Fresno State AD Bartko moves forward from painful past

There is not enough time in the day for Jim Bartko. He’s lobbying a potential donor in San Francisco by day and, on his way home that night, stops to mingle with boosters in Turlock.

He moves through the door and, without breaking stride, already has shaken three hands. He’s in his element – working the room, smiling, making friends for Fresno State.

“Rally the valley,” Bartko says.

Bartko is into his third year as the Bulldogs’ athletic director. We knew him as a former shortstop for Central Catholic, Class of 1983. Today, he’s the primary mover and shaker for an athletic program overdue for some moving and shaking.

Bartko’s hectic pace probably has been a blessing. He’s had an eventful, dramatic winter. For starters, he’s begun his reboot of Bulldog athletics by hiring football coach Jeff Tedford. Bartko’s tenure at FSU will hinge on Tedford, the ex-Bulldog quarterback who will be asked to repeat his almost magical rebuilding of Cal’s program over a decade ago.

That should have filled his agenda by itself. But there was more, much more, about Bartko. In a Fresno Bee story last month, he told his story of abuse as a child. He said he was molested more than 30 times over 40 years ago by a Catholic priest and basketball coach in Pinole, before his family moved to Modesto when he was in fifth grade.

Before Christmas, he checked into a rehabilitation facility in Tucson, Ariz., to address problems with insomnia and anxiety that started as a child. After he left there on Jan. 7, Bartko told his mother, wife and children for the first time about what happened to him. Later, he emailed his story to his Fresno State staff.

“I don’t mind talking about it,” he said, though his voice shakes slightly. “I held it for 44 years. It’s kind of refreshing to get it off my chest. I’ve heard from people across the country. Twelve people said, ‘It’s happened to me, too.’ I’m working on a foundation to try to help. Maybe there is some good to come out of this.”

Imagine keeping that bombshell to yourself for so long. Somehow, Bartko learned how to deal with such trauma and still live his life successfully. Only one explanation: He’s slight in stature but an emotional giant.

“I didn’t do it to hurt the Catholic church (he remains Catholic). He was one bad person. There are bad people everywhere,” Bartko said. “I wanted to help me, my family, to get it off my chest, to make a point to the person who did this to me, and to help someone else in the future.”

Bartko, 51, loved sports as early as age 5. He soon mimicked the batting stance of every Dodger – from Jimmy Wynn, to Ron Cey, to Steve Garvey and the rest. His goal was to be a major-league ballplayer.

He eventually found a different avenue during his collegiate years at Washington State. His first break came from Oregon coach Rich Brooks, and Bartko eventually became a fundraising machine while Oregon leaped into the big time. Nike’s Phil Knight was Oregon’s catalyst, but Bartko was the conduit.

Bartko’s connection with Tedford began in 2006 while Bartko spent one year at Cal. The Bears were 1-10, 0-8 in the Pacific-10 Conference, in 2001. After Tedford’s arrival, Cal won five bowl games, briefly flirted with a No. 1 national ranking and tied for one conference title. He has won more games than any Cal coach in history and is No. 3 in win percentage.

And here’s Fresno State’s plight: 1-11 last fall, completing a three-year collapse under coach Tim DeRuyter. To many Fresno State fans, Tedford – a good Fresno State quarterback in his time and later the Bulldogs’ quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator (1992-97) – looks like a good man to bring back home.

Bartko earned early credit at Fresno State by adding wrestling and water polo to the athletic program. These are shrewd moves only if the Bulldogs pay the bills. Right now, they can’t. Plans to refurbish Bulldog Stadium are under way. Again, it doesn’t go forward until the football team returns to the success formerly enjoyed by Pat Hill and the stadium again is full. It all depends on Tedford.

Meanwhile, Bartko hustles to re-tie Fresno State’s valley roots – Hill’s game plan – loosened during the DeRuyter regime.

“(Tedford) is a great fit,” Bartko said. “Being a Bulldog player, he knows the community, knows the donors, knows the valley. ... We’re trying to make something special at Fresno – get the fans back.”

Regardless of how this ends, understand the following: The man in charge comes from a good place.

“All that has happened to me, has put it in perspective,” Bartko said. “That 1-11 season was crushing. But I’m fortunate and very lucky in my life, to know that other things are more important.”

This story was originally published February 9, 2017 at 1:02 AM with the headline "Fresno State AD Bartko moves forward from painful past."