Pitt hires former Utah State athletic director Barnes to same position


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LOGAN — Utah State’s Scott Barnes was reportedly a finalist for the athletic director vacancy at Pittsburgh, as reported last week.

He’s not just a finalist anymore.

The Panthers will hire Barnes as their next athletic director, replacing recently departed Steve Pederson.

The university announced Barnes' hiring Friday morning. Chancellor Patrick Gallagher publicly introduced Barnes at news conference on campus.

Barnes' tenure at Pitt officially begins July 1.

"I want to thank Chancellor Gallagher and the search committee for this tremendous opportunity," the former Utah State athletic director said in a statement. "Chancellor Gallagher's vision for excellence across all facets of this great university, including athletics, is impressive and makes Pitt an exciting place to be for myself and my family. Pitt's exceptional student-athletes and coaches, loyal fan base and storied history are true assets that we can build on together.

Utah State athletic director Scott Barnes, left, hands Tim Duryea a basketball as Duryea is named the new USU head basketball coach in Logan, Monday, March 30, 2015. Barnes was officially named the athletic director at Pittsburgh on Friday morning. (Ravell Call/Deseret News)
Utah State athletic director Scott Barnes, left, hands Tim Duryea a basketball as Duryea is named the new USU head basketball coach in Logan, Monday, March 30, 2015. Barnes was officially named the athletic director at Pittsburgh on Friday morning. (Ravell Call/Deseret News)

"In addition, our membership in the ACC brings continued opportunities for Pitt Athletics to achieve excellence in every way. The Barnes family is honored and humbled to join the Pitt family."

ESPN.com’s Jeff Goodman first reported the hire, citing sources close to the Pitt athletic department. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette confirmed the report.

Gallagher fired Pederson on Dec. 17, and the school hired Chicago-based DHR International to lead the search for a replacement.

"Athletics play an important role in the life of the University," Gallagher said in a statement, "and in Scott Barnes we have found a person who understands the role that athletics play and who also recognizes the primacy of academics. Scott clearly shares our belief that we should pursue excellence in all that we do and that a student can be good in both athletics and academics."

Barnes’ tenure at Utah State, which began in 2008, saw the rise of two prominent football coaches in Gary Andersen and Matt Wells, as well as the recent hiring of Tim Duryea to lead the men’s basketball program after the retirement of Provo native and Utah State legend Stew Morrill. The Aggies made as smooth a transition as possible from the Western Athletic Conference to the Mountain West under Barnes, the second conference jump in less than two decades for Utah State.

The 52-year-old former Fresno State basketball player also presided over many of the most ambitious on-campus facility projects in Utah State history, including the renaming of Romney Stadium and subsequent corporate sponsorship with Maverik as well as the dedication of the Wayne Estes Center, which houses several basketball and volleyball courts along with other training facilities. In all, Barnes raised more than $52 million in fundraising for capital projects during his stint as AD.

Barnes was on the NCAA men’s basketball selection committee for the past five years, serving as the committee chair and spokesman this past season.

Prior to coming to Logan, Barnes was a senior associate athletic director at Washington and the AD at Eastern Washington, where hired five Big Sky football coaches of the year during his tenure.

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