Gary Barta Elected to NACDA Hall of Fame

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) announced on Tuesday its Hall of Fame class and former University of Iowa Henry B. and Patricia B. Tippie Director of Athletics Chair Gary Barta is among the 2025 inductees. 

Barta is one of eight new members to the Hall of Fame and the group will be honored at the 60th Annual NACDA Affiliates Convention in Orlando on June 9.

One of the longest tenured Power 5 conference athletic directors in the country at the time of his retirement in 2023, Barta led the UI Department of Athletics for 17 years (2006-23) after holding a similar position at the University of Wyoming (2003-06).

Under Barta’s leadership, Iowa Athletics had a long list of accomplishments, including:

• Numerous teams achieved on-the-field success, including four NCAA team titles; 27 Big Ten Conference team titles; numerous individual Big Ten titles; nearly 500 All-America honorees; more than 160 student-athletes recognized as first-team All-Big Ten; multiple national player of the year award winners; Big Ten player of the year recipients; and coach of the year recognitions.
• More than 750 Big Ten Conference Distinguished Scholar recipients, and for eight years in a row Iowa recorded a 3.0 or higher student-athlete average GPA, 89 percent Graduation Success Rate, and all teams meeting or exceeding the NCAA standards for Academic Progress Rate.
• More than $380 million in facility upgrades and new construction projects, including Kinnick Stadium’s North End Zone; Hansen Football Performance Center; Gerdin Athletic Learning Center; Carver-Hawkeye Arena Howard Family Pavilion; Goschke Family Wrestling Training Center; Nagle Family Clubhouse and Hoak Family Golf Complex; Iowa Soccer Operations Center; P. Sue Beckwith Boathouse; and the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center natatorium, among others.
• Raising more than $650 million in private support for athletics scholarships, operations, facilities, and endowments. During Barta’s tenure, the athletics endowment grew from $31.6 million to $76 million, creating numerous student-athlete scholarships in addition to administrative and coaching endowments.
• Naming Duke Slater Field at Kinnick Stadium (2021) and the creation of the Duke Slater sculpture as part of the north end zone renovation.
• Becoming the first Power Five school to add women’s wrestling (2021).

Barta served on numerous NCAA committees over the years, including the NCAA Division I Council for four years. He also served for three years (2019-21) on the College Football Playoff Selection Committee, two of those years as chair, and was named the 2015-16 National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics Athletic Director of the Year.

Prior to Iowa, Barta was the director of athletics at the University of Wyoming for three years, where seven different coaches earned Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year honors. He also spearheaded a fundraising effort that netted the Cowboy athletics program $11 million in private support and $11 million in matching state fund.

As the senior associate athletics director at the University of Washington, he directed the “Campaign for the Student-Athlete,” was a participant in the design, construction and/or renovation of several UW athletics facilities, including Bank of America Arena and the Dempsey Indoor Practice Facility. Barta also managed the department’s external relations division, a task that included corporate sponsorship and radio contracts.

His responsibilities at Washington expanded over time to include hiring of coaching and administrative staff, and the day-to-day oversight of several Huskie sport teams.  

The roots of his development experience extend to his first two positions: director of athletics development and external relations at the University of Northern Iowa and director of development at his alma mater, North Dakota State University.