Iowa Athletic Director Beth Goetz Helps Shape the Future of College Sports

PHOTO: JEROD RINGWALD/HAWKEYESPORTS.COM Beth Goetz is introduced as Iowa's athletic director during a January 2024 Iowa men's wrestling meet against Purdue.

Before Beth Goetz recently sat down with Iowa Magazine to discuss her first year as University of Iowa athletic director and the changing tides of college sports, she gave a small disclaimer: By the time this Q&A was published, things would likely have shifted again.

Change, after all, is a constant these days. Since Goetz began leading the UI Athletics Department on an interim basis in August 2023, then formally succeeded Gary Barta in January, the transformation of college sports has only accelerated.

In May, the NCAA and its five largest conferences, including the Big Ten, announced a pending court settlement that could pave the way for revenue sharing between schools and student-athletes for the first time. Meanwhile, conference realignment has reshaped college sports’ geography as the Big Ten welcomes four new West Coast programs this fall. And here in Iowa City, where stability has been a hallmark in many sports, the ground shook when the Hawkeyes’ all-time winningest women’s basketball coach, Lisa Bluder, announced her retirement following back-to-back Final Fours.

Goetz, the Henry B. and Patricia B. Tippie Director of Athletics Chair, covered those topics and more on a recent afternoon inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Here’s the conversation, edited for length and clarity.

What would you include on a highlight reel from your first year as athletic director?

It’s been an incredible year for the Hawkeyes. We started off last fall with some awesome performances—football won the Big Ten West division, women’s soccer won a Big Ten championship, and many other successes. Then you roll right into a women’s basketball run, and what an amazing Final Four experience that was. All of those great things in addition to our athletes continuing to do well in the classroom, being great stewards in our community, and the opportunity I’ve had to get to know so many passionate Hawkeyes has been really special.

PHOTO: BRIAN RAY/HAWKEYESPORTS.COM Former Hawkeye letter winner P. Sue Beckwith, Hawkeye women's basketball coaches Jan Jensen and Lisa Bluder, and UI athletic director Beth Goetz celebrate Iowa's win over Nebraska in the 2024 Big Ten Tournament championship game.

It seems like you’ve made it a priority to be visible and accessible this first year. Why has meeting alumni and fans been important to you?

This program belongs to our alumni and our Hawkeye community, so it’s important that we’re great ambassadors for them. We have great stories to tell, so when I can be out in front of them and tell those stories and hear what they’re excited about and the concerns they may have, I think that’s important. It informs how we can continue to not only support our athletes, but to make sure that what we do every day serves the mission of the institution and creates a great place for people to gather and share that Hawkeye passion.

What role did sports play in your childhood, growing up in the St. Louis suburbs as one of four sisters in an athletic family?

My mom’s actually the biggest sports fan of the group, but both my parents love sports. And all four of us girls played everything you could play back in the day. That was how we spent our social time, both at the youth level and through high school and then club sports. Early on I didn’t think of it as a pathway to college. But then I realized I get to do what I love, what I’m passionate about, and have a chance to go to college and play with a great team there.

PHOTOS: CLEMSON ATHLETICS In the mid-1990s, Beth Goetz played soccer as an undergraduate at Clemson University in South Carolina.

What was your experience like as a soccer player in the 1990s, first at Brevard College and then at Clemson University, and how has that shaped your work as an administrator?

I feel fortunate because they were two unique experiences. Brevard at the time was a small, private two-year school, and when I came out of high school, there weren’t a lot of Division I women’s soccer programs. It was just this beautiful little place in the mountains in North Carolina, and everybody knew each other. I loved that culture. Then that opportunity led me to play at Clemson in the ACC, and I was playing against some of the best women’s soccer programs in the country as a junior and senior.

I think both of those experiences give me some perspective, not only about what that experience is like for student-athletes today, but also that not every experience is going to look the same, in a positive way. It’s really about the culture you build and the opportunities you give young people to play the sport they love, but also to pursue their other passions.

Out of college you coached soccer at Missouri-St. Louis, then eventually became an administrator there and at Butler, Minnesota, UConn, and Ball State. What guiding principles did you pick up along the way?

I’ve been fortunate to work with some great coaches and had some great mentors who have championed me throughout my career. From that long list, one that always resonates when I’m asked this question was the opportunity to work with [former Butler and Boston Celtics coach] Brad Stevens, who’s now general manager of the Celtics. He used to say that when your best player is your best teammate, there’s no limit to what the group can accomplish. And that’s always resonated with me. I like to approach everything I do, including administration, as part of a team, and I think you’re stronger together. You’re stronger when everybody knows how to play a role but also knows how to lift others up, step in when they’re needed, and take a back seat when it’s somebody else’s chance to shine.

PHOTO: BRIAN RAY/HAWKEYESPORTS.COM Beth Goetz cuts down a piece of the net after the Iowa women's basketball team's victory over LSU in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament in April 2024 in Albany, New York.

What made Iowa City an attractive destination in 2022 when you left Ball State, where you were the athletic director, to become UI’s deputy athletic director and chief operating officer?

I was watching Iowa from afar for years, and everyone admires the culture here and just the level and longevity of the coaches. There’s a reason why people stay here; it really speaks to who our community is and what the University of Iowa is all about. The opportunity to work with such great people, these hall of fame coaches, was incredibly special.

The recent NCAA settlement opened the possibility of universities sharing athletics revenue with student-athletes beginning in 2025. How do you see this taking shape?

It really is an incredibly dynamic time in college athletics, and we’re on the precipice of what revenue sharing may look like and a new landscape that allows us to provide even greater resources to student-athletes. I think it’s something that we’re all excited about. And sure, there’s some anxiety about how we’re going to function in this new environment, but I’m confident that from a Big Ten perspective, with our resources and support here at the University of Iowa, we’re going to figure out a path forward that’s going to preserve all the great things about college athletics but do it in a more modernized environment. It may take a while for those things to fall into place in a way that there’s more stability, but it’s exciting to be a part of the process to shape what the future of athletics looks like.

PHOTO: STEPHEN MALLY/HAWKEYESPORTS.COM Beth Goetz and UI President Barbara Wilson present a check at the October 2024 Crossover at Kinnick event, which raised $250,000 for the UI Health Care Stead Family Children's Hospital.

What’s your message to alumni and donors who are wondering how best to support Iowa athletics in the name, image, and likeness (NIL) era?

The first thing I always want to lead with is just gratitude, because they’re supporting the Hawkeyes, and that support comes in many different ways. That can be proudly wearing a Hawkeye T-shirt across the state, buying a season ticket, or showing up at one of our events. Or it can be from a philanthropic standpoint, like making contributions to the Center for Advancement, which supports our operations and scholarships, or supporting the Swarm Collective from an NIL perspective. We’re just grateful that they’re willing to support our student-athletes in a way that’s meaningful to what they are passionate about. Those dollars help us ensure we’re providing a great experience to our student-athletes and serving those communities. However you have a desire and passion to give, we’re appreciative and want to meet you where you are.

Speaking of facilities, the recent opening of the Goschke Family Wrestling Training Center is a big milestone. What does that donor-funded building mean for the future of the Hawkeye men’s and women’s wrestling programs?

This is a vision that’s existed for years, and certainly Coach Tom Brands (92BS) has been carrying that torch and bringing people along with him. The work that goes into a philanthropic project of this size is incredible. It’s everything we want to provide a championship program: a place where they can commit to their craft, train, study, and get their nutrition needs met.

It’s a state-of-the-art facility that's one of the best in the world, if not the best in the world, and it’s going to be a wonderful experience for 70 athletes annually and the many more to come. It matches the level of the tradition we have in men’s wrestling and the tradition we’re building in women’s wrestling. And those facilities and those experiences to compete at that stage just aren’t possible without the belief that these donors have in that program, so we’re grateful to the Goschkes and everyone else who made this a reality.

PHOTO: BRIAN RAY/HAWKEYESPORTS.COM Beth Goetz is introduced as the Henry B. and Patricia B. Tippie Director of Athletics Chair at a press conference in January 2024 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Can you update us on other facilities projects in the works?

The gymnastics and Spirit Squad facility is under construction now, and we expect that to open sometime in the new year. We have some smaller projects out at the baseball field we’re doing, we need to resurface the track, and we’ve started talking about a modernization project here in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Carver has been a wonderful facility, but it’s more than 40 years old. After 40 I think we all need a little bit of love, and so does the arena. We’re looking forward to continuing to talk about ways in which we can modernize Carver in the future, whether that’s fan amenities, premium seating, or perhaps how to get students closer to the court. That also will be a philanthropically supported project. The arena is a revenue source that supports all 20 of our programs going forward, and that’s why it’s a priority for us now.

Your biggest coaching change yet came in May when Lisa Bluder retired after 24 years, and you promoted associate head coach Jan Jensen. Do you expect that to be a smooth transition?

Any time you lose a legend, certainly you’re filled with both gratitude and sadness. What Coach Bluder has built here was incredibly special, culminating with back-to-back national championship game appearances that captured the imagination of not only Iowa fans, but the entire country. We are so grateful for all that she’s done and for what she’s built.

We’re also incredibly grateful that she mentored Jan Jensen. Coach Jensen checks every box that we feel is important—making sure this success continues and making an impact on these young people. I have complete confidence that we’re going to take that attention and success and build on it. Everybody’s going to fall in love with the next group of Hawkeyes, and that includes our next head coach.

PHOTO: BRIAN RAY/HAWKEYESPORTS.COM Beth Goetz cuts the net after the Iowa women's basketball team defeats Louisville in the Elite Eight in March 2023 to advance to the Final Four.

How gratifying has it been to see Iowa help lead the growth of women’s basketball?

Just to be here at Iowa, where [former UI women’s athletic director] Dr. Christine Grant (70BA, 74PhD) laid the foundation in women’s sports, I know how proud she would be about the role Iowa continues to play in that success. We saw an explosion in the game of women’s basketball, but we’re also seeing it across all women’s sports. For somebody in my age bracket, you’re proud that we get to have a front row seat here. We know the responsibility. We’re part of a place that helped build that, and it’s our job to steward that on and make sure it continues to grow.

I’ve heard so many stories from parents and young kids about the impact that those women and that team had on them. We heard from a father, an alum, who said, “I cannot thank Lisa Bluder and her team enough for the hours they have given me with my teenage daughters who have suddenly become interested in sitting down with Dad to watch these games.”

What opportunities does Big Ten expansion present for Iowa, and does that balance out the greater challenge ahead for teams to compete for conference titles?

I think it’s great for our institution. It helps us expand the footprint and the brand of Iowa a little farther out west, and obviously we know we have a lot of alumni in California. Across all our sports, we’re inviting in these incredibly competitive national brands to the Big Ten, and the chance to compete against the best is what all of our athletes and coaches want.

Now you’ll be one of 18 schools chasing that championship, but I think the day-in and day-out desire of our coaches is to have an opportunity to compete at that highest level. What the Big Ten stands for and what the Big Ten brand is—we have such an incredible platform for our student-athletes, and I think they’re excited. It might take us a little bit to get used to seeing the purple uniforms of the University of Washington on the field at Kinnick, but it will be an exciting new chapter for the Big Ten.

PHOTO: BRIAN RAY/HAWKEYESPORTS.COM Beth Goetz and Hawkeye football coach Kirk Ferentz talk at a February 2024 press conference.

What’s your assessment of the state of the football program heading into this fall as it comes off its third 10-win season in five years?

What Coach Kirk Ferentz has done over his career to sustain the level of success is impressive, and coming off last year, we can build on that. We had one of the best defenses in the country, and we have almost that entire crew coming back, and we have some maturity on the offensive side of the ball. I think we have a lot of reasons for excitement here in Iowa City, and I believe the Hawkeyes are going to be competing again for the Big Ten championship and for a spot in the playoffs.

What’s been your favorite moment so far as a Hawkeye?

I’m no different than any other fan; the first time you get to meet [retired wrestling coach] Dan Gable, you’re like, “How cool was that?” But it’s usually the little moments when you’re walking in a hallway and you come shoulder to shoulder with a student-athlete, and you’re asking them about their day, how their exams are going. You get to hear about how tired they are because they just got out of a workout, or they’ll say, “Guess what? This great thing just happened to me.” Those are the moments that I cherish.