Gary Barta’s faith in Kirk Ferentz pays off

Gary Barta subscribes to the same consistent, realistic approach that coach Kirk Ferentz uses to guide his seventh-ranked Iowa football program. Speaking Monday at the Davenport Grid Club, the Iowa director of athletics talked about the Hawkeyes’ 7-0 start, the team’s future challenges and what he appreciates about the man who has led the Iowa program since 1999. “Walking into a Wednesday practice before our game at Penn State or before our game with Arkansas State, you wouldn’t have seen a difference,” Barta said. “It’s that type of consistency in the way the team prepares, the way everybody goes about their business from one day to the next and from one week to the next that makes a program.” Barta believes that has allowed the Hawkeyes to compete at a consistent level over time, whether things are going well or if Iowa is struggling. He remembers speaking to the Grid Club gathering two years ago this month. Four straight losses had filled Barta’s e-mail inbox with a variety of less-than-flattering suggestions about what should happen to Ferentz, his assistants and even himself. “I fielded a few pointed questions here, too, and I recall saying that day unequivocally that I had all the confidence in the world in Kirk Ferentz and the leadership he provided, that I believed we would get things turned around,” Barta said. Iowa went on to defeat Illinois 10-6 that week and won four of its final six games, finishing 2007 with a 6-6 record. “I remember saying that there was still a lot of football left, that we still had six games to play. Today, our football team is 7-0 but my message isn’t going to be any different than it was two years ago,” Barta said. – Quad City Times