UK Athletics
Massive changes are underway in the collegiate enterprise, and as usual, Barnhart is helping lead the way. Sparking much of the change is the result of the lawsuit known as the House case and Barnhart is one of 10 athletics directors on the Settlement Implementation Committee (“10 years of work in 10 months,” he says with a wry grin) that is guiding the national activation of the settlement.
It’s not the first time that Barnhart has been called upon for a vital national role. In 2020-21 he served as Chair of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Committee. Having already sustained the loss of the 2020 tournament because of Covid concerns, losing another men’s basketball tournament – the primary revenue source for the NCAA and all of its championship/supervisory activities across Divisions I, II, and III – would have placed the organization in severe jeopardy.
In conjunction with the full-time NCAA staff, in a span of only three months, Barnhart and his committee reorganized the massive event. The first-of-its-kind arrangement went remarkably well, providing the American public with one of its most cherished sporting events while keeping the national organization financially afloat and providing millions of dollars for the participating schools.
Barnhart has a long history of national service. In addition to his five-year term on the Men’s Basketball Tournament Committee, he also served a stint on the College Football Playoff Committee and is one of only four people who have served on the football playoff committee and as chair of the men’s basketball tournament.
Barnhart’s influence also reaches numerous individual schools across the country. Dedicated to the advancement of those whom he guides, his “AD tree” – administrators and coaches who have worked for him and become Division I athletics directors – now numbers seven, including Greg Byrne at Alabama, John Cohen at Auburn, Mark Coyle at Minnesota, Rob Mullens at Oregon, DeWayne Peevy at DePaul, Kevin Saal at Wichita State and Scott Stricklin at Florida.
Of course, Barnhart is guiding the Wildcats into the future as well. Organizationally, UK Athletics is converting to Champions Blue LLC, a business structure that will enable UK to initiate new financial opportunities in a unique, more nimble way. It’s being called a groundbreaking precedent in college athletics.
Known for his motto of “putting championship rings on fingers and diplomas in hands,” Barnhart has had much success in both areas.
From a competitive standpoint, the Wildcat athletic program placed in the top 20 of the NACDA Directors’ Cup national all-sports standings from 2017-23 (no standings in 2020 because of the pandemic), one of only 10 schools that earned that distinction. The Directors’ Cup was established in 1993-94 and the best nine finishes in school history have been under Barnhart, all of which have come in the last 12 years that had final standings.
UK Athletics hit a peak in the Directors’ Cup in the 2021-22 school year. Sparked by a national championship in rifle, an NCAA Tournament runner-up slot by men’s tennis, and third-place national finishes by women’s indoor and outdoor track and field, UK ascended to a school-record ninth place among Division I schools, which now totals 365 members.
Barnhart’s legacy at Kentucky includes success in a wide array of sports. All counted, UK has earned six NCAA championship rings during Barnhart’s term, including men’s basketball in 2012, volleyball in ’20 and rifle in 2011, ’18, ’21 and ‘22. UK also has totaled 63 regular-season and tournament conference championships under his leadership, including first-time titles in baseball, women’s tennis, men’s golf, women’s swimming and diving, and in Barnhart’s addition to the UK sports portfolio, STUNT.
In the midst of this success, Barnhart’s acumen was put to its strongest test in 2020-21. As if it were not enough to guide UK through the severe challenges in health care, competition and finances caused by Covid-19, Barnhart also was Chair of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Committee, a task which required him to take a lead role in re-creating and executing the organization’s most prominent event in the midst of a pandemic.
Working alongside the NCAA staff, in the span of only two months, Barnhart and the tournament committee scrapped the time-tested format and invented a new procedure by bringing all 68 teams to one location and supporting them with numerous health and safety protocols. As a result, all but one of the scheduled games was played and the mission was completed when Barnhart handed the 2021 championship trophy to the Baylor Bears.
Meanwhile in Lexington, with assistance from the Southeastern Conference, UK HealthCare, and state and local officials, Barnhart kept the Wildcats on the prowl en route to one of the most successful years in UK Athletics history.
The Kentucky football team was able to play all of its scheduled games and topped the campaign with a win over No. 23 North Carolina State in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl. That game was part of a school-record streak of eight consecutive bowl appearances.
In February of ‘21, the women’s swimming and diving team won its first SEC championship. A month later, UK rifle claimed an NCAA championship. That was followed by another national crown, as the volleyball squad earned the NCAA title, the first by an SEC school in that sport.
The accomplishments are a result of Barnhart’s work since his arrival in the summer of 2002. He has steadily invested in the growth of all UK teams while maintaining a singular commitment to the holistic development of Wildcat student-athletes. Matching resources to expectations has been a hallmark of his tenure, with the proof coming in the form of student-athlete support, staff enhancements and hundreds of millions of dollars in facility improvements. At the heart of everything are the core values Barnhart has instilled in the department he leads: character, integrity, knowledge, stewardship and competitiveness.
Community service has reached as much as 4,000 hours annually and includes outreach to the Lexington area, the Commonwealth of Kentucky and as far away as Ethiopia, the Dominican Republic and Panama. In December of 2021 and August 2022, when natural disasters devastated western and eastern Kentucky, a pair of telethons sponsored by UK Athletics raised more than $8 million and numerous student-athletes and staff took part in other fundraising projects, supply assistance, cleanup and the rebuilding process.
Since Barnhart’s arrival, the Directors’ Cup standings have reflected the progress in the fields and arenas of competition. Barnhart inherited a department that finished 50th nationally in 2002-03, his first year in Lexington. By 2012-13, UK climbed to No. 25 in the country, UK’s first top-25 finish.
Kentucky cracked the top 10 for the first time by coming in at No. 10 for the 2016-17 school year, now surpassed by the No. 9 finish in 2021-22. Pleased, but never satisfied by success, Barnhart’s next goal for the Wildcats is a top-five showing.
The growth of UK Athletics began earning national recognition for Barnhart in 2015, when he was named one of four Division I Athletics Directors of the Year by NACDA. He also was one of four finalists for 2015 Athletics Director of the Year as chosen by the SportsBusiness Journal and he received the Sports Business Award from the Bluegrass Sports Commission that year.
Four years after his first nomination by the SportsBusiness Journal, Barnhart was named the publication’s 2019 Division I Athletic Director of the Year. In 2022, he was inducted into the (state of) Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame and he received the John L. Toner Award for excellence in athletics administration from the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame.
Although he has a growing list of accolades, Barnhart has always been more interested in the achievements of UK student-athletes than his own. On that count, UK has had plenty to celebrate.
Since 2020, five Wildcats have been named National Athlete of the Year in their sport. In addition, Asia Seidt of swimming and diving was chosen for the highly prestigious NCAA Woman of the Year award, covering all female athletes in all divisions, for her combination of athletic success, academic excellence and dedication to community service. Numerous additional Wildcats have won national awards for their performances on the field, in the classroom and in the community.
Kentucky athletes have gone on to be notable on the professional and international stages as well. In the last year alone, three Wildcats – Shea Gilgeous-Alexander in basketball, Leah Edmond in volleyball and Kayla Kowalik in softball – received the Most Valuable Player Award in their pro leagues. Internationally, UK made a huge impact in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Eleven Wildcats totaled 13 medals, including nine gold. Among colleges, UK tied for third place for most medals won for Team USA.
On the conference level, during Barnhart’s term, Wildcats have been named the SEC Male and Female Athlete of the Year, the SEC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and the SEC Male and Female Community Service Leader of the Year.
While UK athletes have achieved remarkable success, Barnhart is always seeking improvement. One example is UK’s Student-Athlete Experience Division. Through the division’s work – known as “The Kentucky Road” — UK has enhanced its commitment to prepare student-athletes to enter life after UK by equipping them with requisite professional skills and helping them identify and pursue internship and work opportunities while continuing to provide the academic support that has made UK Athletics a trendsetter in college athletics for the last four decades.
An example of cutting-edge performance has been in the area of personal branding. A current hot topic among athletes, UK was at the forefront as the first school in the nation to implement the INFLCR platform, which provides student-athletes access to photos and highlights to enhance their social media presence. Additional assistance comes in the form of educational seminars, such as financial literacy, and the extension of scholarships as needed to complete bachelor’s degrees.
Numerous student-athletes are prospering in the fields of revenue sharing and name-image-likeness, as the high profile of UK Athletics and the personal branding and education provided to the athletes have enabled them to capitalize in the new era.
Investment in the success of UK student-athletes in all facets has been a theme of the Barnhart era, beginning with the provision of funds for full coaching staffs and scholarship allotments for every UK sport. Barnhart also has invested strategically in UK Athletics’ facilities with construction that began with the Joe Craft Center; new stadiums for track and field, softball and soccer; the UK Golf House; and the Wildcat Coal Lodge dormitory. The home of Kentucky football, Kroger Field, underwent a $126 million renovation completed in 2015 and the $45 million Joe Craft Football Training Facility opened a year later. New scoreboards were added for the 2022 season. A new $49 million baseball stadium – Kentucky Proud Park – opened in fall of 2018.
More facilities improvements in 2023 included completion of a new $20 million indoor track and $5 million renovation of the Nutter Field House. An $80 million renovation of Memorial Coliseum – highlighting the military sacrifice of Kentuckians while providing a sparkling arena of competition for athletes and fans – was completed in 2025.
Even with the department’s growth and the increasingly competitive nature of college sports, UK Athletics has been mostly self-sufficient under Barnhart’s management, operating primarily with a balanced budget and limited help from University funds. Seeing pressing facility needs on campus as well, Barnhart is fulfilling a $65 million commitment for athletics to fund nearly two-thirds of the Don & Cathy Jacobs Science Building on campus. He also has directed millions of dollars of athletics revenues toward the University’s non-athletic scholarship program. Millions more dollars from the athletics budget stay on campus each year through athletic scholarship payments, administrative support payments, merchandise royalties and other avenues. Additionally, UK also has phased out the athletics fee previously paid by students as part of their tuition.
A steadfast believer in the transformational power of college athletics, Barnhart’s national influence – in addition to that mentioned earlier – includes numerous committees and boards for the NCAA and the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA).
With his extensive previous experience on the NCAA Division I Council, as chair of the NCAA Competition Oversight Committee and as a member of the NCAA Division I Baseball Committee, in addition to several other groups, Barnhart has proven himself well suited for the leadership roles.
In the Southeastern Conference, in addition to his current role as chair of the athletics directors, Barnhart’s work includes terms on the SEC Compliance Committee and the SEC Network Content Committee, which helped the highly successful launch of the largest new cable channel in television history.
Barnhart arrived at UK from Oregon State, where he served four successful years (1998-2002) as athletics director. Before OSU, he worked in athletics administration posts at Tennessee (1986-98), Southern Methodist University (1983-86), Oregon (1983) and San Diego State (1982-83).
Barnhart is a native of Kansas City, Kansas. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Ottawa University (Kansas) in 1981 and a master’s in sports administration from Ohio University.
In addition to the extraordinary achievements of his work world, reaching new heights is also a theme of his personal life. An avid mountain climber, Barnhart has scaled Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa, along with two of the most challenging peaks in the United States, Mount Rainier in Washington and the Grand Tetons in Wyoming. He also has performed two tandem parachute jumps with the Army Golden Knights. Impactful in community service, Barnhart has taken part in mission trips and is on the national advisory board of K-Love Radio.
Barnhart and his wife, Connie, also actively serve and support the Christian Student Fellowship and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes on campus in an effort to minister to young people. Connie serves on the board of Easter Seals, using her background in physical therapy to assist others in rehabilitation services.
The Barnharts have three children, Kirby Willoughby, Blaire Jansen and Scott; Kirby’s husband, McKenzie, and their sons Cooper, Reece and Gunner; Blaire’s husband, Andrew, and son Teddy; and Scott’s wife, Cassie, and their daughter Rylee and son Brooks. The family’s dedication to the campus, the commonwealth of Kentucky and the Big Blue Nation led University leaders to name the stadium area of baseball/soccer/softball as the Barnhart Family Complex in 2020.
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MitchBarnhart
- title Athletics Director
- phone (859) 257-8015
- Hometown: Kansas City, Kansas
- Year Hired: 2002
- Alma Mater: B.A. from Ottawa University (Kansas) and an M.S. in sports administration from Ohio University
- History: Barnhart was hired by the university in 2002 succeeding Larry Ivy. Barnhart served in the same capacity at Oregon State University from 1998-2002. He is the university’s 10th athletics director. In August 2023, Barnhart signed an extension on his contract through June 2028.
- Twitter: @ukmitchbarnhart
(Updated March 2026)
(Barnhart new bio, March 2026)
Mitch Barnhart
Director of Athletics
University of Kentucky
Now in his 24th year as Director of Athletics at the University of Kentucky, Mitch Barnhart continues to expand his impact on national and regional levels, all while leading his Wildcats to consistent achievement in the arenas of competition, in the classroom and in the community.
Having the longest term of service among current ADs at schools in the Power 4 conferences, Barnhart’s legacy reaches not just the past, present and future of UK Athletics, but also the entirety of college sports. His experience, knowledge and synthesis of athletic and academic success have made him a highly respected and sought-after presence regarding the key issues of the day.
Massive changes are underway in the collegiate enterprise, and as usual, Barnhart is helping lead the way. Sparking much of the change is the result of the lawsuit known as the House case and Barnhart is one of 10 athletics directors on the Settlement Implementation Committee (“10 years of work in 10 months,” he says with a wry grin) that is guiding the national activation of the settlement.
It’s not the first time that Barnhart has been called upon for a vital national role. In 2020-21 he served as Chair of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Committee. Having already sustained the loss of the 2020 tournament because of Covid concerns, losing another men’s basketball tournament – the primary revenue source for the NCAA and all of its championship/supervisory activities across Divisions I, II, and III – would have placed the organization in severe jeopardy.
In conjunction with the full-time NCAA staff, in a span of only three months, Barnhart and his committee reorganized the massive event. The first-of-its-kind arrangement went remarkably well, providing the American public with one of its most cherished sporting events while keeping the national organization financially afloat and providing millions of dollars for the participating schools.
Barnhart has a long history of national service. In addition to his five-year term on the Men’s Basketball Tournament Committee, he also served a stint on the College Football Playoff Committee and is one of only four people who have served on the football playoff committee and as chair of the men’s basketball tournament.
Barnhart’s influence also reaches numerous individual schools across the country. Dedicated to the advancement of those whom he guides, his “AD tree” – administrators and coaches who have worked for him and become Division I athletics directors – now numbers seven, including Greg Byrne at Alabama, John Cohen at Auburn, Mark Coyle at Minnesota, Rob Mullens at Oregon, DeWayne Peevy at DePaul, Kevin Saal at Wichita State and Scott Stricklin at Florida.
On the regional stage, in June 2023, Barnhart was tabbed No. 1 on a list of the “12 Most Important People in the Southeastern Conference,” written by longtime columnist and league observer Pat Dooley. The fact that Barnhart has been chair of the SEC athletics directors since 2017 indicates the respect he has earned among his colleagues, including three SEC ADs whom he helped develop.
Of course, Barnhart is guiding the Wildcats into the future as well. Organizationally, UK Athletics is converting to Champions Blue LLC, a business structure that will enable UK to initiate new financial opportunities in a unique, more nimble way. It’s being called a groundbreaking precedent in college athletics.
Known for his motto of “putting championship rings on fingers and diplomas in hands,” Barnhart has had much success in both areas.
From a competitive standpoint, the Wildcat athletic program placed in the top 20 of the NACDA Directors’ Cup national all-sports standings from 2017-23 (no standings in 2020 because of the pandemic), one of only 10 schools that earned that distinction. The Directors’ Cup was established in 1993-94 and the best nine finishes in school history have been under Barnhart, all of which have come in the last 12 years that had final standings.
UK Athletics hit a peak in the Directors’ Cup in the 2021-22 school year. Sparked by a national championship in rifle, an NCAA Tournament runner-up slot by men’s tennis, and third-place national finishes by women’s indoor and outdoor track and field, UK ascended to a school-record ninth place among Division I schools, which now totals 365 members.
Barnhart’s legacy at Kentucky includes success in a wide array of sports. All counted, UK has earned six NCAA championship rings during Barnhart’s term, including men’s basketball in 2012, volleyball in ’20 and rifle in 2011, ’18, ’21 and ‘22. UK also has totaled 63 regular-season and tournament conference championships under his leadership, including first-time titles in baseball, women’s tennis, men’s golf, women’s swimming and diving, and in Barnhart’s addition to the UK sports portfolio, STUNT.
In the midst of this success, Barnhart’s acumen was put to its strongest test in 2020-21. As if it were not enough to guide UK through the severe challenges in health care, competition and finances caused by Covid-19, Barnhart also was Chair of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Committee, a task which required him to take a lead role in re-creating and executing the organization’s most prominent event in the midst of a pandemic.
Working alongside the NCAA staff, in the span of only two months, Barnhart and the tournament committee scrapped the time-tested format and invented a new procedure by bringing all 68 teams to one location and supporting them with numerous health and safety protocols. As a result, all but one of the scheduled games was played and the mission was completed when Barnhart handed the 2021 championship trophy to the Baylor Bears.
Meanwhile in Lexington, with assistance from the Southeastern Conference, UK HealthCare, and state and local officials, Barnhart kept the Wildcats on the prowl en route to one of the most successful years in UK Athletics history.
The Kentucky football team was able to play all of its scheduled games and topped the campaign with a win over No. 23 North Carolina State in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl. That game was part of a school-record streak of eight consecutive bowl appearances.
In February of ‘21, the women’s swimming and diving team won its first SEC championship. A month later, UK rifle claimed an NCAA championship. That was followed by another national crown, as the volleyball squad earned the NCAA title, the first by an SEC school in that sport.
The accomplishments are a result of Barnhart’s work since his arrival in the summer of 2002. He has steadily invested in the growth of all UK teams while maintaining a singular commitment to the holistic development of Wildcat student-athletes. Matching resources to expectations has been a hallmark of his tenure, with the proof coming in the form of student-athlete support, staff enhancements and hundreds of millions of dollars in facility improvements. At the heart of everything are the core values Barnhart has instilled in the department he leads: character, integrity, knowledge, stewardship and competitiveness.
A department-wide 3.0 grade-point average among student-athletes and increased community service have been long-standing goals for Barnhart. The GPA benchmark was first met in the spring semester of 2010 and has now reached a streak of 27 consecutive semesters.
When the NCAA began measuring the annual Graduation Success Rate, Wildcat athletes were graduating at a rate of 68 percent. For the last 20 years in a row under Barnhart, the Wildcats have bettered or tied the previous year’s mark – effectively breaking or tying the school record for 20 straight years. UK athletes now graduate at a rate of 93 percent, three points above the national average. UK also has maintained a perfect mark in the 21-year history of the NCAA Academic Progress Rate.
Community service has reached as much as 4,000 hours annually and includes outreach to the Lexington area, the Commonwealth of Kentucky and as far away as Ethiopia, the Dominican Republic and Panama. In December of 2021 and August 2022, when natural disasters devastated western and eastern Kentucky, a pair of telethons sponsored by UK Athletics raised more than $8 million and numerous student-athletes and staff took part in other fundraising projects, supply assistance, cleanup and the rebuilding process.
Since Barnhart’s arrival, the Directors’ Cup standings have reflected the progress in the fields and arenas of competition. Barnhart inherited a department that finished 50th nationally in 2002-03, his first year in Lexington. By 2012-13, UK climbed to No. 25 in the country, UK’s first top-25 finish.
Kentucky cracked the top 10 for the first time by coming in at No. 10 for the 2016-17 school year, now surpassed by the No. 9 finish in 2021-22. Pleased, but never satisfied by success, Barnhart’s next goal for the Wildcats is a top-five showing.
The growth of UK Athletics began earning national recognition for Barnhart in 2015, when he was named one of four Division I Athletics Directors of the Year by NACDA. He also was one of four finalists for 2015 Athletics Director of the Year as chosen by the SportsBusiness Journal and he received the Sports Business Award from the Bluegrass Sports Commission that year.
Four years after his first nomination by the SportsBusiness Journal, Barnhart was named the publication’s 2019 Division I Athletic Director of the Year. In 2022, he was inducted into the (state of) Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame and he received the John L. Toner Award for excellence in athletics administration from the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame.
Although he has a growing list of accolades, Barnhart has always been more interested in the achievements of UK student-athletes than his own. On that count, UK has had plenty to celebrate.
Since 2020, five Wildcats have been named National Athlete of the Year in their sport. In addition, Asia Seidt of swimming and diving was chosen for the highly prestigious NCAA Woman of the Year award, covering all female athletes in all divisions, for her combination of athletic success, academic excellence and dedication to community service. Numerous additional Wildcats have won national awards for their performances on the field, in the classroom and in the community.
Kentucky athletes have gone on to be notable on the professional and international stages as well. In the last year alone, three Wildcats – Shea Gilgeous-Alexander in basketball, Leah Edmond in volleyball and Kayla Kowalik in softball – received the Most Valuable Player Award in their pro leagues. Internationally, UK made a huge impact in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Eleven Wildcats totaled 13 medals, including nine gold. Among colleges, UK tied for third place for most medals won for Team USA.
On the conference level, during Barnhart’s term, Wildcats have been named the SEC Male and Female Athlete of the Year, the SEC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and the SEC Male and Female Community Service Leader of the Year.
While UK athletes have achieved remarkable success, Barnhart is always seeking improvement. One example is UK’s Student-Athlete Experience Division. Through the division’s work – known as “The Kentucky Road” — UK has enhanced its commitment to prepare student-athletes to enter life after UK by equipping them with requisite professional skills and helping them identify and pursue internship and work opportunities while continuing to provide the academic support that has made UK Athletics a trendsetter in college athletics for the last four decades.
An example of cutting-edge performance has been in the area of personal branding. A current hot topic among athletes, UK was at the forefront as the first school in the nation to implement the INFLCR platform, which provides student-athletes access to photos and highlights to enhance their social media presence. Additional assistance comes in the form of educational seminars, such as financial literacy, and the extension of scholarships as needed to complete bachelor’s degrees.
Numerous student-athletes are prospering in the fields of revenue sharing and name-image-likeness, as the high profile of UK Athletics and the personal branding and education provided to the athletes have enabled them to capitalize in the new era.
Investment in the success of UK student-athletes in all facets has been a theme of the Barnhart era, beginning with the provision of funds for full coaching staffs and scholarship allotments for every UK sport. Barnhart also has invested strategically in UK Athletics’ facilities with construction that began with the Joe Craft Center; new stadiums for track and field, softball and soccer; the UK Golf House; and the Wildcat Coal Lodge dormitory. The home of Kentucky football, Kroger Field, underwent a $126 million renovation completed in 2015 and the $45 million Joe Craft Football Training Facility opened a year later. New scoreboards were added for the 2022 season. A new $49 million baseball stadium – Kentucky Proud Park – opened in fall of 2018.
More facilities improvements in 2023 included completion of a new $20 million indoor track and $5 million renovation of the Nutter Field House. An $80 million renovation of Memorial Coliseum – highlighting the military sacrifice of Kentuckians while providing a sparkling arena of competition for athletes and fans – was completed in 2025.
Even with the department’s growth and the increasingly competitive nature of college sports, UK Athletics has been mostly self-sufficient under Barnhart’s management, operating primarily with a balanced budget and limited help from University funds. Seeing pressing facility needs on campus as well, Barnhart is fulfilling a $65 million commitment for athletics to fund nearly two-thirds of the Don & Cathy Jacobs Science Building on campus. He also has directed millions of dollars of athletics revenues toward the University’s non-athletic scholarship program. Millions more dollars from the athletics budget stay on campus each year through athletic scholarship payments, administrative support payments, merchandise royalties and other avenues. Additionally, UK also has phased out the athletics fee previously paid by students as part of their tuition.
A steadfast believer in the transformational power of college athletics, Barnhart’s national influence – in addition to that mentioned earlier – includes numerous committees and boards for the NCAA and the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA).
With his extensive previous experience on the NCAA Division I Council, as chair of the NCAA Competition Oversight Committee and as a member of the NCAA Division I Baseball Committee, in addition to several other groups, Barnhart has proven himself well suited for the leadership roles.
In the Southeastern Conference, in addition to his current role as chair of the athletics directors, Barnhart’s work includes terms on the SEC Compliance Committee and the SEC Network Content Committee, which helped the highly successful launch of the largest new cable channel in television history.
Barnhart arrived at UK from Oregon State, where he served four successful years (1998-2002) as athletics director. Before OSU, he worked in athletics administration posts at Tennessee (1986-98), Southern Methodist University (1983-86), Oregon (1983) and San Diego State (1982-83).
Barnhart is a native of Kansas City, Kansas. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Ottawa University (Kansas) in 1981 and a master’s in sports administration from Ohio University.
In addition to the extraordinary achievements of his work world, reaching new heights is also a theme of his personal life. An avid mountain climber, Barnhart has scaled Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa, along with two of the most challenging peaks in the United States, Mount Rainier in Washington and the Grand Tetons in Wyoming. He also has performed two tandem parachute jumps with the Army Golden Knights. Impactful in community service, Barnhart has taken part in mission trips and is on the national advisory board of K-Love Radio.
Barnhart and his wife, Connie, also actively serve and support the Christian Student Fellowship and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes on campus in an effort to minister to young people. Connie serves on the board of Easter Seals, using her background in physical therapy to assist others in rehabilitation services.
The Barnharts have three children, Kirby Willoughby, Blaire Jansen and Scott; Kirby’s husband, McKenzie, and their sons Cooper, Reece and Gunner; Blaire’s husband, Andrew, and son Teddy; and Scott’s wife, Cassie, and their daughter Rylee and son Brooks. The family’s dedication to the campus, the commonwealth of Kentucky and the Big Blue Nation led University leaders to name the stadium area of baseball/soccer/softball as the Barnhart Family Complex in 2020.