Iowa names Beth Goetz as interim athletic director to take over when Gary Barta retires

Iowa named deputy athletics director Beth Goetz as interim athletics director through at least early 2024, the school announced Thursday. Goetz temporarily replaces Gary Barta, who will retire on Aug. 1 after 17 years with the Hawkeyes. Here’s what you need to know:

• Iowa named Goetz, 48, as its deputy athletics director in September after she served as Ball State’s athletics director for four years.
• In Goetz’s time at Ball State, the Cardinals won 10 Mid-American Conference championships, including seven in 2021-22.
• She is the only woman serving as an athletics director among the 14 Big Ten institutions.

Beth Goetz will serve as our interim director of athletics, effective Aug. 1.

Goetz, who currently serves as deputy director of athletics and chief operating officer, will hold the Henry B. and Patricia B. Tippie Director of Athletics Chair.#Hawkeyes

— The Iowa Hawkeyes (@TheIowaHawkeyes) June 1, 2023

The Athletic’s instant analysis:

What does this mean for Iowa?

The Hawkeyes have employed just four athletics directors since 1970. Bump Elliott (1970-1991), Bob Bowlsby (1991-2006) and Gary Barta (2006-2023) all either led the men’s athletics department or the combined department. Christine Grant served as Iowa’s women’s athletics director from 1973 to 2000. When Grant retired, Bowlsby became the combined athletics director.

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Iowa’s campus administration will give Goetz every opportunity to lead the department on a full-time basis. A national search will not start until early 2024, which allows Goetz to run athletics through the football and basketball seasons.

Why Goetz is the interim

Few administrators would leave a full-time athletics director position for a deputy role without it benefitting their career. There is precedent at Iowa with former North Dakota State athletics director Gene Taylor becoming Barta’s first deputy in 2014, then landing the Kansas State job in 2017. Barta’s second deputy, Barbara Burke, announced her retirement last summer, which led to Goetz earning the position.

Goetz traveled with Iowa’s multiple sports during the NCAA championships this spring. During a recent I-Club outing in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Goetz greeted every person in attendance.

“I want to congratulate Gary Barta on his long career at Iowa and thank president Wilson for putting her trust in me and the tremendous people we have here at Iowa,” Goetz said. “The Hawkeyes have a proud and storied tradition with the greatest fan base in the country, and I am appreciative of the opportunity to lead the department. I am committed to supporting our talented coaches, staff and student-athletes as we build on the positive trajectory of athletic and academic excellence.”

Other candidates to consider

Should the university decide to launch a national search, among the administrators with state-of-Iowa ties include Taylor, Tulane athletics director Troy Dannen (former Northern Iowa AD), Northern Iowa athletics director David Harris and Kentucky deputy athletics director Marc Hill, who is a Mount Pleasant, Iowa, native. Also, Northern Illinois athletics director Sean Frazier would be a regional candidate.

Backstory

Goetz has an extensive background in college athletics, working as UConn’s senior woman administrator from 2016 to 2018. Goetz also worked as Minnesota’s deputy athletics director from 2013-15 and interim athletics director during the 2015-16 season.

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Among Goetz’s other responsibilities in recent years include serving on the NCAA Competition Oversight Committee member (2018) and working as vice chair of the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee (2021-22). Goetz was recognized by Women Leaders in College Sports as the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS Nike Executive of the Year and was named one of the Indianapolis Business Journal’s 2021 Women of Influence.

A St. Louis area native and a former collegiate soccer player at Brevard College and Clemson, Goetz won 120 matches over 11 seasons as women’s soccer coach at Division II Missouri-St. Louis, where she was named to the Hall of Fame in 2014. She also became an assistant athletics director and senior woman administrator at UMSL before embarking on an administrative career at Butler.

She has a psychology degree from Clemson and a master’s degree from the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

What they’re saying

“Beth is a talented and respected leader not only at Iowa, but also at the national level in college athletics,” Iowa president Barbara Wilson said in a statement. “I am grateful she has agreed to lead this crucial part of our university and I am confident she will generate a lot of excitement and forward momentum for our student-athletes, coaches, athletics staff and Hawkeye fans.”

Required reading

(Photo: Scott Dochterman / The Athletic)