Iowa Athletic Department Builds $4M Reserve Fund In '18-19

Univ. of Iowa's athletic department "brought in millions of dollars more in revenue than it spent," allowing AD Gary Barta to build up a "reserve fund" that now is roughly $4M, according to Mark Emmert of the DES MOINES REGISTER. Iowa's athletic department generated $152M in revenue in '18-19, with expenses totaling $146.3M. The previous year, there was $7M more in revenue -- $137.1M --than spending -- $130.1M. The school saw a "spike in revenue" in '18-19 primarily in three areas: donor contributions increased by $8.2M, up to a record $35.4M, media rights fees generated $45.1M, or $2.7M more than the previous year, and ticket sales were $1.9M higher than in '17-18, at $27.2M across all sports. Offsetting those increases, in part, was the fact that Iowa spent $31M on "facilities debt," $10.1M above '17-18, and $24.8M on "coaches' salaries." That was a jump of $2.3M from the previous year (DES MOINES REGISTER, 2/8).