Ask Mitch Barnhart the key to his success, and he'll simply respond it's about "equipping people to launch people." A quick look at his list of protégés at Kentucky who have all become athletics directors themselves, including Greg Byrne at Alabama, John Cohen at Auburn, Mark Coyle at Minnesota, DeWayne Peevy at DePaul, Rob Mullens at Oregon, Kevin Saal at Wichita State, and Scott Stricklin at Florida, and it's clear that his formula has not only impacted Kentucky and the SEC but the entire college athletics landscape.
"One thing that I've always appreciated is how people have helped me along the way," said Barnhart, the 2019 Sports Business Journal Athletic Director of the Year. "Doug Dickey took a chance on a young guy when I was 26 years old… He believed in me, my integrity and a young guy who was trying really hard. He gave me some tools and kept equipping me every day to get better.
"I don't want it to be about me, I want it to be about them. And if they are successful, it reflects back on our program at Kentucky."
Barnhart credits attending a small college, Ottawa University in Kansas, for jump starting his career with valuable experiences. He then headed to Ohio University to earn his master's in sports administration at a time when the field was dominated more by former coaches than marketing professionals. Barnhart, ahead of his time, saw the profession as an opportunity to eventually run a franchise.
He landed an internship at San Diego State working for Bill Byrne, and he followed Byrne to the University of Oregon (developing a relationship with Bill's son Greg who would later become his protégé at Kentucky.) Next came a stop at SMU before heading to Tennessee under the wing of Dickey for 12 years.
"Mitch and I put together our first fundraising and development program at Tennessee," said Dickey, the Hall of Fame coach turned administrator who received the NFF Toner Award in 1998. "We had a great relationship. And I was always very appreciative of the job he did, of getting us off to the right start with a development program and raising funds and getting us to where we had a first-class operation going."
Dickey had built his protégé into a solid prospect, and Barnhart landed the head job at Oregon State, relocating to Corvallis for a four-year stint from 1998-2002.
Barnhart quickly secured a transformative gift from Al and Pat Reser to rename the football stadium, and in 1999, he recruited future Hall of Fame Coach Dennis Erickson to head the football team. The Beavers went 7-5, notching their first winning season in 29 years and the school's first bowl appearance in 34 years. The following season, the Beavers went 11-1, including a Fiesta Bowl victory over Notre Dame and a final No. 4 ranking.
In 2002, Barnhart seized the opportunity to return to the SEC, beginning his current 21-year run. Hired by Kentucky President Dr. Lee Todd, Barnhart currently serves under Dr. Eli Capilouto, and he cites the continuity of working for only two quality presidents as a key component to his success.
"Mitch values all athletes, no matter what team they're on, or what sport, or how good they are, and he hires coaches who will treat the kids the way that he thinks they should be treated," said Todd. "I'm not sure there's any athletic director in the country who spends as much time as he devotes, attending all the games, learning all the names of the players… The focus that Mitch brings to the task is to continuously improve."
Barnhart walked into a UK football program on NCAA probation, down 19 scholarships, banned from postseason play and with a coaching vacancy to fill. He hired Coach Rick Brooks, who would head the program from 2003 to 2009, eventually leading the Wildcats to four straight bowl games.
"It took an awful lot of effort to dig out of that. And it takes a special person like Rich Brooks who was an absolute grinder," said Barnhart.
Coach Joker Philips led the program for three years before Coach Mark Stoops took over in 2013. Stoops, who has been with the program for 10 years and counting, has notched four bowl wins and six straight bowl appearances. In 2018, Stoops claimed SEC Coach of the Year honors after the Wildcats ended the team's 31-game losing streak to Florida.
"[Rich Brooks and Mark Stoops] brought a tough, tough mentality to our program," said Barnhart. "That sort of has defined who we've been. And it has set the table for the rest of our department."
Barnhart inherited an athletic budget of $42 million in 2002, and it has steadily grown to $165 million this year, allowing UK to retain key coaches and administrators and completing capital improvements that approach $500 million. The department also gives between $7 to 8 million back to the university each year for non-student athlete scholarships and other facilities on campus, including $65 million for the Don & Cathy Jacobs Science Building.
UK teams have won numerous SEC titles and six national championships during Barnhart's tenure, including national titles in men's basketball, women's volleyball and four times in rifle. Off the field, UK teams have exceeded a cumulative GPA of 3.0 for 20 consecutive semesters while building a community service program that has risen to more than 4,000 hours a year.
"Mitch took what was really a one sport program with basketball, and he built it into now a nationally recognized program where all our teams are competitive," said Todd.
