MORGANTOWN, W.Va.. - West Virginia University football coach Neal Brown has announced the hiring of Coleman Barnes as the associate athletics director for football external affairs.
"I have known Coleman for a long time and believe he will be an outstanding addition to our football staff," Brown said. "He has administrative, fundraising and external experience that will help our program spread its message and further the West Virginia football brand across the nation. I want to welcome him and his family to Morgantown."
At West Virginia, Barnes will collaborate with the athletics administration and external units to further the West Virginia football brand and its effectiveness and efficiency. He will promote new ideas, development and growth to help position the football program for championship-level success.
Barnes will be a liaison with marketing, tickets, Mountaineer Athletic Club, athletic communications and digital media. He also will be a liaison between the football program and Learfield IMG College and will oversee the coordination of speaking engagements for the football program.
Barnes will be responsible for all program operations associated with recruiting, including hiring personnel, maintaining the budget and establishing branding and messaging. He also will market, promote and brand the program to recruits, high school coaches, alumni and fans, including overseeing the digital and creative content, graphic design and social media platforms to promote the football brand.
Barnes comes to West Virginia from Utah State where he served since July 2017, first as the assistant vice president and deputy director of athletics for external affairs and most recently as the associate vice president and deputy director of athletics. Under the direction of the vice president and director of athletics, he was responsible for the overall administration, management and supervision of all department areas that engaged with external constituents.
He led USU's athletic development staff and also oversaw athletics' external departments, which included marketing and promotions, media relations and video. He also served as the liaison for ticket operations and sales and Aggie Sports Properties.
Prior to Utah State, Barnes spent four years at Miami University, where he served as the associate athletics director/senior director of development for three-and-a-half years, before being promoted to executive associate athletics director/senior director of development his last year.
During his time at Miami, Barnes served as a co-manager for the Graduating Champions Campaign, raising more than $65 million toward the $80 million goal. In 2015, Barnes' team raised a then-record $28.3 million in gifts and pledges, including $5.02 million in cash.
Barnes also boosted Miami's Red & White Club membership to more than 2,000 members, a 27-percent increase since his arrival in 2013 and increased revenue by 24 percent, up to $880,000 per year.
Prior to Miami, Barnes spent two years at UAB, as the associate athletics director for development. He oversaw Blazer Boosters, the fundraising unit for UAB Athletics, increasing the annual fund membership by 54 percent through a 16-month initiative.
Prior to UAB, Barnes served from 2008-11 at Fresno State as the executive director of The Bulldog Foundation and associate athletics director for development. As an executive administrator, he oversaw all components of the development office that raised approximately $6 million annually. He also managed a development team that successfully secured funding for a $6 million sports medicine center and a $1.2 million turf project.
From 2005-08, Barnes served as the assistant director for the UMAA Foundation, the fundraising unit for Ole Miss Athletics, playing an integral role in raising nearly $13 million annually.
Prior to Ole Miss, Barnes was a development associate for the Hurricane Club at the University of Miami (2004-05) and an intern in Harvard's Athletics Ticket Office (2003-04).
Barnes graduated from Kentucky with a bachelor's degree in education in 2002 with a major in kinesiology and a minor in business. He was a three-year letterwinner on the Wildcats' football team as the team's long snapper. In 2004, Barnes earned his master's degree from Kentucky in kinesiology with an emphasis in sport management and completed his Ph.D. in higher education from Ole Miss in 2017.
A native of Bardstown, Kentucky, Barnes, and his wife, Mary Beth, have two children, Caroline and William.
"I have known Coleman for a long time and believe he will be an outstanding addition to our football staff," Brown said. "He has administrative, fundraising and external experience that will help our program spread its message and further the West Virginia football brand across the nation. I want to welcome him and his family to Morgantown."
At West Virginia, Barnes will collaborate with the athletics administration and external units to further the West Virginia football brand and its effectiveness and efficiency. He will promote new ideas, development and growth to help position the football program for championship-level success.
Barnes will be a liaison with marketing, tickets, Mountaineer Athletic Club, athletic communications and digital media. He also will be a liaison between the football program and Learfield IMG College and will oversee the coordination of speaking engagements for the football program.
Barnes will be responsible for all program operations associated with recruiting, including hiring personnel, maintaining the budget and establishing branding and messaging. He also will market, promote and brand the program to recruits, high school coaches, alumni and fans, including overseeing the digital and creative content, graphic design and social media platforms to promote the football brand.
Barnes comes to West Virginia from Utah State where he served since July 2017, first as the assistant vice president and deputy director of athletics for external affairs and most recently as the associate vice president and deputy director of athletics. Under the direction of the vice president and director of athletics, he was responsible for the overall administration, management and supervision of all department areas that engaged with external constituents.
He led USU's athletic development staff and also oversaw athletics' external departments, which included marketing and promotions, media relations and video. He also served as the liaison for ticket operations and sales and Aggie Sports Properties.
Prior to Utah State, Barnes spent four years at Miami University, where he served as the associate athletics director/senior director of development for three-and-a-half years, before being promoted to executive associate athletics director/senior director of development his last year.
During his time at Miami, Barnes served as a co-manager for the Graduating Champions Campaign, raising more than $65 million toward the $80 million goal. In 2015, Barnes' team raised a then-record $28.3 million in gifts and pledges, including $5.02 million in cash.
Barnes also boosted Miami's Red & White Club membership to more than 2,000 members, a 27-percent increase since his arrival in 2013 and increased revenue by 24 percent, up to $880,000 per year.
Prior to Miami, Barnes spent two years at UAB, as the associate athletics director for development. He oversaw Blazer Boosters, the fundraising unit for UAB Athletics, increasing the annual fund membership by 54 percent through a 16-month initiative.
Prior to UAB, Barnes served from 2008-11 at Fresno State as the executive director of The Bulldog Foundation and associate athletics director for development. As an executive administrator, he oversaw all components of the development office that raised approximately $6 million annually. He also managed a development team that successfully secured funding for a $6 million sports medicine center and a $1.2 million turf project.
From 2005-08, Barnes served as the assistant director for the UMAA Foundation, the fundraising unit for Ole Miss Athletics, playing an integral role in raising nearly $13 million annually.
Prior to Ole Miss, Barnes was a development associate for the Hurricane Club at the University of Miami (2004-05) and an intern in Harvard's Athletics Ticket Office (2003-04).
Barnes graduated from Kentucky with a bachelor's degree in education in 2002 with a major in kinesiology and a minor in business. He was a three-year letterwinner on the Wildcats' football team as the team's long snapper. In 2004, Barnes earned his master's degree from Kentucky in kinesiology with an emphasis in sport management and completed his Ph.D. in higher education from Ole Miss in 2017.
A native of Bardstown, Kentucky, Barnes, and his wife, Mary Beth, have two children, Caroline and William.
