Scott Barnes era begins at OSU
The athletic director position at OSU has been quite the spin cycle the past few years as OSU has seen Bob DeCarolis, Marianne Vydra (interim twice) and Todd Stansbury all serve as athletic director since 2014. With the hiring of Pittsburgh’s Scott Barnes, it appears that the Beavers have finally found someone who is with OSU for the long run.
President Ed Ray was the first to speak a the press conference today. Since Mike Riley left the Beavers to pursue Nebraska, I have often applauded Ray for his passion for Beaver athletics. There are many university presidents that are very hands off when it comes to athletics, but he is very hands on. I have the privilege of knowing Ray personally, and everytime I hear him speak, or even have a conversation with him, I realize just how incredible he is as a leader. He is passionate, knowledgeable, and humble. That is why every time OSU has looked for a new AD over the past several years, Ray always gets someone who truly embraces what it means to be a part of Beaver Nation.
“Scott Barnes is someone who has demonstrated everywhere he has been that he is committed to helping student athletes,” Ray said. “I know he is going to make a tremendous difference here.”
Barnes comes to OSU from Pittsburgh where he served as their athletic director for 18 months.
“To be back out in the Pacific Northwest is an absolute no brainer,” Barnes said. “Timing-wise, both the open window of opportunity that came to us here recently and some critical family issues, including some health issues, gave us the opportunity to move back now and take care of those things. We’ve got family from Northern California to Washington and everywhere in between, so we’re happy to be home.”
Head football coach Gary Andersen said back in September that whoever took the AD position, had to see the Beavers as a destination job, not as a stepping stone. Many of OSU’s coaches feel the same way about Corvallis being a destination job. Andersen, Wayne Tinkle, Scott Rueck, Pat Casey and so on. Barnes, feels the same way.
“Absolute destination,” Barnes said. “Let’s define that for a minute. What does that mean? What a destination job means: Is you can accomplish the things that you want to accomplish the things that you want to accomplish together? Win championships, go to postseason, graduate your student-athletes at an incredibly high level, have the quality of life that you want to have for your coaches and your student athletes. We can do all of that. This is absolutely a destination job. There is no question about it.”
One point of emphasis for every new athletic director at any smaller school is how to bring in revenue. Compared to other programs in the Pac-12, the Beavers don’t have the truckloads of money to inject into their athletic department. How do you stay competitive? Find an AD that can build great relationships with alumni in order to get the fundraising to make your programs stronger
“Fundraising, whether it is major gift or annual fund is critical to our success,” Barnes said. “We think about ways to move our program forward, and we have to be all in all the time in fundraising. We think about programs like football and basketball that have the largest capacity to grow.
Notes:
- Barnes' last day at Pittsburgh will be February 12th.
- Due to the fact that there was only an interim athletic director when Andersen was given his extension, Ray had comments as to why he received that extension.
“I wanted to send a very clear message that I think Gary Andersen is the guy,” Ray said. “You watch our players on the field, their heart, intensity and the passion they bring to the game. We are heading in the right direction, and I wanted there to be no doubt that I have tremendous confidence in (Andersen) and his team. He is gonna have the time to take his team to the next level because I know he will.”
