Rick Barnes is a prominent American college basketball head coach involved with the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Tennessee Volunteers. In May 2022, he was elected chairman of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Rules Committee after serving on the committee for several years. He has proven to be one of the nation’s most consistently successful collegiate basketball coaches.
Early life
Rick Barnes was born on July 17, 1954, in Hickory, North Carolina. Regarding Rick’s family background, the dates of his parents and siblings are not disclosed to the public. Speaking of education, he completed his elementary school education in 1973 with good grades at Hickory High School in North Carolina. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Lenoir-Rhyne College in 1977, where he majored in health and physical education. During college, he won the Captain’s Award for Leadership as a junior and senior. On May 7, 2005, he received an honorary doctorate in Humane Letters from Lenoir-Rhyne.
Rick Barnes Career
Rick began his career while in college. In 1985-86, he joined Wimp Sanderson’s staff in Alabama as an assistant coach. The following year, he served as an assistant at Ohio State under coach Gary Williams. Speaking about his coaching career, he started a job at North State Academy in the 1977-78 season. The following year, he served as an assistant under coach Eddie Biedenbach at Davidson College for two seasons. He then moved to George Mason, where he served as Joe Harrington’s assistant from 1980 to 1985. On April 23, 1987, he began his first position as head coach with George Mason. After leading his team to the championship game of the conference tournament, he was recognized as the league’s assistant coach of the year.
1988-1994 at Providence
He was the head coach at Providence College for six years. He coached the Providence Friars men’s basketball team and was named District I Coach of the Year by NABC.
1994-1998 at Clemson
From 1994 to 1998, he served on the Clemson Tigers men’s basketball team. Under his leadership, Clemson made three consecutive NCAA tournament appearances.
1998-2015 in Texas
On April 12, 1998, he was hired as the 23rd men’s basketball coach in Texas. Under his leadership, the Texas Longhorns men’s basketball team made 16 NCAA tournament appearances. He coached Chris Mihm in 2000, TJ Ford (2003 International Player of the Year), Kevin Durant (2007 International Player of the Year), and DJ Augustin in 2008. Rick Barnes was named Big 12 Coach of the Year for the fourth time (including years 1999, 2003, 2008, 2014). He was also named NABC District 9 Coach of the Year for the fifth time (including years 1999, 2001, 2003, 2008, and 2014). He also received the John R Den Wooden Legends of Coaching Award ( 2009) and the US Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) award, recognizing his outstanding achievements as a coach.
2015-present in Tennessee
Rick Barnes was named coach of the Tennessee Volunteers men’s basketball team on March 31, 2015. Since 2015, he has received many titles and awards, including the 2018 SEC Coach of the Year for helping the Volunteers share their first SEC regular-season title of the decade and appearing in conference championship play. This eventually earned him the Conference Coach of the Year award in his sixth career.
humanitarian work
Rick Barnes is a philanthropic donor and has a history of generous charitable giving and service. He supports the Emerald Youth Foundation in Tennessee, USA, and plays an active role on the Board of Trustees.
Rick Barnes (Coach) Biography | |
|---|---|
| Real name | Richard DaleBarnes |
| birth date | July 17, 1954 |
| Age | 71 years |
| Place of birth | Hickory, North Carolina, USA |
| Profession | basketball coach |
| University | Lenoir-Rhyne University, Hickory High School |
| qualification | graduate |
Physical Statistics | |
| Height | in feet inches – 5′ 9” – in centimeters – 175 cm |
| Weight | in kilograms – 83kg – in pounds – 182 pounds |
| Hair color | Brown |
| eye color | Brown |
Rick Barnes Family | |
| Father | – |
| Mother | – |
| Sister | Sandy Barnes |
| Brother | Tommy Barnes, Gary Barnes, Toby Barnes |
relationship status | |
| Marital status | Married |
| Who is Rick Barnes’ wife? | Candy Barnes |
| Children | Two (Carley & Nick Barnes) |
Personal Life
Rick is a happily married man. His loving wife’s name is Candy. Together, the couple has two adult children — Nick (38-year-old son as of 2023) and Carley (35-year-old daughter as of 2023). His daughter Carley married her husband Josh Lickteig, and they have four children: Avery, Caleb, Emma, and Isla. His son Nick married his wife Rachel, and they have a son, Everett. From now on, Rick enjoys his private life and spends his free time with his wife, children, and grandchildren.
social media
Rick is active on social media platforms. As of March 15, 2023, he has an official Twitter account with the username @RickBarnesUT. On his Twitter account, he has almost 37.8k followers as of March 2023.
Rick Barnes net worth
Rick Barnes is a noted men’s collegiate basketball head coach for the Tennessee Volunteers. Throughout his career, he was involved in men’s basketball coaching and encouraged many students to become professional players. We can assume that Rick has accumulated an estimated net worth of $3 million.