His 1957 St. Charles team won the state championship, defeating North Kansas City in the Class L finals by a score of 60–54.

He led the Bruins from 1975 to 1977, guiding them to Pac-8 titles and a 52–9 (.852) record, including a berth in the Final Four in 1976, falling to Indiana, the undefeated eventual champion.

Bartow led UAB to the NIT in 1980, the program's second year of existence, and followed that up with seven straight NCAA tournament appearances, including advancements to the Sweet Sixteen in 1981 and the Elite Eight in 1982.

[11] Bartow was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in Kansas City on November 22, 2009, along with fellow inductees Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Wayman Tisdale, Jud Heathcote, Walter Byers, Travis Grant and Bill Wall.

[12] On April 15, 2009, a UAB spokesman revealed that Bartow had been diagnosed with stomach cancer; he died at his home in Birmingham in early 2012 from the disease.