Brian Barnes
Brian Barnes grew up in Riverside, CA and attended Arlington High School. He was an avid sports fan and played on the football team. In the hopes of being a high school coach, Brian attended the California State Polytechnic University Pomona and earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Pure Mathematics.
Since his graduation from Cal Poly, Brian has been a teacher and coach at West Covina High School in West Covina, California, serving as an assistant coach for both football and baseball, and teaching mathematics from Pre-Algebra to AP Statistics. In 2014, Brian was able to transition to a co-Athletic Director role, overseeing half of the sports on campus. In 2017, Brian took over the entire athletic department for WCHS.
Brian furthered his education by earning his Masters of Arts Degree in Coaching and Athletics Administration at Concordia University Irvine in 2019. In his time as an athletic director, he has become involved in his local, state and national athletic administrator associations, and is now a board member as the past-president of the Foothill Citrus AD Association. He was awarded the 2018 CSADA Southern Section Rookie AD of the Year, and recently named the 2023 CSADA Southern Section Athletic Director of the year. In the summer of 2023, Brian was hired to teach mathematics and assist with the baseball program at Downey High School.
Brian and his lovely wife, Lia, live in La Habra Heights, CA, with their two daughters Brynn and Blair, and dog, Cotton.
Topics Discussed
- CCC - Learning from expert coaches, and interacting with other coaches and students with what tools they are using
- Moving to Downey High School from West Covina HS after 17 years
- Excited to go back to Coaching from the AD role
- What did you implement that you are most proud about and will miss while leaving West Covina? Really will miss the relationships I build with the coaches and with the players
- Serve our coaches so they can become lifelong learners
- Philosophy for hiring coaches would focus on getting experienced coaches and recruit them if necessary.
- Younger coaches could be open to molding to the culture of the Athletic department.
- Finding quality coaches is key experienced or still learning coaches and teachable
- Looking forward to getting back to working with the student athletes in the classroom and the field.
- Got into teaching and coaching from his high school career and coach
- Wanted to be able to give back in teaching and coaching
- Community piece still exists in the current times of commuter students and time restraints
- Losing builds character; Players look to move on when there are losses. Good coaches focus on the players who are left.
- Conference attendance continues year after year
- Got involved and his MCAA degree because he was an Athletic Director and felt that it prepared him for overall position
- Networking with current players, students, collegiate coaches and Athletic Directors is one of the best aspects of the MCAA
Tags: MCAA Podcast, Coaching