82 said:
I dont think it is much of a conundrum. Barta has lost control of the events around football. KF still has some control but if the football team stumbles this year and next and Barta cant pull the trigger to fire KF or make him retire then the new president needs to fire barta. We have all seen how the house cleanings take effect. The AD is let go, the new AD comes in and he is not wedded to the coach, and he can fire the coach or make changes.
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If KF steps down or is fired after this year.....Who do you think is going to make the next hire? It is either Barta makes the hire now or it is at least 2 more years of KF football assuming he doesn't step down.
 


BlindDogScooter said:
Nonsense... Barta runs one of the more successful athletic departments in the nation. He isn't going anywhere any time soon. Unless he chooses to.
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I agree, that is nonsense. Barta INHERITED one of the more successful athletic departments in the nation. He then destroyed the basketball program and is on the way to doing the same with football. Spare me the fundraising angle. ANY moderately competent AD could raise money at IOWA. Most schools our size would die to have our support. Outside of that, Barta has the Big Ten TV deal to thank for much of the cash inflow.

Meanwhile...season tickets sales are sagging to levels not seen in years. A simple walk through the lot west of Kinnick last fall would tell you what is happening to football gameday. It was sad... very sad. This fall will be even worse.

Football is everything. I like the direction Fran has things moving, but killing football is unforgivable.
 
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Iowa athletics compares horribly in the Directors Cub or whatever it's called that ranks athletic departments on W/Ls.

They tried hard to ruin gameday around Kinnick, but fans kept coming because we were winning and things were generally optimistic. Now that we are a .500 program people aren't willing to pay out big dollars for ea Sat, for lame tailgating and lame football with no end in site.

Funny to think how close we were to beating Wisky and Nebby to end the season. Had that happened, the outlook is much different today.....
 


I think that the AD is doing a good job with this. Too often in Iowa's past the administration did not handle situations well and good coaches left far too early. KF is solidly one of the 5 best coaches in Iowa Football history let us compare.

First of the 5, Alden Knipe. The university opposed him getting a second marriage. He resigned, and moved to Philadelphia for the marriage.

Howard Jones also won 2 championships. The university insisted that he also serve as athletic director, and refused to allow him time off during the summer. He left and won championships at USC.

Evy made his own decision to step down as coach. I liked him better as head coach, and wished he had remained.

Since then Iowa has done a much better job retaining the last 2 of the top 5. After the first Big 10 championship under Fry, they met his demands for better facilities and he stayed. Iowa won 2 more big 10 championships. They did a good job in retaining KF too. This already has resulted in a bcs bowl win, and will result in more success as time goes by.
 
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hawkdrummer1 said:
Spare me the fundraising angle. ANY moderately competent AD could raise money at IOWA. Most schools our size would die to have our support.
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BOOM!!!

Love it when the compound dwellers bring this up as a basis for supporting Barta. A pack of hyenas could raise money at Iowa. Barta has not gotten one dollar from any Iowa fan that wasn't already prepared to give it.

Gary Barta is an incompetent dolt. He ruined the men's basketball program, ruined the the football program and can't orchestrate a press conference without making himself and the University look like fools.

He goes first and then we can send Ferentz back to Maine where he belongs.
 


Hawknick said:
I think that the AD is doing a good job with this. Too often in Iowa's past the administration did not handle situations well and good coaches left far too early. KF is solidly one of the 5 best coaches in Iowa Football history let us compare.

First of the 5, Alden Knipe. The university opposed him getting a second marriage. He resigned, and moved to Philadelphia for the marriage.

Howard Jones also won 2 championships. The university insisted that he also serve as athletic director, and refused to allow him time off during the summer. He left and won championships at USC.

Evy made his own decision to step down as coach. I liked him better as head coach, and wished he had remained.

Since then Iowa has done a much better job retaining the last 2 of the top 5. After the first Big 10 championship under Fry, they met his demands for better facilities and he stayed. Iowa won 2 more big 10 championships. They did s good job in retaining KF too. This already has resulted in a bcs bowl win, and will result in more success as time goes by.
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Alden Knipe and Howard Jones? Reaching far back enough are we? As for your last comment "They did s good job in retaining KF too. This already has resulted in a bcs bowl win, and will result in more success as time goes by "... care to make a wager on that?
 


I don't gamble, but it is my belief that Iowa will have major succeses in between now and 2020. All history is to be learned from, and I don't want another mistake like the one made with Howard Jones to be made again.
 


hawkeye4life68 said:
A pack of hyenas could raise money at Iowa. Barta has not gotten one dollar from any Iowa fan that wasn't already prepared to give it.

QUOTE]

SPOT on ... Fans are not giving money to Gary Barta. They are giving money to the school they have loved for countless years before GareBear even set foot in Iowa City ... Barta blew it and continues to blow it with Iowa football. Football is the cash cow in Iowa City ... Barta completely failed on the ridiculous contract he offered Kirk ... and he is completely failing by basically thumbing his nose at the major fan apathy taking place ... Barta also flopped with the Lick hire ... and the Fran hire has been so-so thus far ... Hiring Brands was a gimme ... and my guess is that hire was made more by Gable than by GareBear ... Iowa football was THE hottest thing going in Iowa ... and within 8 years Barta and company managed to slowly bury it where we are now on the same level as the Minnesotas of the world ...
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BlindDogScooter said:
Nonsense... Barta runs one of the more successful athletic departments in the nation. He isn't going anywhere any time soon. Unless he chooses to.
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Gary Barta is a down-to-earth, breath of fresh air, compared to
Bobby boy bowlsby.

Baseball................Trending UP !
Women's Hoop UP !!
Men's Hoop UP !!!
Wrestling Always Up !!!!

TWO THUMBS UP for GB!
 




When it comes to this it's either you look at the bigger picture or you look at the football angle (which pays for everything else making it the bigger picture pretty much) Many an AD I would figure has done a good to great job with all the other sports/fund raising and still lost their job due to lack of success in football... And with whatever will become of the field hockey deal up in the air I would think whomever he new president ends up being they'll want a clean slate to hire their own administration and they'll want to sweep that away as fast as possible. I think the timeline for a new AD will be 2 yearsish and unless Barta gets a wild hair and or Iowa craters to a 4 loss season or something terrible and forces his hand into firing KF I think he'll be the coach that long too but I think both their clocks are ticking and that's the most they'll both be around.
 


Hawknick said:
I don't gamble, but it is my belief that Iowa will have major succeses in between now and 2020. All history is to be learned from, and I don't want another mistake like the one made with Howard Jones to be made again.
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OK, now I know you're just pulling my leg. You can't seriously be comparing what happened in the Howard Jones era (for those who don't want to look it up...that's nearly 100 years ago) to today. Not to mention that Jones was 19-3 his last 3 years at IOWA.

You're either being clever or... well... I'll let it go at that.
 
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hawkdrummer1 said:
OK, now I know you're just pulling my leg. You can't seriously be comparing what happened in the Howard Jones era (for those who don't want to look it up...that's nearly 100 years ago) to today. Not to mention that Jones was 19-3 his last 3 years at IOWA.

You're either being clever or... well... I'll let it go at that.
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So that's the thing that finally tipped you off?
 




PCHawk said:
So that's the thing that finally tipped you off?
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There have been some "arguments" on here I was certain were sarcastic...that turned out to be real. So I never take it for granted.

A little viewing of twitter, Facebook and other social media...quickly make one realize that there are more crazy people and complete idiots out here than you realize.
 


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