Barta Gets A 'C' In Big Ten AD Rankings

Gary Barta took center stage in a press conference on Monday to discuss the allegations of racial disparities within Iowa's football program.

It was an emotional press conference for the Hawkeyes' athletics director, who broke down with emotion several times while talking about racism and the effect it has had on close friends.

Barta is expected to take a lead role moving forward as the program addresses the allegations made by current and former players.

How does Barta rate among the other ADs within the Big Ten?

Stadium writers Brett McMurphy and Jeff Goodman ranked Barta in a tie for 10th among the 14 conference athletic directors, giving him a "C" grade.

Grades were based on the success of the coaches hired, difficulty of opponents in their respective conferences, bowl appearances, NCAA Tournament trips, conference titles and national championships won. The grades do not take into consideration any fundraising or building of facilities.

The analysis of Barta:

Gary Barta hasn’t made a football hire in his career, but he’s made a couple on the hoops side. One was successful; one wasn’t. He hired Todd Lickliter from Butler in 2007, and that was a complete disaster, lasting three seasons and just a total of 38 wins. But he redeemed himself by plucking Fran McCaffery from Siena. McCaffery was set to go to his fifth NCAA tourney in 10 seasons before the season was cut short.

Ohio State's Gene Smith and Wisconsin's Barry Alvarez received As. Minnesota's Mark Coyle was given an A-minus.

Also given Cs by Goodman and McMurphy were Maryland's Damon Evans, Indiana's Fred Glass and Illinois' Josh Whitman.