Bartik's success surprises Renegades
Published on July 27, 2005 under National Indoor Football League (NIFL)
Rome Renegades News Release
ROME, Ga. - Sometimes companies have no idea what they are going to receive when they entertain the use of internship programs from colleges.
When a young man from West Georgia University came to the Rome Renegades, all he wanted was a chance to learn the sports marketing business.
"I wanted to see how the business side of professional sports was done and add the experience to my resume," said Bo Bartik. "I was doing some administrative work and even putting decals on helmets. It was pretty chaotic because the team had just come to town."
Bartik was speaking of the Rome Renegades, the National Indoor Football Team that relocated in the Georgia city before the season, and now finds itself in the NIFL Indoor Bowl V Saturday in Kennewick, Wash., against the Tri-Cities Fever.
COACHES LIKED ABILITIES
"Bo was going to be my intern (for football operations)" said Renegades head coach David Humphreys. "He asked to come to the two-day tryout and told me: 'Coach, I'm going to shock you.'"
To the surprise of Humphreys and the entire coaching staff, Bartik, a quarterback at Georgia State not only was asked back to training camp, but he progress to the point where he ended up second only to starter Dixie Wooten.
It wasn't until five games into the season that Bartik had his opportunity to show his stuff. That was in a game at Billings, Montana, which ironically is where the former all-state Billings West High quarterback learned the football trade.
Bartik replaced starter Wooten and the 'hometown hero' became one, except he was playing for the visiting team. "I think there was some added pressure going back to Billings," said Bartik, who guided West High too two consecutive State championships. "I was more excited about playing than anything else. I felt like my old self in that game."
BILLINGS WAS TURNING POINT
"I guess you could call Billings 'my turning point' and I had a good time that night," said the Bo, who was 21 of 33 (.636) for 205 yards and six touchdowns against Billings.
"What impressed me in that game was his ability to go to the second and third receivers," said Humphreys. "He just read the field so well and unlike a rookie, lock in on one receiver. It's something you try to coach, but you really can't because all you can do is teach the system."
Bartik, who is 6-1, 190 pounds, finished the regular season 135 of 231 (.584) for 1,411 yards and 25 touchdowns. Those numbers produced a 6-4 record through the rest of the NIFL regular season.
"Bo just makes play; it's that plain and simple," said Humphreys. "Nothing too special because he is not very tall and does not have a strong arm, but he sees the entire field and makes great decisions."
TEAM DEVELOPS CONFIDENCE
Bartik, who turns 24 next month, said the team has developed a unique confidence, especially during the second half of the season when the defense came together. Winning the two road playoff games also has inspired the team, he said.
"I think we just go out and get it done," he added. "I like the road games because the fields are bigger than ours and it gives the receivers more room to operate." Rome's field has only 4-yard end zones, not eight like most fields have, and the Renegades' end zones have a more rounded configuration.
Bo says the offense is simple and the team executes well. "In the red zone we will run, but we are primarily a passing team - that's our strength." In the three playoff games, Bo has connected on 44 passes for 484 yards and eight touchdowns.
It wasn't Bo's strength in college because he claims he never got a real chance to show what he could do. He first went to Gardner-Webb University because his father, Mike, who currently is the defensive coordinator at Shorter College in Rome, was hired at GWU as the linebacker coach.
PLAYED BEHIND MARTIN AT GWU
"I really didn't get my shot," said Bartik, who was a redshirt freshman at GWU, playing ironically behind starter Jeremy Martin, an NIFL All-Star with the Lakeland ThunderBolts. Martin was a sophomore at the time.
Football definitely is in the family because one of his first cousins on his mother's side is Brock Berlin, the former University of Miami All-America.
So how did the first name come about?
"My mother, Kimby, liked it and she named me, Timothy Bo," he said.
Mothers always know, but it's those unknown talents of interns that sometimes surprise you.
National Indoor Football League Stories from July 27, 2005
- NIFL'S Indoor Bowl sold out - Tri-Cities Fever
- Veteran Coleman leads Fever into Bowl - Tri-Cities Fever
- Renegades Cross Country travel to Indoor Bowl V begins - Rome Renegades
- Bartik's success surprises Renegades - Rome Renegades
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