< PreviousKENTUCKY W ith Mitch Barnhart completing his 20th year as Director of Athletics at the University of Kentucky, it’s fitting that milestone achievements accompany a mile- stone year as leader of the Wildcats. Sparked by a national championship in rifle, an NCAA runner-up slot by men’s tennis, and third-place national finishes by women’s indoor and outdoor track and field, UK Athletics posted the highest rank- ing in school history – ninth place – in the 2021-22 NACDA Directors’ Cup all-sports standings. In addition to the Wildcat success in the arenas of competition, 2022 also has been a year of personal recognition for Barnhart. In August, he was inducted into the (state of) Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame. In December he will receive the John L. Toner Award for excellence in athletics administration from the National Football Foundation and Col- lege Hall of Fame. Those honors add to a growing list of ac- colades for Barnhart, who was selected the 2019 AD of the Year by the SportsBusiness Journal . In 2015, he was one of four Divi- sion I ADs of the Year as chosen by NACDA. Currently, he is a member of the College Football Playoff Selection Committee and in 2020-21 was Chair of the Men’s Basketball Tournament Committee, one of only four men who have served in both roles. In the arenas of competition, UK has earned six NCAA championship rings during Barnhart’s term, including men’s bas- ketball in 2012, volleyball in ’20 and rifle in 2011, ’18, ’21 and ‘22. UK also has totaled 49 regular-season and tournament confer- ence championships under his leadership, including first-time titles in baseball, wom- en’s tennis, men’s golf and women’s swim- ming and diving. The accomplishments are a result of Barnhart’s work since his arrival in the sum- mer of 2002. He has steadily invested in the growth of all UK teams while maintaining a steadfast commitment to the development of Wildcat student-athletes. At the heart of everything are the core values Barnhart has instilled in the department he leads: char- acter, integrity, knowledge, stewardship and competitiveness. In addition to athletic success, a depart- ment-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 20 consecutive semes- ters. UK athletes also have set records for graduation rates. Community service has risen to more than 4,000 hours annually and includes out- reach to the Lexington area, the Common- wealth of Kentucky and as far away as Ethi- opia, the Dominican Republic and Panama. During the last year, 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 have taken part in other fundraising projects, supply assis- tance, cleanup and the rebuilding process. While UK athletes have achieved re- markable success, Barnhart is always seek- ing improvement. One recent example is UK’s Student-Athlete Experience Division. Through the division’s work – known as “The Kentucky Road” -- UK has further enhanced its commitment in the areas of academic support, personal branding, internship/work opportunities and life-skills development. Even with the department’s growth and the increasingly competitive nature of col- lege sports, UK Athletics has remained fi- nancially self-sufficient under Barnhart’s management, operating with a balanced budget and with the help of no state or Uni- versity 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 directs an annual $1.7-million contribution to the University’s (non-athletic) scholarship program. Barnhart’s legacy at UK includes helping develop seven people who have gone on to become athletics directors at Division I uni- versities, including Greg Byrne of Alabama, Mark Coyle at Minnesota, Rob Mullens at Oregon, Scott Stricklin at Florida, John Co- hen at Mississippi State, Kevin Saal at Wich- ita State and DeWayne Peevy at DePaul. Barnhart is a native of Kansas City, Kan- sas. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Ottawa University (Kansas) in 1981 and a master’s in sports administration from Ohio University. Prior to UK, he was director of athletics at Oregon State and also has served in administrative posts at Tennessee, South- ern Methodist, Oregon and San Diego State. Barnhart and his wife, Connie, have three children, Kirby Willoughby, Blaire Jan- sen and Scott; Kirby’s husband, McKenzie, and their sons Cooper, Reece and Gunner; Blaire’s husband, Andrew; and Scott’s wife, Cassie, and their daughter Rylee. The Barn- harts have been active in community service on both the local and national levels. The family’s dedication to the campus, the com- monwealth 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. Mitch Barnhart n Athletics Director of the University of Kentucky 70 @KentuckyMBBNext >