By Jim Walker

jim.walker@irontontribune.com

Chris Barnes is leaving his job as the head of the Ironton basketball family to be the head of his own expanding family.

“I quit because it was time and I wanted to spend time with my grandkids and my wife,” said Barnes who recently resigned as the head coach of the Ironton Fighting Tigers, thus ending a 40-year coaching career.

“I’ve seen my grandkids every day this week. I want to spend time with them while they’re little.”

Barnes was an All-Ohio guard for Ironton and teamed with guard Jeff Jackson to lead the Fighting Tigers to the Class AA regional finals his senior season. Ohio had just 3 divisions at that time.

Barnes played at Shawnee State when it was a junior college. His coach was former Portsmouth Trojans legend Dick Hopkins who won two state titles.

In his second season at Shawnee State, Harry Weinbrecht was the head coach. Later in his career, Barnes began the men’s basketball program at Ohio University Southern and his athletic director and assistant coach was Weinbrecht.

“It goes full circle,” said Barnes.

Becoming a basketball coach  was always on his mind and Barnes actually had other thoughts of a profession. His father, Keith, was an accountant and his mother, Linda, was a school teacher.

“Wasn’t sure what I was going to be. I liked that kind of math. It was one or the other,” Barnes said about his career path decision.

“I walked over to my dad’s office every day and one day in the summer and it was super nice out and he was in his office. He loved his work. When he passed away at 75 he was still doing that and he would have done that until he was 100.

“But I walked in and when I walked back out. I think I realized I was too hyper to sit there in the summertime. I like running the summer league and going to some camps. Growing up I was like the athletic director of the whole neighborhood. I was the one who organized the games. I just thought I’d be better at teaching and getting into some sort of coaching.”

Although his love was basketball, Barnes has coached volleyball, track and cross country.

“I can’t say my goal was to be a head coach. I did four years of volleyball at Rock Hill to pay for my Masters’ degree. Janet Walker taught me the rules of the game. I went to her house and asked her. I wasn’t sure about it,” said Barnes.

“Of course I liked basketball. I got my very first opportunity at Portsmouth West with Mark Merritt. Him and his brother were big time players at Lucasville Valley who went on to play down in Mississippi.”

Barnes went to Texas to finish his college basketball career but was injured and came back to Ironton and finished at Ohio University Southern.

Barnes went to West to apply for a job and the secretary said there was nothing available. He thanked her and left but the principal was Bud Sayre and he heard Barnes’ voice. Barnes was already in his car and heading back home when Sayre called him and offered him the assistant basketball coaching job.

“From that point on I’ve been coaching,” said Barnes.

After years as an assistant at Ironton, Barnes’ first head coaching job was at Ironton after Phil Rice retired. After three seasons, he was offered a job to start the basketball program at Ohio University Southern. From there he took a job at the newly formed Central Crossing in Grove City. He then returned and coached at South Point and guided the team to an Ohio Valley Conference title.

After he retired at South Point, he spent three seasons as the head coach at Ironton St. Joseph. Not long after he resigned from the St. Joseph job, he was asked to coach Ironton again and spent the past four seasons guiding the Fighting Tigers.

Barnes was the coach when Central Crossing and Ohio Southern won their respective program’s first game. After nine seasons in the tough Columbus league, he still holds the program’s record for most wins.

Barnes has been fortunate to coach his three sons — Bryce, Brandon and Blake — who all scored 1,000 points in their careers. He said it’s the players he’s coached that bring him his most memorable and enjoyable moments.

“I wasn’t expecting this job (Ironton) to come around, but I’m kind of glad I got to finish where I started,” said Barnes.

“The good things you remember are the relationships and fellowships and getting to see these kids later on and see how they are doing. You get into (coaching) to help kids.”