Iowa athletic director Gary Barta apologized to the family of Hawkeyes basketball great Roy Marble on Tuesday for all the hard feelings they have about the retirement of star player Luka Garza’s number.
Garza broke Marble’s 32-year scoring record last month, is the two-time Big Ten Player of the Year and is one of the front runners for National Player of the Year. Iowa announced after Sunday’s home win against Wisconsin that no one in the basketball program would wear number 55 after this season.
Marble led Iowa to its only season with 30 wins and an NCAA Regional Final in 1987 and to the Sweet 16 the following year, and many consider him the program’s greatest ever player. His number 23 is not retired.
“We have been informed since Sunday that Roy Marble’s family had been hurt and disrespected since that day,” Barta said. “I just want to take a moment to share that absolutely that disrespect was unintentional and to publicly apologize for it.”
Marble died of cancer in 2015 at the age of 48. He and Garza are the only Iowa men’s players to score more than 2,000 points.
His son, Roy Devyn Marble, tweeted on Monday that he would never see a game in Iowa again.
The younger Marble also played for the Hawkeyes. He scored over 1,600 points and was an All-Big Ten first team pick in 2014. Father and son both had short NBA careers.
Barta said that since arriving in Iowa in 2006, three players are most often raised as earning their numbers in retirement: Marble and Consensus All-Americans Murray Wier (1948) and Chuck Darling (1952).
Barta said none of the three met the university’s criteria for such an honor. Barta would not disclose the criteria.
“Iowa Athletics, in partnership with the Iowa Varsity Club, have used different criteria over the years regarding performance, All-America recognition, individual awards, etc.,” the athletics department said in a statement. Gary Barta and the Iowa government have been working on a more streamlined set of criteria that include exact awards and recognition. The top two priorities are individual National Player of the Year recognition and All-America consensus. recognition. Gary and the Iowa government will continue to work on a more direct list of criteria to be used in the future. ”
Marble, Wier and Darling will be among the players to be honored in a permanent exhibit scheduled for the Carver Hawkeye Arena hall, Barta said. There is a temporary exhibition until the school continues with a renovation project in the hall.
Coach Fran McCaffery said he got involved in the discussions with the Marble family because he coached Roy Devyn Marble.
“I felt it was important to do that,” said McCaffery, “and our talks have been very positive and will continue to be as we continue to honor Roy as he should be.”