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(GISD | CONTRIBUTED PHOTO) Graham ISD is bringing in the newest member of the Graham community in Rick Barber as their next strength and conditioning coach.
It’s been a busy couple of weeks for Graham athletics in terms of filling out coaching vacancies.
Graham High School recently brought in Matt Chapman as well as Quinton Fossett as the next Steer’s head basketball coach.
Graham ISD is bringing in the newest member of the Graham community in Rick Barber as their next strength and conditioning coach.
Steers head football coach and athletic director Clay McChristian gave some thoughts on what led to Barber’s hire.
“We heard great things about Coach Barber from several people and he is very excited about getting started in July,” McChristian said. “We brought in two great candidates, but coach Barber’s experience in several areas ultimately led us to him being our pick for the position.”
In a post from the Graham Athletics Facebook page, Barber is described as having “a diverse background in high-performance athletic training, military leadership and a commitment to student development.”
Barber was previously the assistant strength and conditioning coach at The Episcopal School of Dallas where he led male and female athletes across multiple sports and training sessions.
He also has experience with collegiate athletes, serving at both Texas Christian University and the University of North Texas in sports such as football, golf, volleyball and track and field.
In fact, Barber said it was through his time at the University of North Texas that actually landed him the opportunity in Graham.
“I received a call from Coach McChristian after he reached out to a mutual contact between us from my time at the University of North Texas,” Barber said. “After speaking to him on the phone and doing some homework at school, I knew it was going to be a good fit.”
Before that, Barber served as a United States Marine as an Information Operations Planner.
“Barber brings discipline, leadership and a mission-oriented mindset to his role,” the school said in the post.
Barber holds a Master of Science in Sports and Health Science from American Military University as well, adding proven education to his role.
“I always knew I was interested in human performance,” Barber said. “So while I was on active duty, I obtained my Masters in Exercise Science. Once I was out, I knew I wanted to give back and continue serving in some way and decided being a strength coach was the best way for me to do that.”
Barber said that this latest opportunity in Graham is one he is very blessed to have. He enjoys the “small town unique identity” and is excited for the change of pace.
He also has high expectations for the athletes he works with due to the sports programs’ storied successes.
