Athletic Director Jim Barre to retire December 31st

Jim Barre, Wyoming’s Athletic Director since August 1998, has announced that he will retire on December 31st.

After graduating from Miami University, Jim started his career at Norwood Middle School in the fall of 1976, where he taught social studies and coached football and wrestling.

In 1982 Jim was promoted to Athletic Director and Head Varsity Football coach. During his 13 years in those positions the school won 17 league championships. The football team won three of those and made the playoffs in 1991. Jim has the most wins by any football coach at Norwood, 69.

Jim returned to his alma mater in the fall of 1998 as Wyoming’s athletic director. Just so you know what the AD job entails, Wyoming has over 800 athletic events annually, with 80 coaches, 24 varsity sports and 63 different teams.

Among many other accomplishments during his tenure, Jim was involved in the renovation of the gymnasium, team rooms, training room, weight room, baseball field, softball field and was co-chairman of the fund raising committee that raised $1.1 million and then oversaw the rebuilding of the track and turf football/soccer facility.

Jim also started the girls’ golf, girls’ and boys’ bowling and boys’ and girls’ lacrosse programs at the high school, tennis at the middle school as well as several junior varsity and freshman programs.

Finally, and I think most significantly, Jim’s tenure has been marked by excellence on the field, court, course and lane: Wyoming has won over 60 league titles during Jim’s 13 years and the Cincinnati Hills League Cup Championship ten straight years: 2000-2010. He is leaving us looking good for 2011 as well.

This excellence leads to high student participation, more athletes going on to play in college, and the ability to push kids to excel in the classroom as a precondition for participating in athletics. (As to the last item, Wyoming had 134 fall athletes win the CHL Academic Award, given to varsity letter winners with a 1st quarter GPA of 3.25 or higher.)

All of us in the Wyoming athletic community wish Jim a long and happy retirement.